I knew something was missing...

The pressure foot lever to be exact! My old machine was missing it, which meant stretched out fabric, unbelievably difficult appliques, etc. My new Kenmore has it! I had to do a trial run on Maya's t-shirt (yeah, instead of taking a much needed nap) and the applique turned out PERFECT! Even without any stabilizer, it's smooth, no puckering, no stretching, just want to pinch myself thinking it's all a dream... Can't wait to throw it in the wash for some nice fraying around the edges :)