Sewing Machine help!

[javamoma]

I am a newbie at sewing and am looking to purchase a sewing machine at a reasonable price. Anyone know of a good deal or sales right now?

Any tips on a good but not expensive machine for beginners? I will be doing basic sewing, quilting, and a little embroidery. I am hoping I can find a machine that will do that for $150 or less.

I went to Joanns the other day and they recommended a Viking model that was on sale for $329 and it included 2 classes on how to use it. Of course I think all they sale is viking and it looks like they are pretty high end.

Thoughts? Comments?

TIA

 

[mickeymaker2003]

What do you have in mind when you say "a little embroidery?" Do you want to be able to do pictures or just do decorative stitches?

 

[mum2simon]

I would look into getting a vintage Singer (or other all metal machine). Mine can do tons of different stiches and all the gears are metal, so they are very durable. You can find them for great prices at yard sales or thrift stores and they will do everything that you are looking for plus more. My mother is a seamstress and swears by her vintage White machine....she has used it for wedding gowns, reupholstering couches, curtains, etc.

I have a Singer 401A for reference.

 

[javamoma]

I have heard others say I need to buy an all metal machine. I am not in a place right now where I can go around to yard sales. It just doesn't work for what I have going on. So, are there any machines on the market and available at stores that are all metal? Or would those be the $7, 000-$10,000 dollar machines I;ve seen at the store?

I live in such a small town that it's hard to find used items. Maybe I'll check craigslist.

Thanks for the help.

 

[3boymthr]

As PP stated make sure you get a good solid (read HEAVY) machine - so metal. A lightweight - plastic - machine will bounce around when you are doing heavy duty stitching, e.g., attaching quilt batting to quilt front, and be really annoying plus the plastic gears break easily.

It's definitely not in the name anymore. I have a New Home - and have had it for over 20 years and it still works great. My mother has a Vendetti and 48 years later it is still going strong. Both are good solid metal machines with all metal gears. My Grandmother's Singer was over 80 years old and still going strong when she passed away. OTH - a friend has had several machines - all Singers and - all plastic and all totally not worth the money. My ex SIL had Vikings and they were definitely good machines - but - very expensive for what she got.

 

[LiteninPrincessa42]

I will agree with pp's that a metal machine is definately better. I got a nice Kenmore machine on E-bay. Vikings are great machines, but in my opinion are high end for a beginner. So many machines now have so many features that I would never use. I started learning to sew on my grandmothers treadle machine which I still have in my house today! Good luck and I hope you enjoy sewing!

 

[smokeyblue]

I needed to hem some pants so my mom just gave me her "old" Singer (probably early 80's). I just had to check if it was metal or not to see if it met standards. Lucky me, it's metal.

It so badlly needs a tune up or something. Maybe someone here could "diagnose" my problem. The fabric seems to get hung up on the plate that slides it along and i end up getting gobs of thread on the bobbin side? Is there something I'm doing wrong? Or do I need to get it fixed? How much does it cost to get it fixed?

As far as buying a machine I'd suggest starting on the cheap. See if you like sewing first before shelling out major dollars. If you find that you want and need a better machine you can ebay the "economical" model and trade up. When I got my mom's machine I was all excited, bought all kinds of fabric and made a couple of householdy type things. The excitement wore off real quick! I still drag it out to hem, but thats about it.

Also, I have a friend who has the el cheapo plastic Wal-Mart singer and she made her wedding dress with it. She is a very experienced seamstress mind you so I can't say you'll get the same results; but what I'm saying is that it wouldn't be all that bad to start with.

 

[3boymthr]

I needed to hem some pants so my mom just gave me her "old" Singer (probably early 80's). I just had to check if it was metal or not to see if it met standards. Lucky me, it's metal.

