Machines

[Devangelon]

What kind of sewing machine do you use? I'm in the market. I've heard good things about finding an old 1970's machines (Ones that are completely metal) and just having them fixed and cleaned up. But I've also heard good things about buying new, especially with the sales at Hancock and Joann's.

Oh! Another thing I wanted to share. I was at an antique mall about a week ago and found a 1867 "Domestic" (Seriously...It had the quotes and every thing on the wooden cover) sewing machine with the table attached. It had all its part and the original BOOK that went with it. It was driven by foot power, too. It worked fine except it needed a new belt. It was $500. And trust me, if I would have had the money, I would have got it.

[LadyStitch]

I went  antique/ thrift store shopping with my MIL & FIL a couple weekends ago.  I found 1934  Singer still in it's orginal machien case, with book, for 350.  I also found a 1957  Singer, in a really nice cabinet for $175 at the local Salvation army.  If I had the money and the room, I would have snapped it up.  Sure it woudl clunk clunk along, but some of those older machine's are work horses! 
My favorite machine to work on at collage was a 1960 something singer.  She was old, and didn't do alot of tricks, but she could go all day and all night sewing.

[Kate XXXXXX]

Take a long, serious look at my sewing machine buying essay: http://www.diceyhome.free-online.co.uk/On%20the%20care%20&%20Feeding%20of%20sewing%20machines/on_the_choosing.htm

Take a good look also at this article I later wrote about an entry level Brother machine: http://www.bambersew.com/uploads/Brother_Innovis_10_Review.pdf
Some of the newer Brother machines are as good as you'll find in their class, for the money.  But they have their limitations...
A couple of things to remember about old sewing machine:



A pre 1900 machine may very well NOT use the standard domestic machine needles, and needles may no longer be made for that machine.  It's a museum/stare-at piece, not for use!  If you really want a straight stitch only usable treadle, look for a post 1920 Singer 15 or 66 class treadle.  Antiques markets are possibly the WORST place to buy them!  They can be horribly over-priced and have bits missing.  The sellers rarely know one end of a Pitman rod from the other... 

Some things to note:

If you want to make proper stitched eyelets like these ones that I do, you'll need to buy a Bernina and the Bernina eyelet embroidery kit (the kit goes for just shy of £100 these days!), a Husqvarna, or a Pfaff, and one or two of their little eyelet plates...  Sample stitched eyelets:
     

You'll need a machine that will cope with both heavy fabrics and light ones.  Most cheap and cheerful entry level machines won't do the heavy stuff. 

My current 'go-to' machines are the Bernina 1005 (now replaced by the 1008), my Husqvarna Lily 550 (Big Sis of gem's Emerald, and bought in 1999.  The Bernina is about the same age), a Husqvarna Optima 190 (30+ years old, but does NOT take the eyelet plate), and Little Sis's Nomnom Singer (which, while a Forbidden Years 1980's plastic geared built in Brazil entry-level cheap and cheerful machine, has gone Nomnomnomnom and eaten up all sorts of stuff we have flung at it this year!).

Take a look at the essay and go and have a look at the webs sites.  Come back with a few ideas and ask.  Be warned: I will ALWAYS advocate a similarly priced higher spec used older machine over a new one that costs less than £200.  I will always advise you to buy something that you won't either wear out or grow out of in less than two years.

[gem]

My first machine was an $80 mechanical Brother, purchased at Walmart in an after-Thanksgiving sale. It was a workhorse, and I sewed on that for 10 years--made my first gowns and bodices on that machine. It taught me a lot, but as Kate said, it had its limitations. It *loved* heavy fabrics, but chewed up anything light. It only did straight stitch and zigzag (which is most of what you do, anyway).

Over on Pattern Review, I see entry-level Kenmores recommended a lot, and if I were in the market for a machine in your price range, I would start there. They're made by Janome for Sears and carry the Sears store label, but with the Janome customer support. Pattern Review is a great resource--there's an excellent forum, plus you can read tons of user reviews on machines you're interested in. I definitely found it useful when I was upgrading a couple of years ago.

If you're already sewing, you'll know what you need in a machine, so test driving various models and seeing how they handle what you do, and how they feel, is critical. But if you're newer to sewing, or this is your first machine, it can be harder to know. So a good, reliable, well-reviewed entry level machine that's capable of most general tasks and won't be troublesome to work with is a good bet.

Good luck!

[Master James]

The low end Singer machines are really good because while they are plastic on the outside, they are solid steel on the inside and so will last quite a while.  I've sewn leather and super thick (72F) interfacing with it and it works fine.  Great thing is it has a free arm and only cost me about $100.  Oh, and its a portable machine with a handle on it so its easy to move around.  Now my other machine is one I just got from Freecycle and while it needs a bit of tuning up it will last forever and that is a 1950s Kenmore.  My wife has one and other than needing to replace the original motor a year or so ago, and the occasional tuneup, it works perfectly.

[Lady Kathleen of Olmsted]

What I use now is a Janome Memeory Craft 4900. I bought that brand new in 2006. It is scuffed up  a bit, but works like a charm. Cost me plenty, but I do not regret it.

What I have used in the past Pfaff(a machine older than me and weighs a ton), a cheapie Brother I bought for $25 at a yard sale, and a Singer Golden Touch and Sew.

As for looking into a sewing machine, go to a Machine dealer. Baby Lock, Janome, Bernina, and Husqvarna have good machines for all levels of sewing and skills. Lessons may be needed to learn how to use the machine and its capabilities.

Good luck.

[Cofeeguru]

Gotta say, I love my old reliable Elna from the 60s.  It weighs quite a bit, but will do almost anything I ask of it.

[iain robb]

Gotta say, I love my old reliable Elna from the 60s.  It weighs quite a bit, but will do almost anything I ask of it.

Me too. With the way the drive works, they won't skip unless they seriously break, and even I haven't managed to break mine yet.

[Cilean]

What kind of sewing machine do you use? I'm in the market.

I own the Diamond from Husqvarna, but any machine from Husqvarna is awesome, they are having many many people trade in their older Huskies for newer machines these past few months so I would check them out and see if they have one that will fit you!

I also have a Kenmore, a Janome, a Baby Lock and a Bernina, while I love the machines, I pretty much stick to the Viking whom I have named "Myst"

If you do a search here? You will see previous threads about all of our babies!

My suggestion? Go and check them all out and see which one makes you happy!!

Cilean