Don't remember my age(to long ago) it was before I started school. I used my mothers old singer untill I got married. For a wedding gift(1970) my parents gave us a singer golden touch and sew. I hated that machine I must have gotten a lemon it was either out of alinment or the tension was off all the time I could set the tension sew for an hr. Leave the room, not move the machine sit down to sew again and have to re adjust the tension! It was in the shop more than out! No one could figure out what was wrong with it. In 1972 I bought a Bernia had it for over 25 years made cloths, repaired jeans, made home decorations, even made horse blankets, leather chaps, reapolstered furnature, all 3 kids learned to sew on her finally had to give her a tearful good-by her moter burned up. Next came my Janome.