I was 12. I had taken Home Ec and had my first taste of sewing. My mother did not sew, but my grandmother did on a treadle. I prayed secretly that Santa would bring me a sewing machine. It would have been an extravagant gift. I swear I did not ask or beg for this because back in the day I knew we simply could not afford it. I suspect my grandmother had a hand in this. That Christmas beneath the tree was a wondeful Singer ZigZag machine. All I can say is that it meant the world to me. I sewed on that machine until I was 30 yrs old. The thought never ocurred to me to give it up. It was a steel horse. Finally, I sold it at a garage sale. I'm sure it's still going strong!