Dressmaking

raeble

Can anyone recommend a sewing machine? And somewhere to buy one? I looked at ebay but some of the second hand ones are almost as expensive if not more so in some cases than the new ones.

mah_jong

I have been threatening to put one to the charity shop...I got it second hand in the 70's and had made thousands of items. However whilst great in forward or reverse that was all it did...i eventually got one that did zig zag and button holes too.

Need to check it still works and the charity shop will accept it ..... and they can have it!
Check your small ads, perhaps ther is something there.

apple_mint

I picked up my Singer hand sewing machine from a car boot sale for £10. I've spotted loads of sewing machines on car boot sales - hand and electric versions. Worth taking a look at.

maryb

raeble wrote:

Can anyone recommend a sewing machine? And somewhere to buy one? I looked at ebay but some of the second hand ones are almost as expensive if not more so in some cases than the new ones.

John Lewis are doing some sewing machines under their own label which look a bit cheaper than most. Toshiba are quite good and are probably the next one up in terms of value.

If you really get into it it is worth going for one of the top brands. I had a Brother for many years which did me good service but then I treated myself to a Bernina sewing machine and a Pfaff overlocker. If we had a fire I swear I would save those machines first.

the Bernina was made in Switzerland and is about 17 years old. Since then they have shifted a lot of manufacturing to the far East. This is one of those times when you would probably get better quality buying an older Bernina second hand even if it is the same price as a new one of a different make.

Frsiter and Rossman are also good though I haven't used one myself.

flea72

for a sewing machine for a beginner, i would suggest getting a Brother or Toyota - easily available for under £100 from places like Argos, Tesco online.

the things to look for are adjustable stitch length and width, a straight stitch, zizzag and button-hole (one step preferable). anything else you get on top of that, is a bonus

a machine like this will last a good few years for anyone, its only when you start to use the machine alot, that you see having other functions like rolled hems and smocking stitch, might be useful, so thats the time to upgrade

however the best thing i have found for making clothes, is an overlocker - you would still need a basic sewing machine to do some of the work, but running up garments with an overlocker, is so much quicker. - i wouldnt be without mine now

hth flea

ancasta_2

I would be SOOO lost without my overlocker!

If you plan on using your sewing machine alot then i would get one but its not very practical for the occasional sewer.

raeble

Thanks for all the advice. I don't drive so I can't get to car boot sales - I really must attempt to pass my test (when I'm slightly less skint) as it looks like I'm missing out on a whole load of bargains.

I was planning on making my own clothes as the quality of clothes doesn't seem to be what it was. So I shall look into an overlocker. There is a Janome dealership just outside of town, so I might venture into there to test the machines out. I doubt I'll buy there though.

squeaky

Can I ask - just what IS an overlocker and what does it do?

frugalfairy_3

An overlocker is a machine which overcasts and trims seams (if you look inside one of your shop bought clothes you'll see a loopy kind of edge along the seam). Mine also makes that double line of stitching along the edge of t shirts etc (called a coverstitch).However I disagree that you can make clothes without a sewing machine, an overlocker is like having a microwave, a luxury but not a necessity. You can't do everything with an overlocker but with a good sewing machine you can make practically anything. I make all my own clothes and hardly use my overlocker at all. My advice would be if you're serious about dressmaking to buy the best (second hand is good) sewing machine you can afford, the cheaper ones often give wonky results and put you off. Just my not very humble opinion, of course!

flea72

wow, you can afford a coverstitch machine - thats my next dream item, after the embroidery machine, a new overlocker.........

flea