The American version of quilting, the "patchwork" quilt was born out of the economic need not to waste any precious bit of fabric. Woman stitched together by hand in the light of the fire, candles or lanterns the scraps left from the clothing they made for their families. They couldn't afford to waste anything. The European version of quilting always seems to be wholecloth. My mother's most precious possession for many years was the Featherweight she purchased in 1936. She was a Home Economics major in college although she never got to finish her degree. She hand carried it from Illinois to Maryland when she met and married my father. I learned to sew on it. My parents gave me a sewing machine when I graduated from high school. I'll bet it took my parents three years of monthly payments to pay it off. It was a cabinet machine made by Capital. I have never seen or heard of one since. After I had been married about ten years I got a part time job working for a Bernina dealer. I fell in love with their machines and was able to purchase one with a 40% discount. I was just as thrilled with the featherweight I found at a yard sale for just $20. It is my back up machine and I hope someday to teach a grandchild to sew on it. Over the years I have spent countless hours sewing. I started with clothes for myself and then my daughter. Now the overwhelming majority of my sewing is Linus quilts and charitable projects like the Princess Pillowcase dresses. I think my husband fell I love with me because I could and did mend his jeans and other clothes. His first wife couldn't even attach a button. Whatever machine you have or can afford can make something beautiful or useful.