Any sewing machine recommendations?

bex2002

Hi my OH wants a sewing maching as they want to make a quilted blanket amongst other things, can anyone recommend a good reasonably priced sewing machine?

Pink.

Hi bex,

This thread may help:

Any sewing machine recommendations?

I'll add your thread to that one later to keep the advice together.

Pink

purpleivy

More about what not to buy....avoid the supermarket specials, you know what they say, buy cheap, buy twice. This applies particularly to sewing machines! The other thing is, you may not necessarily get the best machine for your money by buying new.

Many sewers upgrade, so sewing machine shops tend to get good condition and serviced machines available.

I would go and try some out in your local shop. Buying over the internet won't necessarily get you the best deal either. Beware websites that aren't up to date as well, the only way to get an up to date price is to contact the seller.

Several of the big names are tied into only charging certain prices for the machines, so prices are usually similar between shops.

I've bought from Bambers at Eccles and can thoroughly recommend them.

sb88_2

Hi, I was wondering if maybe someone might be able to help me!

I want to buy a sewing machine, on a limited budget, not to expensive, because I really can't afford it, and I have no idea where to start looking really.

I'd like it to be able to make clothing, not just repair them, and be able to sew through wadding.

I currently have an old singer, but I think it's on it's last legs! Recently It started operating itself when I left the room to look in the mirror at how my work was going.

any advice would be appreciated

Angelina-M

First thing to do is look in the foot pedal of your Singer to see if the old resistors are still in there (they look like little silver barrels) These are no use anymore and can be safely removed. They often go wrong and make the machine operate by itself.

Do what you can to get your old Singer working again. I have machines of most makes and prices (bit of a hobby/business) and I usually turn to my old Singers because the stitching is superior.

If you are dressmaking you don't need the fancy stitches etc so the Singer will do just fine.

So many people these days buy machines for around £100 when a nice Singer from Freecycle or cheaply purchased from ebay are much better. My most expensive machine cost me £5000 but I still wouldn't trust it to sew leather and turn to one of my machines from the early 1900 era :eek:

medsdemon

I just recently bought an Argos budget machine for about £50 as my Singer burnt out, thankfully when I was using it and in the room:eek: and that's all I could afford.

:oGosh I always hated that Singer, the tension never seemed right, and the thread was always getting caught and the connection to the foot pedal was always dodgy but it was given to me by my MIL and I just put up with it. It was nothing like my old Singer from my granny.

I have found ithe little argos one perfect for me right now.. I sew regularly ( clothes, altering vintage and second hand, furnishings etc) and am teaching my DD to sew as she's thinking of doing fashion and textiles at uni if her other plans don't work out. It has a zipper foot and a buttonhole function and just does straight and zigzag stitches. The stitching is great, have had no problems with it so far though it's odd getting used to how plasticy some of the buttons are. Not sure of the longevity but as long as I'm careful I think it should live along time:D although I might looking at upgrading in time and pass this on to my DD when she goes away.

beemuzed

I'd definitely try a request on Freecycle - our local one has had several sewing machines offere in recent months. If no luck try the smallads in the local newspaper. If you end up having to purchase from a shop I'd try to have a tryout inthe shop first. How much you spend could vary hugely - but I'd be very wary of the all-singing, all-dancing models unless you KNOW you'll really use them. Unless you plan on doing lots of machine embroidery a basic model would be far better buy.

sb88_2

Thanks Angelina! My dad has taken the sewing machine with him to work today and is going to open it up and have a look at the footpedal.




medsdemon: I've found someone on tescos, that look like they could be good for what I need! I'll also try asda, does your's have a seam allowance on the machine?

I'm also trailing preloved,gumtree and freecycle looking for one!

zippychick

ive mrged this with our sewing machine recommendations thread

Zip

xxdeebeexx

Has anyone any experience of a Yamata sewing machine? I have seen one advertised locally for £50 and was wondering if they had a reputation. I have tried Googling but can't find any info.
TIA

Dx