Buying a sewing machine?
So, you are going to buy a sewing machine so you can make things. That is wonderful! Please, please, please buy the best machine you can afford. Save yourself a big headache ending in disappointment. Now, I said the best not the most expensive. Of course I have my opinions and do not like some of the most expensive ones. Complexity of machine does not mean quality.
To make the most beautiful garments and quilts all you need is a strait stitch. I look at the dresses Eddi has stitched – with a strait stitch Singer from the 1940′s – and marvel at how beautiful they are. Not a zig-zag or serge to be found… Of all the machines that people bring in to class, I am most impressed with the Janome machines. You get a lot for your money and they stitch well. They hold their tension and have quite a number of features for under $500. Chris at the Auburn Sewing Center gives you as many guide instructions as you need when you purchase from her. I also find it easy to instruct students in their basic use.
So please do not buy a new machine for under $200, because you will probably not enjoy sewing with these flimsy machines and you may not be able to get the machine to sew. Last Fall I had a student bring a machine she had purchased at Wal-Mart to class. We threaded it up and began to sew on some cotton muslin. Everything looked o.k. so she got out her project. She was working on polyester flannel PJ’s as Christmas gifts. We got the seam pinned and started sewing. There were skipped stitches so I had her change to a ball-point needle. No luck. I sent her down to Chris to get a Janome and told her to return the other machine. She spent about the same amount on the Janome as she had on the other machine. The difference was remarkable… The Janome actually sewed!!!
Word of advice, if you cannot afford new, look at yard sales for older machines from the 50′s and 60′s that still work. Kenmore, Singer, Brother are worthy of mention here. Remember you only need strait stitch, everything else is want.
The most important aspect of your usage of a computerized sewing machine is how you feel about its user interface. Is it intuitive, or confusing or intimidating? Is it easy to get it to do what you want it to do, or do you have to wade through too many menus and screens and press lots of extraneous buttons? You’re going to have to live with this interface for as long as you have the machine, so you’d better be comfortable with it.
I going to buy a used Kenmore 158 Sewing machine if I need help on to use it. Can you teach me how to use it?
Best Regards,
Michael Faris
Hi Michael,
We could give you a run down of the machine, if you come in for one of our Open Sewing Classes. Give us a call to let us know when you will be coming in for a class.
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