momto5

Chrystal, First of all, welcome to the Board! You will gain a Lot of knowledge here and have a lot of fun as well.

That said, I would encourage you to try to post some pics of your machine so the folks who know the most about them can determine what you have and how to use it. Can't tell much from your description.

As for the "Dial and Sew", I assume that more than one machine was called that....we need to know who manufactured the machine, e.g., Singer, Pfaff, Brother, or other....you should find a name somewhere on the machine, maybe across the front somewhere.

Good luck!