Argos value sewing machine

budgetboo

I want a new sewing machine for the usual old style stuff:-

Making sock monkeys & other soft toys/dolls clothes for Xmas pressies
Xmas stocking/decoration making
Cushions/curtains etc as I'm redecorating on a budget
General clothes mending(inc jeans)
Lots of recycling jeans into bags and that sort of thing.
Would love to have a crack at an old fashioned patchwork quilt when I have time, but need to get through Xmas first.

This machine has been reducd to £40, which matches my budget.

Just wondered if anyone here already has one, and if so how useful do they find it for general old style type projects, especially household ones.

Lavandula

I got one for my birthday a couple of months ago. I've made some draught excluders with it. It's a good basic machine.

judy_

I bought the argos basic sewing machine 6/8 months ago and I find it very good for what I wanted it for. I have made a couple of window quilts with it and used it for mending clothes. I love it, it doesn;t do anything fancy, so easy to understand the instructions. I had not used a sewing machine for about 25 years and it was like riding a bike, you never forget.

budgetboo

Thanks - it's what I want to spend my birthday money on. Great minds eh?

The days of asking for fancy fripperies like perfume/jewellery are long gone

I only want a basic machine as life has taught me, the simpler stuff is, the less likely it is to go wrong and the easier things are to fix if they do. Bells and whistles gadgets often wind up being more trouble than they are worth.

At £40 it's a great Xmas pressie for any teens studying textiles or other practical types like me on a limited budget. Give a man a fishing rod and all that:) My sewing skills are far from great, but with my own machine I can learn and gradually improve my skills over time.

Sunnyday

:eek:Now look what you`ve made me buy:eek:
:rotfl: i`m hopeless with a sewing machine but there are quite a few *cough* simple things that i want to make which would take forever to sew by hand. Keep your fingers crossed for me as in the past i`ve usually ended up with a huge lump of knotted cotton and fabric and given up

SD

rising_from_the_ashes

I got a basic one from Woolies (ohhhh I still miss that place) in 2007 for just under £50 in a sale.

It still does load of fancy stitches (which I've never used:o) and everything I need it for - curtains, cushion covers, beds for the pets, clothes repairs etc and it's fab.

It's really easy to maintain as it's not so fancy that I can't fathom most things out and have even managed to take the front bit off to remove a stuck bit of thread!

I was worried I'd not use it enough and I tend to have spells of using it a lot and then not for ages - but I'd now hate to be without it as it's sooooo much easier being able to do something when I want/need to, rather than having to keep hold of whatever it is until I next visit DM!


So ..... go for it!:)

budgetboo

I miss woolies and was thrilled when a wilkinsons opned up 1/2 hour bus ride from my house at easter. Then it got destroyed in the summer riots. Hopefully they'll reopen wilkos at some point as it does a lot of useful old style stuff like home brewing gear and fabric dye at reasonable prices that you just get elsewhere on the high street.

alexan

If you have a branch of Poundstretcher/Instore near to you they have some sewing machines on offer that might be worth a look.
They have one for £25 that might suit your needs.

Details on their website here :

http://www.poundstretcher.co.uk/household-appliances/sewing-machines-electrical-accessories.html

Sunnyday

Rising - I miss Woolies too, it was a great place, i especially want to make pet bed covers. I have two pieces of deep memory foam as pet beds downstairs and atm they have old quilt covers on them, i`d like to use some old curtains to make some decent looking covers, also upstairs the woofaloes have a single quilt each and the covers are all faded and worn. I could cut the quilts in half and make covers for both pieces seperately and then they would be easier to fit in the washing machine without wrecking it

Budgetboo - I love Wilkinsons! I`ve been in there today. I`m really lucky as i have a branch about 20 mins away, i buy all my winemaking bits and bobs there too.

Well i`ve just got back From the shop and my sewing machine is sat at the back of the living room in its box

I`m not going to open it until later or i`ll never get anything else done tonight, i can`t wait to see DH`s face :rotfl: It will be fun as we don`t even have a table to stand the machine on and we`re not likely to for quite some time, i`ll have to try it out on the little table that i have my netbook on - it might just fit.

SD

Fruball

I am traumatised atm as I cannot find the cable and foot pedal for my Singer machine I have a load of things to make for a fayre in 3 weeks and no machine atm

Thankfully a friend has offered to lend me hers to get the stuff made!!!

cte1111

How have you been getting on with the Argos value sewing machine? I'm thinking of buying one to make curtains and would love to hear how you are finding it.