Any sewing machine recommendations?

squeaky

Hiya;

I've added your post onto an earlier thread which should be useful, and one or two of these threads may be worth a browse:-

sewing machine threads here on MoneySaving Old Style

Good luck

buxtonrabbitgreen

lynsayjane wrote: »

if getting a machine second hand ensure you have the instructions manual, or you will likely never get the thing to work. i work in a local fabric retailer and could easily advise you on dress/curtain making, but unfortunatly we dont sell actual machines so i'm not so good with that.

there are some amazing machines out there right up to ones you plug into your pc and do some fancy embroidery stuff, which is only something to buy if you are definatly going to use it, your talking in the thousands for these. most standard machines will do the backwards, zig zag and different size stitches. the machine i have is by a company called new home, my mum bought it when i was born so it's near 25 years old and never been for a repair in it's life and it gets some amount of abuse from me using it daily.

I have a Newhome sewing machine too. Mine is 30 years old and never been any trouble. It was a present and I think it was Woolwrtoh's own make. It weighs a ton though.

Angelina-M

Hi all.

I'm renovating my home and have decided to make curtains/blinds for the whole house.

I've found my old sewing machine in the loft. Its a Toyota 2400 that is approx fifteen years old. The problem is I don't have the manual anymore.

I will need to do a blind hem stitch and looking at this page which is the only one I can find of my model http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/TOYOTA-2400-Free-Arm-Auto-Sewing-Machine_W0QQitemZ300200929290QQihZ020QQcategoryZ3118QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp1713.m153.l1262
It seems that it is capable of doing it but it doesnt mention actually having a dedicated foot for it?

So my question is, should I try and locate a blind stitch foot or shall I just buy a new machine?

I have read that old machines are more robust and worth hanging on to however technology changes so much and maybe its time to upgrade?

Please help me decide what to do

M.E.

My brother machine (40 years old) uses the zig-zag foot for the blind hem stitch. The trick is to get the hem folded correctly and positioned under the foot.
Basically the stitch is a plain long stitch with every fifth stitch being a "zig-zag" to the left which catches a small part of the main hem.
To be honest I found it a faff to do as you really have to have the main hem folded in EXACTLY the right place so as to catch the stitch rather than miss it altogether or make a bigger "zag" that showed through onto the right side.
For curtains I neaten the edge with a single fold and longish plain stitch. I then use herringbone stitch catching a small amount of the main fabric through to the right side and then a bigger stitch through the turned edge, using the line of stitches already there as a guide. Herringbone gives a little and doesn't show as much as some hemming stitches.
That probably isn't clear.
There is also nothing wrong in neatening the sides, edges with a plain hem and then using a stick on hemmer tape.
Don't throw your machine away!!!
If you look at many readymades they don't use blind hems, just well co-ordinated cotton to blend the hem in.

Angelina-M

Many thanks M.E.

Actually I hadn't even thought about hemming tape. I found a video on utube that explains perfectly how to do the blind hem stitch so I think I'll give it a go with a bit of scrap if I can find a foot!

My zig zag foot is the main foot so I'll have another look at that. Also i've found a website called Coopers that have some good deals on so I may end up treating myself!

Decisions decisions..

champys

I understand most machines will do blind hemming, but it simply takes practice to get it right. Even with a brand new machine! My Singer is now nearly 30 years old and I still use it a lot, but like M.E. I always tend to use herringbone for hems that need to be really good. Have never had the patience to spend the time to get machine blind hemming right, but it may well be worth it in the end!

Angelina-M

Thanks champys

Well I've spent all night looking at new machines and getting all giddy. I can't believe all the stuff they do nowadays.

At the end of the day a good seamstress... which im not... could probably make something lovely from the cheapest machine.

I really want to get this right as we've put so much into this renovation. I do like the look of those new Husqvarna machines though!

kayjay1809

I've just bought a lovely Brother machine with my 40th birthday money. I had a small old Singer which had done me well for 20+ years but it didn't do what I wanted it to, so I splashed out :T And I have to say my new machine is fab!! I have fibromyalgia and suffer from really bad pain in my feet and my new machine doesn't even need a foot control, I can push a button and away I go! It is so much easier than the old one, even my eight year old son has used it. But it did cost £199 - I have no idea what the more expensive machines do - perhaps a back massage at the same time lol as this one is super-duper compared with my old one. Here it is:



I've given my old machine to my neighbour who was very happy to receive it, and she gave me a television as she had bought a new one and her old one was better than ours!!! So a good deal all round :rotfl:

Angelina-M

Oooh Kayjay thats posh! You are a very lucky girl! :beer:

Thats the nice bit isnt it, using a lovely new machine.... I need one now!

I know my machine is fine, but imagine the fun trying to work out what all those fancy stitches do!

4suzie

Hope this is in the right place

I want to buy a sewing machine to mainly do alterations hems etc as everywhere I go these days trouser leg lengths are too long for me and sewing by hand takes me ages.
So I see Aldi are opening a new store in Clayton and one of their opening offers is an overlocker for £89.99 reduced from £120.00. I ave also been looking at a Janome J3-18 sewing machine for £99 it has an overlock stitch http://www.jaycotts.co.uk/acatalog/Janome_.html
I am not very sewing machine/overlock savvy and have been trying to get info on overlockers and sewing machines all morning on the net can anyone give me some advice on which would be my best buy please.