Am going to gift a friend of mine a sewing machine.
Trouble is, I know less than jack schitt about sewing machines.
I gather she wants to use it for more than her immediate family’s needs. Maybe using it for some kind of kids group or other such endeavour.
Anybody know anything about this stuff?
My initial (cursory) google tells me I can buy a chinese model for 10 bucks… Am a bit dubious to say the least.
Advice is welcome
A $10 seeing machine will almost certainly be a waste of $10, plus whatever fabric she tries to use it on. I had one like that, it just chewed up anything I tried to use it on, and the tension control did nothing.
Are you on a tight budget, or just trying not to waste money? And what is she looking to sew- are we talking thin fabric, or is she planning on fixing a canvas scout tent or something? Some of the cheaper models just really can’t cope with much thicker than a T-shirt even when they don’t jam.
In the UK, the best tough, simple but cheap option is a vintage Singer, which are virtually bullet proof, but they may not be as cheap where you are.
In order to provide a pleasant sewing experience, a sewing machine needs to be heavy enough that it won’t shake and judder around while it’s sewing. That means a more expensive machine.
The market may be rapidly changing, but I bought a machine two years ago. The cheapest I could find that fit the “heavy, solid sewing” criteria was a Janome at $549.
There are a lot of Brother and Janome machines in the $200 range (check Amazon). They will sew fine, they will get the job done, for a while at least… but they will be noisy like heck. A person who grew up using sewing machines will feel the difference.
Whatever price range you go for, be aware that Singer machines are kind of like Ford cars. There are people who use nothing else, and people who use anything but, and never the twain shall meet. Personally, I’ve never found a Singer that could hold its thread tension. I hate 'em.
I have a 35 year old Kenmore that is still a good machine. Does a few fancy stitches and not a lot more, but for basic sewing, I don’t need much more. It doesn’t get nearly enough use now, but when I did sew more, I was pretty happy with it.
If you’re on a budget, look at thrift store machines. I saw a similar Kenmore at Valu Village for $25. Not necessarily recommending that brand, but I’d take that over a new, cheap, plastic one any day.
Note: the Kenmore machines are all re-branded machines. My mother had one that was actually a Janome, for example.
We do this every couple of years. This thread is the last one I remember. There are some great suggestions in it, but we were talking about dream machines, not one that would be suitable as a gift for a friend.
If your friend is just learning and looking for something she will work with 4 times a year we will have a different answer than if she is experienced and will be working on it constantly. How much are you looking to spend? It will cost at least $400 (US dollars) to buy a half-way decent machine.
You can get a plastic (inside and out) for $150-$200 at Costco, or a machine that will see good use and last 10-20 years for $400-$700, or one that will be a workhorse and will last a lifetime or three for $2,000+. There are also suggestions for buying used, but you may not want to if it is a gift.
Websites are great for seeing what you can afford (like this one) but nothing can take the place of trying them out in a store.
Hmm… Yes I was figuring that it would be $300 plus. Okay thanks for the pointers. I will research those links.
You can go to Amazon, search for sewing machine and start reading reviews.
[QUOTE=
Whatever price range you go for, be aware that Singer machines are kind of like Ford cars. There are people who use nothing else, and people who use anything but, and never the twain shall meet. Personally, I’ve never found a Singer that could hold its thread tension. I hate 'em.[/QUOTE]
:D:D:D I have four Singers, one of which has given me tension trouble for years (but not the first 20). That is the newest model here, from the late 1950s/early 60s. My grandmother’s portable 1920 electric doesn’t have a reverse- but will sew silk voile, and leather. The Featherweight works, but is too small, and the cabinet version a little newer than Grandma’s is a gem as well. I think the secret is no plastic parts. We use the White treadle machine as an entry table.
My younger daughter bought a plastic Costco Brother one and is really happy with it. She’s not a heavy user, but it makes stuff for her kids and other routine tasks. Other daughter, a more involved sewer/creator, uses a early 1970’s era Singer, again US made and few plastic parts.
Try going to a sewing shop and just listen- often the sales people are fanatic sewers and will give you good advice.
Like brainstallI really like the older, metal Kenmores from around the 1970’s. I have had a newer New Home and a fancier Singer but the Kenmore is by far the smoothest sewing and least troublesome machine. I found one at a garage sale for $50.
If you can find one it would be a nice part of the gift to have it cleaned and tuned up at a sewing machine repair place, which might run another $50ish.
Yeeeahhh. I had a 1960s Singer that I bought from a big university’s fashion design program. It was well-maintained but the sucker just didn’t work.
Then, I had a brand-new Singer, circa 2006, that was a dual embroidery/sewing machine. It didn’t hold thread tension either.
I am extremely happy with my not-very-fancy Janome, now.
I have one of the all-plastic Brother sergers. It does the job, but it feels like it will shake itself to pieces when it runs. Not pleasant to use.
It depends how you define “half-way decent” and what your needs are.
AFAIK, Husqvarna is considered a very good brand. A Husqvarna Huskystar E20 runs about $200. It is a rare breed - a recent machine that is not electronic. I have an earlier model, and it’s an excellent little workhorse, but it is kind of chattery. It has good basic features like multiple stiches and presser feet, but none of the newfangled fancy stuff–at that price point, you either get features or quality. I went for quality. For my light usage - Halloween costumes and the like - it’s perfect. For someone doing a lot more sewing or who needs or wants more features, it would be unsuitable.
Regarding old Singers - I echo Sattua’s comment above about some of them not working well. My mom’s (circa 1970) just was never quite right, even after being overhauled several times. But the thing was a beast and a half, and if it had worked properly, I wouldn’t have bought the Huskystar.
I got this one late last year:
after doing lots of research for a machine with a proper metal (weighty) case and having all the features I like, sturdy enough to take to conventions and classes and not too expensive. ($500).
It’s a dream. I love it. I have sewn fleece, jeans, knits, and gauze with it - it’s good at all weights of fabric.
I’ve got several Viking/Husquevarnas. They are a lot more expensive and I didn’t like lugging them off to class & such. They are very good machines but the ones with the features I like start at more than $1000.
That new Huskystar line is pretty good, and they fill a hole in the market - There are plenty of cheap sewing machines that are utter junk, but there haven’t been a lot of options in the “inexpensive but good” category.
I fix Singer Touch & Sew machines as a hobby, and really can’t recommend buying an old machine from a garage sale or thrift shop unless you know how to fix them and where to find repair parts. I’ve seen plenty of peope buy an old thing, come sobbing to me that it doesn’t work, then I have to tell them that they just blew $60 on a thirty pound lump of junk because the gears are stripped.
For anyone who hasn’t seen it and wants to understand the baffling simplicity of the sewing machine I highly recommend this episode of the phenomenal British series Secret Life of Machines (I recommend watching every episode for that matter!).
I’ve had a phaff since 1979. Still works great.