A new sewing machine… what a story!

The girls in our family have a sewing machine. Well, most of the girls—and yes, not the boys! We may have a feminist streak, but we realize that, at the end of the day, we’re just like everyone else.

In short, our machines are our friends, members of the family, our allies—you know what I mean!

But sometimes they reach the end of their rope, and that’s when disaster strikes! My trusty—though not-so-old—Bernina is still holding up at 17 years old, but Mom’s three machines gave up the ghost almost simultaneously, at various but respectable ages. So we had to find a replacement.

Needless to say, I was entrusted with this heavy responsibility; my dear mom lives in the middle of nowhere in a charming village in the Landes region, and it’s just as well she doesn’t set off on the open road in search of the perfect machine—she handles sewing machines better than her old scooter.

After looking into Bernina’s prices, we realized they were a bit too expensive for our maternity fund. Although we’ve been using Bernina (among other brands) for as long as we can remember, this time it just doesn’t work out, and the verdict is in: it’s over budget.

After searching high and low at Pfaff, Elna, and Brother, I finally found a sturdy, sleek German machine: the Gritzner Tiptronic 4.2 DFT.

The machines from this brand have everything in common with Paff machines, including the dual feed mechanism we love so much. I’ve scoured blogs and forums and haven’t found a single person who’s “disappointed with Gritzner” yet. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that Mom won’t be the first!

Anyway, after researching the topic as thoroughly as I could, I took the plunge. The machine was ordered and delivered quickly and safely.

I had to wait a few days to receive the detailed report from my dear mother!

She’s been sewing her whole life; she taught me everything there is to know about it, and it was the perfect test for a potential future “assistant” to my beloved Bernina…

The bottom line: nothing but positives! Simple, easy to use, and efficient, it has fully met its owner’s expectations. It adapts with ease to all the fabrics it’s been used on. It gathers evenly thanks to its special foot (sold separately), it sews jersey with ease, and bobbins are wound quickly and neatly.

So I’m really looking forward to getting to know it, playing around with it a bit, taking some photos, and telling you more about it!

If you feel like taking a look, it’s for sale on the website of “La maison de la machine à coudre et à repasser” in Strasbourg. Just to clarify: I have no connection to them—I’ve never even met them—but the woman who spoke to me on the phone was lovely. And my Alsatian roots have nothing to do with it, I swear!

In short, this is a great option for getting your hands on gear that’s not very well known in France but is nonetheless durable, high-performance, and affordable given its capabilities.

Stay tuned for the “photo essay” session…