It so badlly needs a tune up or something. Maybe someone here could "diagnose" my problem. The fabric seems to get hung up on the plate that slides it along and i end up getting gobs of thread on the bobbin side? Is there something I'm doing wrong? Or do I need to get it fixed? How much does it cost to get it fixed?
As far as buying a machine I'd suggest starting on the cheap. See if you like sewing first before shelling out major dollars. If you find that you want and need a better machine you can ebay the "economical" model and trade up. When I got my mom's machine I was all excited, bought all kinds of fabric and made a couple of householdy type things. The excitement wore off real quick! I still drag it out to hem, but thats about it.

Also, I have a friend who has the el cheapo plastic Wal-Mart singer and she made her wedding dress with it. She is a very experienced seamstress mind you so I can't say you'll get the same results; but what I'm saying is that it wouldn't be all that bad to start with.

Sounds like it needs a cleaning. But you may be able to do the basic part on your own. I was having the same problem and was looking for a place to take it. I brought my problem at the Mill store (a really old local store). Anyway they said the problem was probably lint in the bobbin mechanism and they gave me basic instructions. If you can access the underside of the machine, lay it down on it's side and remove the bobbin, the casing and then the inner casing(s). I had five pieces including the bobbin but machines vary. They should just pop out but pay attention to how they come apart so you can put them back together. With a pair of tweezers reach in to all the remaining crevices under the machine and pull out all the lint and dust. Polish all the bobbin casing pieces with a clean dry dusting cloth (don't use any cleaining fluids) then put it back together. It took me about 15 minutes to do the whole cleaning from turning the machine on its side to putting it back together. HTH

 

[Duchie]

Sounds like it needs a cleaning. But you may be able to do the basic part on your own. I was having the same problem and was looking for a place to take it. I brought my problem at the Mill store (a really old local store). Anyway they said the problem was probably lint in the bobbin mechanism and they gave me basic instructions. If you can access the underside of the machine, lay it down on it's side and remove the bobbin, the casing and then the inner casing(s). I had five pieces including the bobbin but machines vary. They should just pop out but pay attention to how they come apart so you can put them back together. With a pair of tweezers reach in to all the remaining crevices under the machine and pull out all the lint and dust. Polish all the bobbin casing pieces with a clean dry dusting cloth (don't use any cleaining fluids) then put it back together. It took me about 15 minutes to do the whole cleaning from turning the machine on its side to putting it back together. HTH

I just cleaned mine by doing this, but I also used some compressed air and it worked wonders. I had mine cleaned a few years ago at Hancock Fabrics and it was only around $60, so not too bad.

ETA: If you're ever in the Austin area, you should check out Craigslist. I see them on there all the time.

 

[sksjasams]

http://deals.ebay.com/5000018551

Not sure if this is a good deal or product, but thought I would post it.

 

[NotUrsula]

It so badlly needs a tune up or something. Maybe someone here could "diagnose" my problem. The fabric seems to get hung up on the plate that slides it along and i end up getting gobs of thread on the bobbin side? Is there something I'm doing wrong? Or do I need to get it fixed? How much does it cost to get it fixed?

Please don't be insulted by the question, but have you adjusted the bobbin tension? Older machines often have a tensioner on the bobbin casing that can be adjusted with a small slotted screwdriver. It sounds as though your bobbin tension is too slack. This article from Threads will explain if you've never tried this adjustment: http://www.threadsmagazine.com/item/4302/understanding-thread-tension

Also, does your feed dog have and UP/DOWN adjustment? If you are trying to work with thick fabric and the dog is up, you will get exactly the effect you describe, because there just is not enough room between the dog and the presser foot for the fabric to slide.

As others have said, it is also possible that there is lint in the bobbin mechanism. This is especially likely if the machine has been used to sew fleece, velvet or corduroy and not been blown out since. Compressed air is the quickest remedy -- tilt the machine base up on the pins and give it several blasts.

 

[cole6179]

I have a Brother cs-6000i now. I love it. It doesn't have embroidery on it though? It's been easy to learn. Even my dh sews a bit on it.


My grandmother and I both had singers that fell completely apart within a year.

