Technically...

Moms sewing machine just broke. Upon inspection we found that a plastic gear supplying rotation to the bobbin gave way. So if she didn't need the bobbin to function anymore, the machine works fine.
Now here is an inventive guy, who took a sewing machine and turned it into a scroll saw! So technically Mom could turn it into a scroll saw if she didn't want to sew with it any more...it would be a great gift for Dad! You know he needs another tool.

http://www.instructables.com/id/From-Sewing-Machine-to-Scroll-Saw-a-Christmas-tal/

I really love this website, http://www.instructables.com/ it's full of interesting recycling/repurposing ideas.

The author of this post, bongodrummer, has his own website here: http://www.floweringelbow.co.uk/

He lives in the UK and seems to be into woodworking and electronics stuff. ("Stuff" being an official technical term I like to use.) It looks like he even took a bunch of "junk" (his technical term) and turned it into a lathe!

Inventive guy!