gotta love those vintage sewing machines. my wife is using a very modern sewing machine that we bought for over $800 for it's fancy stitches. yes, it's made in sweden and all but it's all plastic. if i have known then what i know now i will never buy that plastic sewing machine even for $100. i could even buy a morse with fancy stitches for $50 and it sews leather. i tried using my wife's plastic machine on leather with leather needle and upholstery thread - bad idea. it will sew then will stop and you can hear the motor struggling. main reason why this vintage machines can sew on leather is because it's all metal and heavy duty and it's made to last. lucky for us who knows what good machines are.