Why does my sewing machine hate me?

[Kate XXXXXX]

On the Lily I don't even turn the hand wheel, now I think about it...  Just slide the button across and start sewing and the feed dogs pop up automatically.

Save the old ankle to use with the eyelet plate!  And glad she'll look at the serger for you.

[Lady Kathleen of Olmsted]

I am sorry to hear of sewing machine problems. I have been fortunate, knock on wood.

Mine will be going in for servicing at the end of the month. It has been 2 years. A good noiling and tuneup is in order.

[Lady Rebecca]

I brought it into the Viking Center this afternoon. It turns out that the tension problem I was having was probably just due to the bad black thread I was using (coats and clark all purpose). On the other hand, though, when she was checking everything out, she realized that my needle was stuck. I had problems changing it last time, and now it won't come out at all. So I have to bring it back next Tues, so they can send it to get checked out (they're also going to see about putting on a new ankle). And she fixed my serger, and even showed me how to do a rolled hem!

That said, I do have another question regarding the sewing machine - has anyone here bought the 3-yr warranty for their machine? She was telling me that since they're sending it in now, that's the one freebie I get with the basic 1-yr warranty, and that I can purchase the 3-yr for $119 that comes with unlimited checkups/repairs/etc. It sounds good to me, but I never feel like I'm a good judge of these things. Opinions?

[julessweetie]

My sewing machine broke last night...about 3/4 of the way done with the Dirt Fairy's Court gown...and still have her Pirate Bodice to assemble      Only 7 more Rennie Math Days til' TRF to boot!  lol   Oh well...I will be buying a new one tomorrow!  lol   Any suggestions for a good inexpensive machine that you can buy at Walmart...don't have time before TRF to order one...also...I will need it to sew through upholstery fabric? 

[Anna Iram]

 I have a Singer 4830C. Nothing fancy, only a handful of stiches, but the price was around $100 and it does a decent job of sewing anything I've needed it to sew. Sews thicker fabrics and even sewed trim onto a felt hat.

You always make the lovliest things for your daughter. I hope you find a machine at the right price.

[Kate XXXXXX]

Lily is 11 years old.  She started complaining about making the second half of buttonholes a few weeks back, so has been off the bench.  I took her in for a service.  She needed a new lower cutter blade (for the bobbin thread), and a part for the presser foot control, and has had a full service and all the patterns reset.  Cost just under £120.  £13 for parts, £80 or so for labour, and make up the rest with VAT!  Suck teeth and pay up!  Can't afford to be without her!  And in 11 years of slave labour, this is the first time it's needed a repair that wasn't covered by the warranty (and that was a replacement carrying handle!  A bit of the casing that kept it in place broke off when she was new, so that just got a straight replacement the first time she went in for a service).  Wear and tear.  When you USE your machine, you need to mollycoddle it a bit now and again.

OK, I COULD buy a whole new machine for £120, but it wouldn't do 10 different styles of buttonholes, eyelets, sew through some of the stuff I regularly stuff through this one, or dance prettily round the edges of applique with such panache.  And it would come into the 'disposable' bracket: the sort that wears out in a couple of years of normal use (think about 3 months for me!), and then becomes landfill.  To get the range and quality of stitching I have with Lily, I'd probably be looking at £1500.  You gets wot you pays for, innit!

Lady R, I have no idea about BUYING an extra 3 year warranty...  Lily came with a 5 year guarantee for all electronic parts and a 25 year guarantee for mechanical parts (doesn't cover fair wear and tear, just bits that break in normal use, like that handle).  Other than the handle, I've never needed to call in the guarantee.  But you DO have to get them serviced regularly.  Lily goes in every year to 18 months, depending on how much I use her.  I can eek that out a bit more now that I have more machines, and I tend to service the mechanicals myself.  They are all well beyond any guarantee they may once have had.

[LadyStitch]

I am sorely tempted to sell some of my garb in order to buy me a new machine as a christmas/birthday present. I've got my eye on a $350 basic industrical grade singer. Then again there is a sewing machine mechanic that is in town I'm tempted to bother to see if he has something.

I need to take Trusty in for a check up, but I make sure he gets a good once over before each show.  The work that I put him through he needs it.  He is a show pony but he works hard.

As for warrenties,  it depends on what is and is not covered.  When my Lena froze up, they covered that repair, but when the treddle on Trusty gave up the ghost one day I had to fork over 60 bucks for just the treddle, not the cable to the treddle.  I was willing to pay it because I didn't like sewing using the auto go button, even set to slow. I got quick reflexes from it though.

[julessweetie]

I have a Singer 4830C. Nothing fancy, only a handful of stiches, but the price was around $100 and it does a decent job of sewing anything I've needed it to sew. Sews thicker fabrics and even sewed trim onto a felt hat.

You always make the lovliest things for your daughter. I hope you find a machine at the right price.

Thanks Anna   I had a Brother LS590...nothing fancy either, but worked great...until a few days ago!  lol   I will find a good one...I will look for the one you suggested!

[Pascal]

I can purchase the 3-yr for $119 that comes with unlimited checkups/repairs/etc.

If you figure a regular "tune-up" visit (clean, oil, tune) that you should do every year runs $75 to $90, the three-year deal sounds good (as long as it covers the yearly tuneup)

[julessweetie]

Well...I have bought my new sewing machine...I will be sewing most of the day...so we shall see how it goes!  lol   With 10 days left til TRF...and as much sewing as I have left to do... it had better work awesome!  lol

http://www.google.com/products/catalog?hl=&q=project+runway+sewing+machine&rlz=1B3GGGL_enUS342US342&um=1&ie=UTF-8&cid=496227195386402524&ei=8OGhTMHrE8L_lgeUpbHxBA&sa=X&oi=product_catalog_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CDUQ8wIwAA#

[julessweetie]

I LOVE my new sewing machine!!!  It doesn't hate me!  lol   I may just finish everything yet!  TRF Opening Weekend here I come!  lol

[Anna Iram]

Glad you love your new machine. Now let me introduce you to something called TINY URL

http://tiny.cc/

....'cause DANG that's a big addy.....

Hope you and the Dirt Fairy have a good time. 

[julessweetie]

lol!  Thanks Anna!