In the year 1897 a little girl was born. Her parents gave her the name Hj??rdis. In Norse mythology it means ???The goddess of the sword.??? She had two sisters when she was born. Anna, the oldest, and Jenny. They were a happy little family living on a small farm, The years went by, and in the end they had grown to be a family of 18.
When Hj??rdis was 15 she left the nice and secure home and went to a big city where she started to work as a maid for a rich family. One day she was asked if she wanted to be an assistant for a taylor. She was thrilled by the idea. The goddess of the sword had no intention of spending her youth working and cleaning for other people. She had ambitions.
After a few years she was an educated taylor being a specialist in making dinner jackets and tailcoats.
Hj??rdis was just like other young women. She liked to be smartly dressed, and had now an income that made her able to be an elegant lady. She was tall and slim and very beautiful. When she was 28 she married.
Shortly after she got a son who was going to be her only child. She was now supposed to stay home and take care of her family. But her trade made it possible to go on working from home .
That was the start of Mr. Singer, which she called her sewing machine. In these days it was an expensive investment. In 1856 Isaac Merrit Singer introduced his first sewing machine. Hj??rdis got one with a support table and drawers underneath and was worked with a foot treadle. She was still making lovely tailcoats and brought a lot of money into the family.
Mr. Singer was her dearest possession. And if anybody asked if they could use it she was very reluctant.
When she was 50 years old, she got a granddaughter and a few years later a grandson. Mr. Singer was still her best friend and a lot of clothes were made for her little family. She was very creative, and especially her granddaughter owned a lot of pretty dresses and coats. All thanks to Mr. Singer. When her granddaughter was old enough. she was the only person who was allowed to use Mr. Singer. Hj??rdis learnt her how to use it and how to make beautiful clothes
After many years Mr. Singer had just become an ornament, but a dear one. He was sitting there in all his glory. Always taken care of, touched with love and polished ever so often.
One day the goddess of the sword died. She became 88 years old, and on her deathbed she insisted that Mr. Singer should be given to her goddaughter.
The goddess of the sword is dead, but Mr. Singer is still alive and shiny.