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Does anyone here know anything about sewing machines?
I was thinking to post this in the 'craft' area, but it didn't look like it was such an active part of the forums...
Anyway, I received some money as a christmas gift from my boss and I was thinking to buy myself a sewing machine with the money to use for various projects and minor tailoring stuff.
I'm just not sure which machine to get. My mother has a Singer machine and likes it, but I also heard that the Brother machines are decent too....they all vary in price though - so the least expensive model I've seen is something like $70 and they go all the way up from there. I have $100 to go towards the machine, but would like to ultimately keep it to $150-$200 the absolute max....
Just trying to get some opinions from various sources before I actually make any decisions on the purchase....
Re: Does anyone here know anything about sewing machines?
I would not buy the cheapest machine of any brand. Go for a step up if you can. This isn't a piece of equipment that's going to wear out and need to be replaced any time soon. And it seems like the cheapest ones tend to have more problems like bobbins getting tangled up. My friend's Brother kept spitting oil on her projects- definitely a freak of nature problem there, but the cheapest Brothers are not so great. The level of frustration you're likely to experience will discourage you from sewing.
I bought an expensive machine with lots of features about 10 years ago. Honestly, all I ever use is a straight stitch and a zig zag. I quilt as well as make clothing. Every other feature the machine has is a rarely used bonus.
Before I bought my expensive machine, I used a Sears Kenmore machine from about 1970. It worked great, but I wasn't crazy about the cabinet it HAD to be in. I tend to travel around with my machine, and the giant cabinet was definitely designed for staying in one spot. But I'd probably still have it if I hadn't gotten an incredibly awesome closeout-on-last-year's-model type deal.
What kind of sewing do you plan to do? Do you already know how to sew? Do you know people who sew who would let you test drive their machines?
Your local sewing machine shop (usually a quilt store in my neck of the woods, but you might have a dedicated sewing machine store) might have some used machines people have traded in.
Both my mother and MIL sew but they have older machines (like 20+ years older), so that won't help me much if I'm looking to buy something new. I actually found out that there is a Joann Fabric store not too far from my house, so I'm going to pop over there over the weekend and see what they have and see if I can do a test drive of their machines if they have out on display.
I do sew - it's just been a very very long time, so I'm just looking for something that's not too difficult to use and really it's for small projects like sewing window treatments and such, so nothing too crazy.
Sewing machines haven't really changed a whole lot. My 1970s machine worked pretty much the same way as my friend's brand new top of the line computerized one. Biggest difference in actually using them are things like electronic controls for stitch lengths instead of mechanical dials. Especially at a $200 price point, their older machines are going to be VERY similar to new ones that you'll find.
I agree with the above. I have sewn for over 40 years, and am still using the Kenmore I had from about 30 years ago! I have sewn everything on it, including slipcovers, winter coats, and my silk wedding dress a couple of years ago!
I personally swear by anything Kenmore, but that's just me. If you have basic skills, a basic machine is fine.
I got this model for Christmas 2011. I was a complete non-sewer before hand, and I have found this one to be very user friendly! I LOVE it! My skills have increased over the last year, and I haven't found one thing that I would change yet.
http://www.amazon.com/Brother-Affordable-60-Stitch-Computerized-Free-Arm/dp/B000JQM1DE
I went to Joann's yesterday to go check out and test out a few of their machines and I am so glad that I did.
As it turns out, if you buy a machine from them, they offer lifetime lessons and help if you need help with the machine or forget how to do something.
The lady who works with the machines there was very helpful and gave me a lot to consider, so now I'm trying to decide which machine I want. There were 2 that I really liked - one of them was the Kenmore model #19106 and the other was a Janome model #7318. The Kenmore is $120, runs great and very sturdy, and the Janome is $250, also very sturdy, runs great but has some more features than the Kenmore does. I actually tried another Janome machine that costs $179, and would consider it but the machine just did not feel sturdy enough when I tested.
While it would be great to save some money and get the less expensive machine, I'm semi-leaning towards the Janome, only because one thing I did not consider was the fact that one of the things I need to be able to do with the machine is hem jeans for my H, which ideally would require a double stitch. Janome machine has this option, but the Kenmore does not. I'm also thinking down the road if I start wanting to do more advanced stuff - having a machine with extra features might be the better investment.
Oh and btw - for those of you who shop in Joann's for fabrics, they were having a lot of fabrics on sale for 60% off and leftover holiday stuff (wrapping paper, ribbons, etc) was 90% off
I actually had considered this one when I was doing initial research online for machines, but go and look at the negative reviews - and I would actually say come back here and post an update in 6 months about how the machine is working for you because it seems that this particular machine has a lot of issues and Brother's customer service is useless. I realize you should take reviews with a grain of salt, but one has to wonder - especially if people are complaining about the same exact problem. I saw someone selling this exact model on craigslist over the weekend and even with the cheap price tag, I would not get it for myself.