I'm thinking of taking the plunge and buying a sewing machine. Now, I'm a terrible seamstress, so I don't anticipate making things for regular wear. I'll mostly be using it for things where crooked or bunched seams, knots, and other flaws are easily hidden: I sew one Halloween costume by hand (poorly yet painstakingly) every year; I do a little mending here and there; and every now and then I hand-sew myself a little wristlet to coordinate with an outfit when I'm heading out on the town. Now I am planning to sew/alter some things for BM, but daunted by the thought of doing all that by hand (last time I went, I was able to borrow a machine for the prep).
Anyways, a sewing machine would be a moderately useful but also somewhat extravagant purchase for me, given the amount of use I'd probably get out of it -- i.e., BM preparation and one large project plus a few small ones each year (I like to think I would also start using it a bit more regularly, but that would involve having the perseverance to develop enough skill to make "regular" clothing with it, and... well.... that kind of perseverance is not one of my strengths). I thus want to make the purchase carefully; I need to get something that's easy to use, sturdy enough to handle heavier fabrics (and being owned by a klutz), able to handle delicate fabrics such as chiffon without chewing them up, built to be serviced/repaired (rather than replaced), and yet reasonably inexpensive. Oh, and it also needs to pack up and store fairly easily (I don't have a lot of space; it will have to live on a shelf when not in use).
So here are my questions: Is it even possible to get something consistent with this wishlist? What makes/brands would you recommend? The only ones I'm familiar with are Pfaff (expensive and srs bsns, I think) and Singer (probably covers the whole gamut). Any sleeper hits out there? Anything I should avoid? What features are really essential? How much should I expect to spend? I feel like if I just walked into a sewing-machine shop right now, I'd be a prime target for overselling or ripping off, as I'm a wide-eyed naif about this stuff. Also: Whenever I've used a sewing machine in the past, my biggest stumbling block has always been maintaining the correct tension. Is this just a skill I need to learn, or are there features/characteristics in a machine that will make it easier? Or should I just forgo the fantasy of a sewing machine and continue sewing by hand?
Thanks...
