Y esterday my trusty 25-year-old sewing machine that was given to me by my mother finally gave up. It began with a squeaky sound while I was in the midst of sewing an applique. I decided to stop and give it a thorough oiling but the squeaking continued. When I opened the bobbin area I noticed a fine black powder had been accumulating under my machine probably due to grinding of machine parts. Not good. I had been pushing my poor machine way beyond its capacity. I did get a bit sad but also excited about the prospect of something newer and better. I've been researching sewing machines on the Internet for quite some time and day dreaming of a faster and better model. So, today I headed over to Sew Fast Sew Easy , a lovely shop located on 35th St. between Broadway and 7th Ave. in New York City. I am on a limited budget and needed something in a medium price range. The staff was so friendly and helpful. I decided on the Limited Edition Project Runway Innov-is 40 , a 40-stitch comput...