The sewing machine that helped me re-introduce myself back to sewing after a break of almost 20 years was the Sears Kenmore 158.17030 sewing machine pictured above.
I happened upon this machine one weekend when browsing through Facebook and wasn't even looking for a sewing machine, but knew that I had to have this one.
Per the pictures shown in the Facebook Marketplace listing, this machine was complete and would enable me to begin sewing upon purchase (so long as the motor worked). The cabinet of this machine included a top that flips open to the left and right to give me a nice sewing surface that helps to prevent whatever it is that I am sewing from unnecessarily hanging from my work area. I also noticed that the cabinet had a large and small drawer on its right side for storage.
As for the physical machine itself, I also immediately noticed that it included various built-in stitches which would not only allow me to apply appropriate stitches to different types of fabrics, but also to finish the edges of my seams without the use of a dedicated serger machine. When viewing the pictures in the listing, it also did not escape me that the top of the machine included an access door for inserting decorative stitch cams.
Being sold on the aesthetics of the Kenmore 158.17030 sewing machine and the features I could identify through the pictures, I sent an offer to the seller which was subsequently accepted. After getting the machine home and setup, I immediately got to work with performing research on my new to me sewing machine. Through that research, I came to find out that I had unknowingly stumbled upon a very versatile sewing machine. In addition to a large offering of decorative sewing cams, I came to find out that Sears also offered "books" of attachments that made it possible to monogram with templates, sew very nice and professional buttonholes of varying lengths and shapes (also with the aid of templates), while also including various presser feet to accomplish each of these tasks. Having gained this knowledge, I then dedicated my efforts to securing each of these "books" along with any other accessories by Sears that would help me maximize the use of my new machine that has now become one of my main machines for being able to sew a project from beginning to end without really having to switch to a different machine and as a result, most of my sewing projects touch this machine at some point during their creation.
