Sometimes you much consider whether or not to fix or throw it away and buy new as I have done. My 18 year old much used White Sewing Machines would have cost more than half the price of a new one. So Hello Kitty it is. I do wish most everything else which resides and used in my home is as easy to locate an excellent-and honest-mechanic as the bicycle industry own mechanics seems to take for granted (a crooked one or someone who does not know what he/she is doing would not last very long).
For more information on deciding whether to fix or toss:
http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/video-hub/appliances/other-appliances/should-you-repair-or-replace-a-broken-appliance/16548701001/1069387732001/
I do hope in the future that I will be able to buy an straight lock stitch only industrial machine as their parts are easy to just pull out and replace when the time comes-not throw out the whole unit like home domestic sewing machines generally are. Below is an example of an industrial sewing machine and it's separate 1/2-3/4 HP motor plus it's specialized table I used in an sample making room when I was sewing in the now mostly defunct fashion, apparel, or home soft furnishings industry (I really miss using it). I could sew most
anything I wanted to-especially bike bags-with that type of heavy duty machine so quickly without fear. For all of you that are curious, this is probably the machine type used to make the bags you buy ready made for your bike or just for using yourself: