Any sewing machine recommendations?

JoeyEmma

Oh and for proper alterations such as shortening you will might need an overlocker as opposed to a bog standard machine.

D&DD

Hi pheen if you are wanting one for heavier fabrics I would recommend an old Singer or a Jones/Brother, for the simple reason most machines nowadays would not sew well on Jeans or heavyweight stuff.They also are mainly made of plastic so they do break easily on tougher jobs.
An overlocker is a really good idea too as the edges on Jeans would have to be overlocked/zigzagged to stop them fraying,as you can't double fold(the hem)in denim on a normal machine..my industrial one struggles with this even and its a beast lol..

pukkamum

Hi my mum and i recently went halves on a new sewing machine we got a brother one from tesco it had been reduced to £60 and it does everything!!!! Overlocking all kinds of things i heartily reccomend it. Having said that our last one was an old singer one not electric like this one so we are slightly nervous!!!!

party_of_five

I have a very poorly sewing machine that I've had for years and apparently it's not worth repairing so I'm going to bite the bullet and splash out on a new one. Can anyone recommend a good one?

I'm not fussed about it having all the different embroidery stitches as I never use them, but automatic buttonholes are a godsend and it needs to be reasonably fast and of course a reliable stitcher. I borrowed a friend's Brother one and it skipped stitches no matter how much you bought expensive thread and fiddled with the tension. I'm not sure if that's the model, the machine or the brand or what?

I started looking online and I'm completely lost as to even the best brand to go with let alone models...

vivaladiva

I've got a Brother one and it's brilliant. I had a Frister and Rossman (?) before - now that one was a pain, as was my Mum's Necchi one. My Brother one bisn't a top of the range one or anything, infact I think it's a factory reconditioned one - I got it on ebay for about £140 I think.

NEgirl

http://www.sewingmachinediscount.co.uk/home/home.asp?gcid=S16738x001&keyword=joys%20sewing%20machine

is where i got mine - not even sure what make it is but i use it all the time and when chosing i looked more at what it was capable to do than the name some bargains on there so hope you find the one youre looking for

vivaladiva

NEgirl wrote: »

http://www.sewingmachinediscount.co.uk/home/home.asp?gcid=S16738x001&keyword=joys%20sewing%20machine

is where i got mine - not even sure what make it is but i use it all the time and when chosing i looked more at what it was capable to do than the name some bargains on there so hope you find the one youre looking for

That looks like it's the same company mine came from:D.

C1aire

I have a Singer that used to belong to my Mum when she was my age (about 30 yrs ago). Its brilliant. When we cleared out my Nan's flat, she'd hoarded an old treadle-operated Singer and it still worked! I swear they never break! I suppose we should have kept it - we could have had some execise, whilst we made clothes/curtains etc. and saved on the electric!

purpleivy

I recently got an overlocker at Bambers at Eccles.

My sewing machine is a New Home (heart of England Sewing machines), I've had it for years and it's been fabulous. you really need to go to a shop or two and try some out. You may well find that some just don't 'feel' right,

Try not to compromise on quality or what you want the machine to do (you may want to do more in the future), you'll have the machine for years, a good quality one is essential and although prices may be slightly higher in a shop, there are huge benefits if it's within travelling distance, as you can get follow up help. I will get as much help as I need. I also get 10% off everything in the shop where I got mine.

Pollycat

I have a Brother sewing machine that I bought from Argos about 11 years ago.
I only tend to use it now for taking up trousers,skirts etc.

It can sometimes be a bit temperamental and occasionally I look for a replacement (at which point the machine usually starts to behave ).

I found this website that has loads of different brands and models.
It also has a good 'General Guide' that explains some of the features you can get.
http://www.sewingmachinesdirect.co.uk/index.htm

I would definitely go for one that has one-step buttonhole rather than 4-step.

Do let us know what model you finally decide on.

Polly