Sewing machine - help needed please...

vegasvisitor

Hi

I don't know what brand is most reliable etc, and again it all depends on the needs of the user.

I have a toyota that was about £150 I think 15 years ago. I don't use it much, but have made curtains etc, so got my money's worth.

I chose one with a range of embroidery stitches, which I have used only ones, so a basic one would have been fine for me really.

Have you looked at the Argos site, they have reviews on there too - there's a brother one just now with £10 off £87.89, and it's getting 5* reviews. Theres lots of details about each product, so should help you with comparisons.

Suzy_M

Try searching yellow pages for the small independents whose principal business is service, spares and repairs - preferably one whose engineer work on the premises. Trust me if you want completely impartial advice on the best machine for your money and the work needed you'll get it straight from a repairman!

As a rough guide to the overall quality of the brands they sell check if they have local authority contracts to supply schools etc.

debbie42

I've recently purchased a Janome, and I'm very happy with it. It's good and solid, and very easy to use. I got mine from a specialist sewing machine shop who were more than happy to talk me through various options, and were competitive on price. I'd suggest trying to get hands-on test and advice from a local shop.

27col

If you are buying this as a present it might be as well to have a think about the purchase first. It is all very well to want to give a surprise to someone., and it nice to get a surprise. However, if it is not what the person wants or they have to change it. Then the surprise has then gone out of the window and all that is left, is hassle and/or disappointment. In my opinion it would be better if the proposed recipient was involved with the choice. There is a huge range of different types of machine as has already been stated, and no doubt all sewers would have different preferences and requirements.

flea72

with that sort of price range, its gonna be hard to whittle it down to one machine

if you want a generally recommended store, then you cant beat John Lewis for practical help

However, im sure you have a local sewing machine shop, that is just as good. Proper sewing shops dont tend to stock machines that are rubbish. However for a good all-round brand you cant beat Janome

Flea

sibohibbo

I have been following the discussion on sewing machines, I have a Bernia, fabulous machine but expensiv which I do not use it to its full potential, does anyone know of a helpful "how to use your sewing machine" web site, I have searched in vain. Sybil

dottiepeas

I have a cheaper Brother sewing machine, which is a pretty basic model costs around £70 when I first bought it. Depends on what your friend is planning to do with her sewing machine?...if she's going to be making alot of things with it, then I would probably suggest a more expensive machine that has more functions etc.....or if like me, she only really needs it for taking up/repairing things occasionally, then I think a basic model is quite sufficient!...

lolly5648

I agree with the people above who suggested going to John Lewis - if you live in NW London you can easily get to Brent Cross or Watford - as they will give you a full refund if you buy the wrong one, no questions asked. Then if it is the wrong one you can easily exchange it or buy something completely different, whatever your friend likes. A win, win situation.

debbie42

sibohibbo wrote: »

does anyone know of a helpful "how to use your sewing machine" web site

I'll second the earlier rec for this site:
http://www.thesewingforum.co.uk

It has various forums, some of which are geared towards specific makes of sewing machine (like Bernina!). Posters are very helpful.

debbie42

londonman81 wrote: »

In terms of reliability - does anyone know which brand is considered most reliable?

Hi, I tried to send you a pm, but your quota is exceeded. My daughter's school use Janome, which was one reason I opted for that brand. She is familiar with it, and I figured it must be fairly robust to be able to cope with that environment!