Thirty some years ago I bought a top of the line machine (New Home- now Janome) as I love sewing in High School but my mom knew nothing about machine sewing so I was on my own. My SIL told me she bought a new machine and, you guessed it, it was a Bernina. When I told her I had a new machine too, she told me I had wasted my money, that Bernina was the only machine worth buying. When I started to have problems with my machine, which I now know was due to not cleaning it or replacing the needle (I really didn't know better then) I thought it was because I bought an inferior machine. Years later I discovered that my machine really is a gem and now I know how to take care of it. It has NEVER been in for service, runs like a dream, and does so many things that modern machines boast of. My SIL has had several Berninas, trading up over the years. I do not blame her for her snobery, although it did and still does exist. I blame myself for falling for it, for being too inexperienced to know that a machine had to be cleaned (okay, read the manual) and needed new needles from time to time. Years lost in sewing. But now this is a valuable experience as I realize that it is necessary to have strength in our convictions. That how you react to a situation is up to YOU. For example, if I'm stuck in traffic I can either be angry about it or take it as a part of life. I can't control the traffic but I can control my reaction to it. That is the lesson that I learned and the best lesson you can take away from this awful situation. Yes, that teacher is a fool. Hopefully, one day she will see herself in this situation and realize what's she's done. But regardless, YOU are the one who controls how you react to it, so I encourage you to say, "what an idiot", smile, and enjoy your wonderful machine. Imagine yourself laughing when she made that remark rather than turning red and shrinking in your seat.
