Did You Say Contest? Tell me more!

By now you probably know that the sewing machine I use to sew all of my tea towels was handed down to me by my mom about 20 years ago...when she finally decided to upgrade. Well, up until now I have never really given it a name, calling it "Bessie", as I do all of my old workhorse machines (12 year-old second car, 15 year-old Power Macintosh G3, 18 year-old Apple laser printer, 30 year-old Atari 2600, 35 year-old Princess telephone, you get the picture), often praising them for hanging in there after I've pushed them near their limits. Obviously these are products proven to stand the test of time! So while trying to think of a contest theme so I could do a giveaway before the holidays, I thought: Hey, why not finally give "Bessie" an identity, and let you choose what the name will be!





In order to help you come up with the perfect name, here are some facts about the machine:

Model: Sears Kenmore Zig-Zag sewing machine, no. 1318

Purchased: New, in the early 1970s, at a Sears in a suburb of Chicago (so it's about 40 years old)

Color: Avocado green (of course!)

Weight: 21.2 lbs / 9.6 kg

Interesting tidbit #1: After sewing about eight tea towels, the pedal is so hot I cannot put my foot on it (fire hazard!)

Interesting tidbit #2: Considered vintage, one in similar condition recently sold on eBay for $145

Interesting tidbit #3: some of the parts are still available from Sears

Interesting story from my mom: "I started taking some sewing lessons in a lady's basement, and I had to take [the machine] with me to class. I remember it was huge and heavy, and everybody else brought these little, cute petite deals to class. Theirs had cases and mine didn't. I felt really poor. My first assignment was to do "gathering". The lady was really nice, and I learned a lot.... You were watching me sew, when you were about 4. You had the most beautiful honey-colored hair, and it was easy to just put it in two side ponytails, especially on hot, summer days. I may have been making something for you, and you decided to watch. You were on the side of the "hand wheel", and at one point leaned in closely to see better, and the wheel caught your right-side ponytail and started winding it up. Your scream made me take my foot off the pedal, stopping the machine. It all happened in a matter of two seconds. I felt terrible. Fortunately, I think the ponytail holder had such a tight grip on your hair in between the hair ends and your scalp that it lessened the amount of hair that was pulled out. It wasn't much, but enough to really hurt." [I remember when that happened!]

Now, you say, what is the prize for dreaming up the perfect name? A tea towel, of course! Any tea towel, your choice, from the 12 pictured below.



Sound good? If so, here's how to participate:

1. If you haven't done so already, "Like" Penny Candy Handmade on Facebook.
   
2. Comment with the name you wish to enter on the corresponding Facebook post here. You can enter as many names as you wish.
   
3. Get your friends to "Like" your entry comment. You may "Like" your own entry, and you may "Like" other entries.
   
4. Contest ends Wednesday, December 12, 2012, at 11:59pm PST. The entry with the most "Likes" will be the WINNER!
   
5. I will only vote in the event of a tie. My family members are not eligible to enter names, but may vote.