Any sewing machine recommendations?

nuttywoman

I bought an overlocker from Aldi, it turned out to be faulty but looking at instruction leaflet JSM made the machines for Aldi.I took it back to Aldi, got my money back, but then did something stupid !!!
I went onto JSM website & bought one from them ! senior moment from me! i`d never seen the bad reviews or checked them.
The knife broke after a few months, my fault that but it cost me £30 to send it back to be fixed urgh!!
I`m now a bit frightened of using my overlocker in case it breaks!

Cardamom

Hello again,

Thank you all ever so much for the information. I did have a browse through the JSM website and thought it was too good to be true that anyone would sell a £200+ machine for £50! I have read your reviews of the company and will steer well clear of them.

I will pop in to TJ Hughes again and write down the model of each machine and come home and do some research on-line. I'm also going to try and find a sewing machine dealer.

Once again, thank you for all your helpful replies

lauren_1

Hi, i got the toyota jeans machine over 2 years ago, i made nappies, bibs, cot sheets, curtains, cushion covers, hats, romper suits.......

Until my mum borrowed it to make her wedding dress last year and never gave it back.

Got mine off of ebay

WartimeScrapingofMarmite

I have had a Toyota machine for 7 years now and have never had a problem with it. I had it properly serviced once a few years ago and it is used alot.

Having said that, alot of people I know swear by Singer machines - my auntie is using the one that she made her wedding dress on in 1968!

Errata

[quote=WartimeScrapingofMarmite;13750543
Having said that, alot of people I know swear by Singer machines - my auntie is using the one that she made her wedding dress on in 1968![/quote]

An acquaintance of mine picked up a hand Singer when they were doing a house clearance a few weeks ago and asked me if it was in working order.
I tried it out and it was fine, even had the handbook, screwdriver etc with it.
I looked it up on the internet and the model and serial number told me it was made in the States sometime between 1898 an 1902 !

homealone_2

i was bought a sewing machine 20 years ago and never even took it out of the box. was intending to teach myself dress making as little girls clothes back then were rarely more than sewing seams up and job done. i looked at it recently and the little case which held needles, bobbins etc was missing so had a scout about on net to get them and was asked what the serial number is and then find have lost machine now as well. it never had instruction booklet either so am giving up on it as a bad job. but would like to make some nice cushions for my daughters new house, the ones she has seen are ones that look like jumpers so as i was having a clear out and found some i dont like anymore so we were going to try and make cushions out of them. this whole process am sure will be made a lot simpler by having a sewing machine and also lots cheaper as the last one she saw was nearly £20. what machines do you have? which do you think would be best for a beginner? where is the best place to buy one? and how much are they? i have plenty of time on my habds and was always very creative at school so i am sure i would be saving myself a fortune on curtains, summer dresses etc the possabilities are endless?

Pink.

Hi homealone,

There's an existing thread with sewing machine recommendations that should help so I've added your thread to it to keep the replies together. I hope you manage to find your old sewing machine as it may be worth fixing or you may be able to sell it and put the money towards your new machine.

Pink

RebekahR

Hello All,

I am a total novice at sewing. Never used a machine in my life. Now I am wanting to climb a mountain here and make a dress! And not just any dress ... a wedding dress!

I am currently looking into machines and am totally bewildered by whats on offer. I would like one that is not too pricey, electronic, very easy to use and with the right amount of stitches/ing that I would need for dress making.

Please can those of you more experienced point me in the right direction for the price and the machine for the job!

Many thanks in advance!

Nurgle_2

Hey there!
Congratulations on your upcoming wedding!!!
DO you have a sewing machine shop in your area?
If so, I would suggest that the first thing that you do is go and talk to them about what kind of machine would be suitable for you and your needs. They may be a bit biased when it comes to make, but it will give you a general idea and a bit of clarity when you come to decide what kind of machine you want/is available in your budget.
Perhaps if you find out if there are any sewing instructors in your area too?
They can give you some basic lessons and be able to tell you exactly what you need for your project
Good Luck!

Hawthorn

Berninas are the best I have found. They are expensive, but they are workhorses, and give a wonderful quality stitch. I got a vintage one from Ebay, and it's wonderful - it cost £100, and it's old, but I'd rather pay that than get a cheaper new model.

It's a difficult project, a wedding dress, to be sure. Have a look around for sewing forums, so you have support and can get any questions answered.