we (my two sisters and i) thought we were deprived by having to share our mother's machine with her and usually and aunt or two. we sewed all our clothes, sometimes even coats and swimsuits. we made our own drapes. i remember a boyfriend telling us he had fun just watching how fast we sewed and seeing us practically sitting in line to get to the machine!
i didn't have my own until i was pregnant with my first baby.