My Fiber Obsessions

When I was 7, I learned to sew on a Necchi electric machine that belonged to my mother. My grandmother had a Singer. When I graduated from High School I asked my mother to buy me a sewing machine for a graduation present. She bought me a new Singer in a cabinet  with a bunch of cams for making different stitches. Truly, this was not a very good machine and the bobbin tension issues drove me nuts. After about 3 years a cam part broke and it could not be repaired. I eventually traded it in on a simple Riccar (made by White).
I used the machines for embellishing clothing with lace and trim. I would hand embroider the items. It was great fun to make unusual clothing. 15 years late that same clothing style was all the rage. But I had moved on. I was making quilts and doing needle point and cross stitch. What I really needed was a good construction machine that could sew through several layers of fabric. The Riccar failed after about 10 years and there were no parts for it. I had it made into a simple, straight stitch only machine and it has worked for that purpose for 25 years. But at that time, I also purchased a Viking/Husky machine. It had more stitches and could be used in clothing construction. After 3 years, it was a constant repair patient. What is with these crappy machines? I finally put all my sewing away and haven't sewn for 8 years. Until this year.
The Riccar was traded for a BabyLock Melody. The Viking is in the shop (again and maybe for the last time because I will probably get rid of it). I have a Bernina Serger which I think I have now repaired and a top of the line Baby lock Ovation. And the queen of all this is the quilting frame and sewing machine (Grace and Juki combo).
I weave my own fabric and can't be bothered by these dysfunctional machines. I need some quality. So how would I know if they really are quality. The others seemed good for about a year. I bought the warranty just in case. And I am relying on the word of a close friend who sews all the time and has had problems with other machines but seems happy with these.
So now, I make my own yarn, knit, weave, sew quilts, and am trying to get full circle back to making my own clothing with embellishments. It is a small, round world.