I have a 35-year-old Kenmore too, and what I would do if it finally crashed and burned would be to hit CraigsList and shopgoodwill to look for exactly the same machine to replace it. It could take a few months, but it would be the same machine to me. In meantime, look for a newer Kenmore made by Janome - they're inexpensive, lightweight and all of the accessories from your old Kenmore will fit the new one.