 

[cajunfan]

I have had two Singers fall apart within a year...one was less than 5 months old! I will not buy another one. I am using a friends older model White brand machine...lvoe that it is all metal also. You might want to go to the Disbotiquers thread...they can probably recommend a good machine...when I was having issues with the new Singer that died so quickly, thye were mentioning Brother machines...seems like a lot of those folks use theBrother brand.

 

[smokeyblue]

Wow guys, you have some great information! Thank you. I'm going to take a look into everything you've all said.

I got the machine last November just to hem and it was so easy I wanted to start doing some little projects. I work on an inpatient Surgical floor and we have a "comfort cart". People donate handmade items. Some of the sewn items include ice bag holders, rice bags for heating and splinting pillows that we use to more comfortably position the patients. These items are very inexpensive, but they mean so much to our patients. I'd wanted to make some things, but with the troubles with my machine I couldn't get the results I wanted.

Thanks again.

 

[Spaceranger28]

I got a set from Walmart last year. I got the sewing machine and the table for 150.00 it was a nice set. The sewing machine is a brother doesn't do embroidery but it works good. I too was a newbie and this one came with a dvd on how to work the machine. It works really well.

 

[rock_doctor]

I have an old viking that is very complicated for some reason. Have never been able to get it to work properly. So definitely take the classes if you go that route. I ended up buying a Singer on sale for $99 and that has done very well but has not done anything more difficult then replacing a zipper on a nylon winter parka. I also have a Yamata that i use for anything more dense then double layer blue jean material. The Yamata is a commercial machine with a 5hp motor so definitely not what you want. I would get yourself a nice Singer or Brother from walmart or if you want a challenge visit all of your local thrift stores. You will find a nice used machine. Make sure you spin the flywheel by hand and everything moves easily. Motors can be located and replaced but internal parts are not likely available.

 

[javamoma]

There are no machines at our local thrift store. But I did just have an "ah ha!" moment. Tucked away in the back of a closet sits my husband's grandmother's old sewing machine. It's been sitting there broken for years. I have no idea what's wrong with it but it's worth getting it checked out.

Do JoAnns or Hancocks stores usually do repairs? I have no idea where to start looking to get this thing looked at. Any ideas?

 

[Ericandjenng]

I learned to sew (many, many) years ago on a Singer Futura. I even sold Singers at one point during college. But my first personal sewing machine was a cheap Brother from Wal-Mart that my mother bought me for Christmas one year.

When I decided to get a new one, I went and checked the more expensive ones. None of them seemed worth the extra $$. I bought another Brother, electronic this time. It has decorative stitches but does not do embroidery. I have been extremely satisfied with this machine. I have been considering buying another one for embroidery and when I finally do it will probably be another Brother because of the price.

Good Luck!!

 

[Sadie22]

There are no machines at our local thrift store. But I did just have an "ah ha!" moment. Tucked away in the back of a closet sits my husband's grandmother's old sewing machine. It's been sitting there broken for years. I have no idea what's wrong with it but it's worth getting it checked out.

Do JoAnns or Hancocks stores usually do repairs? I have no idea where to start looking to get this thing looked at. Any ideas?

There is a sewing machine repair facility near here that also sells sewing machines and vacuum cleaners. Try the phone book or searching online for somewhere similar if Jo-Ann's or Hancock personnel cannot recommend a place to have a machine cleaned and repaired.

I got a Kenmore 30 years ago and it's still going strong. I do need to clean and oil it occasionally.

 

[DisnyMama]

I started sewing around 8 yrs. old and I'm 46. I have used three different singer machines over the years with one constant: they liked to suck fabric. I tried adjusting the tension.....etc. We had the machines tuned up and they worked well....for a while. I went a few years without a machine and then I finally broke down and with due to low funds I bought a Brother from Wal-Mart about 2 years ago. Wow! What a difference from working with the Singers of my past. It is easy and infact, I had to alter a few pairs of jeans on this machine so it has been put through the test.

The learning curve on the Brother is fast and easy as my sisters 10 year old neice received a Brother for Christmas last year and they brought it to dinner just so that I could walk her through the instruction book and her first time using it.