Singer sewing machines were coveted appliances in Cuba during the first half of the 20th century. They symbolized a well-equipped home where modern housewives were liberated from long hours of hand sewing. In the decades of hardship that followed, they proved convenient amid scarcity, which allowed them to survive as cherished relics in many families, including Lissette Solórzano’s. One day, she found a house where they were fixed to the roof, forming a line. Solórzano felt that it resembled a sort of monument to which she would gladly pay her respects. She imagined this red sewing machine to be mending the city of Havana.

Durante la primera mitad del siglo XX, las máquinas de coser Singer fueron codiciados electrodomésticos en Cuba, símbolo de un hogar bien equipado donde el ama de casa se liberaba de largas horas de costura manual. En las siguientes décadas de escasez, resul- taron de provecho y muchas familias (incluida la de la autora) las atesoraron como reliquias. Un día, Lissette Solórzano encontró una fila de ellas en el techo de una casa. Le pareció un monumento al que con gusto rendiría homenaje e imaginó esta máquina de coser roja remendando la ciudad de La Habana.