The Sewing Annexe

jackyann

lori64 wrote: »

Can anyone give me sewing machine advice as Im a total novice.....would one of those "baby" £25 machines from argos be any good for small projects like cushions or even a small pair of curtains made of gingham? Would putting a header tape on curtains be too much for the machine? Im clueless, but interested to make a start in a small way.
Thanks folks.

I second the advice about 2nd hand machines: find your local shop and see what they have.
I do think that the "baby" machine will cope with the simple projects you've described and may well be a good beginning.
However, if you can stretch the budget further, this Janome is £89, and is not a "baby" but a real, albeit simple machine.
http://www.janomesewingmachines.gur.co.uk/janome-sewing-machines

prudent_princess

I had a baby machine some years ago....but It didnt cope well with the larger projects or heavyweight materials.
Maybe it wasnt a good machine to start with or maybe i was cos of its size.
Didnt seem man enough for the job TBH...

Hope that helps!

medsdemon

Rummer wrote: »

I tried and failed

Oh no:(.

My book arrived todayhttp://www.colettepatterns.com/shop/colette-sewing-handbook


I've only had a quick look but the patterns are really lovely and I think I may make all 5. They all come with a paper pattern too so no messing about resizing etc. I think it would suit beginners who want to work through the whole process and more experienced sewers as well. Loads of information about sizing the pattern to fit you etc

Just have to decide what I want to sew first and then have the lovely job of choosing fabric...off for a trip to a fabric shop me thinks on saterday:D.

BTW I only have the little basic Argos machine atm as my Singer blew up quite dramatically and I had no cash much to replace it. It's perfectly adequate for general sewing and dressmaking, but if you want to make anything like curtains you might need a more heavy duty machine.

prudent_princess

i just found this one for sale: http://www.very.co.uk/jmb-jmsm1040-85w-sewing-machine/729778368.prd?browseToken=%2fq%2fsewing-machine

and if you go via this site, you get cashback too plus £20 to start with: http://www.free20quid.com/

I have also found a machine for £79.99 here: http://www.sewingmachinediscount.co.uk/best-sellers/brother/ls2125/123-c1-v0.htm

miffy257

lori64 wrote: »

Can anyone give me sewing machine advice as Im a total novice.....would one of those "baby" £25 machines from argos be any good for small projects like cushions or even a small pair of curtains made of gingham? Would putting a header tape on curtains be too much for the machine? Im clueless, but interested to make a start in a small way.
Thanks folks.[/QUOTE

If you can afford a bit more I think i would go for a bigger machine or second -hand as suggested. You might find you really get into sewing and then might want to buy a bigger one anyway. The Janome machines are very good, I have a friend who makes fantastic quilts and has a very expensive machine and she has a Janome that she takes to workshops and classes.Lidl recently had a sewing machine for sale for about £50 which was very good value , some stores may still have some.
Hope you find what you are looking for.:)

pinkie_pie

I'd love to join please I bought a second hand sewing machine from ebay last year but never used it for varying reasons (I've never sewn before so was going to teach myself). I got it out before Christmas with the idea of starting by making a christmas elf and sewing names onto stockings and something has broken, I think the bobbin case?? (no idea as I clearly know nothing about sewing machines!) So I finished the elf by hand, definitely a labour of love, and the stockings are sat pinned and not sewn yet. I have a cross stitch to do for oh for valentines day, never done a big one of those either, but I'd love to be able to do these things Hope everyone is well

prudent_princess

Have you got instructions with the machine?

Sounds like its not threaded properly or the bobbin thread hasn't come through

Justamum

I can't remember if it was on this thread that someone was looking for different uses for socks, but I saw a book today called Sockology which had loads of different things you could make using socks. I bet there are loads of ideas on the internet too.

Shouldn't this thread be merged with this older thread https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/1664531 as the same things are being discussed and it can be very confusing knowing who is doing what.

nannygladys

Hi everyone
Bought some felt to make Xmassy things for this Dec starting early:rotfl: have a Xmas stocking garland in mind for my fireplace and some more decs for the tree

I bought my DD3 the Kath Kid book for Xmas and as Im seeing her this weekend Im going to get some more inspiration from that. Crocheting, my other project, is also going well but at the moment I cant stop sneezing, take tablets everyday but they arent working today:eek:

Anyway off to make cup of coffee
Jxx

Diflower

Rummer wrote: »

I tried and failed

Oh no, what went wrong?