Sewing-Machine Recommendations for a Klutzy Beginner?

[catinthefunnyhat]

Hi All

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...

[tamarakay]

I had a Brother basic machine and fought that sucker for years. I thought I was just an idiot for not being able to figure it out. I finally had a friend look at it and she said that it was the machine not me. Kendoll bought me a basic Singer from WalMart and suddenly I enjoy sewing. No tension problems, this little guy just sews. It only does like 10 different stitches, it doesn't embroider or any of that so it's just what I need for what I sew right now. As my skills increase I might invest in something fancier, but it's been a great machine to learn on. I think it cost like 75.00 at wallyworld.

[EspressoDude]

you only need straight stitch and zig zag..no more. Stay away from plastic parts like gears. Stay away from "electronics" What is your budget? Go to a sewing machine repair place and ask them what to buy.(or not buy) Answer is probably your grandmother's sewing machine.

Don't buy new from a department store..Those machines are made with one thing in mind and that is today's profit...not your satisfaction.

[catinthefunnyhat]

Kendoll bought me a basic Singer from WalMart and suddenly I enjoy sewing. No tension problems, this little guy just sews. It only does like 10 different stitches, it doesn't embroider or any of that so it's just what I need for what I sew right now. As my skills increase I might invest in something fancier, but it's been a great machine to learn on. I think it cost like 75.00 at wallyworld.

That sounds good. 10 is probably even more than I need. I like that the tension is easy to manage -that's a huge thing for me! I know with the machine I borrowed a few years back, I was tearing out my hair with tension and tangling problems. If those are things that the right machine can prevent (or at least mitigate), I'm much more likely to actually use the thing after BM.

I'd like to avoid Walmart if possible, though, and buy from a place where they can offer some support and maybe service it in-house.

you only need straight stitch and zig zag..no more. Stay away from plastic parts like gears. Stay away from "electronics" What is your budget? Go to a sewing machine repair place and ask them what to buy.(or not buy).

I agree that it would be great to have something designed to last and to be repaired/serviced rather than replaced when parts die. Few things are made like this any more. Is there such a thing as a machine which is built like that which is also relatively portable, so I can pack it up and put it away between uses?

As for budget, I'd prefer not to spend too much. No more than $200; if I could get something decent for $100, that would be ideal. I'm willing to pay more for durability but not for bells and whistles. In Canada, even though our dollar is now at par, everything costs a lot more than it does down there. I did window-shop a couple of weeks ago outside a sewing-machines-and-vacuums store, and I noticed that prices seemed to range from about $100 to $500.

I do want it to have a powered foot-pedal thing, not a manual treadle. With my awful sense of rhythm and lack of hand-eye-foot coordination, a manual treadle will be a recipe for frustration.

I wonder if there are still sewing-machine-repair places around here? Nobody repairs anything any more...

Answer is probably your grandmother's sewing machine.

Time for a random catinthefunnyhat story! A couple of years ago, my parents went back to my dad's childhood home, which is a lone house on an island in the middle of nowhere, on the BC coast (close-ish to a tiny fishing village -- his Dad repaired commercial fish boats). They talked to the current owners of the place, who are selling it, and those owners gifted my parents my grandmother's sewing machine -- an ancient Singer. Now, the generations on that side of the family are very long -- my dad was 40 when his first kid (me) was born, and his mum was 40 when her first kid (my dad) was born. That sewing machine predates my dad by probably 20 years... so it's a 100-year-old beastie. Unfortunately, it's correspondingly large and heavy (it's solid metal, built into a table, and has an attached treadle; it weighs at least 100lb). It's also not repairable, having spent decades in a shed with a collapsed roof -- I'm sure the guts of it are a solid lump of rust. However, it still looks pretty, and my dad has spent the last 6 months lovingly restoring the woodwork. It's being gifted, now, to my brother and his wife, as they have a house with enough space to store such a large -- well, essentially an enormous decoration).

[theCryptofishist]

Yeah, what ED said about talking to a repair shop. You might get more bang for your buck on the used market. You might even get one just about free--I think the trend is to getting rid of machines, even with the current craft revival. You'd then pay for a servicing, and you're good to go. My mother's has a stand that the machine folds into when not in use. (50+ year old Singer) My husband's has a little cover with a carrying handle. It's a Sears, but I know nothing of it's vintage or provinance.

(Do Canadians even get "bang" for their "buck"? If not, I'm dreadfully sorry.)

[theCryptofishist]

And when you're doing your research, make sure you tell your informants that ease of operation is an important consideration.

[Drawingablank]

My machine is a 1962 (possibly '63) Singer. Quite basic but in spite of being 50 years old has never needed to be serviced professionally. It does get a regular cleaning and lubrication though. All metal except the thread spool spindles which are nylon and the cover which is plastic. The cover latches over the base and has a handle on top so it is portable, however a bit heavy.

It will do both straight stiches and zig zag stitches with no fiddling (lever on front of the machine controls the zig zag). I do fairly heavy fabric coats mostly and it handles them well.

There are also a variety of attachments for things such as ruffling, and several cams that can be used for a variety of other decorative stitches. I've never used any of that stuff so couldn't say how well they do or do not work.

[BoyScoutGirl]

So here's the (most recent) thread dedicated to sewing machines! I'm reading with great interest.

So how do you guys figure out if the gears and other bits are all metal? By reading the model specifications on the brand's website?

[Drawingablank]

Most machines have an easy access panel or two in the areas requiring regular cleaning and lube (the end of the arm and the bottom of the machine come to mind). Coincidentally that is also where much of the gearing and linkage is.

The newer the machine the more likely it has plastic innards unless it is an industrial model.

[Ratty]

Pick it up with one hand. If you can....It's plastic.

[Ratty]

Plastic shamstic. buy it at Costco. They have an almost endless return policy. I'm sewing on a plastic Singer that has 100 stitches and cost less than $100. I still don't know if I'm keeping it. they told me that I should start deciding around the 2 year mark.

[delle]

Damn, girl.

I've got about 10 sewing machines here now. My guy just keeps bringing them home like fucking PUPPIES.

Almost all of them are straight stitch only, but I'll look thru them to see if there's one in decent condition that has multiple stitches. I would gladly donate it to the cause and should be able to handle the shipping fees, which according to Puppy-Man shouldn't be much.

And then you'll have a nice budget for materials!


Here are a couple of good hints for those NOT within my range today who want good machines for little money:

Scour the regular haunts: Salvation Army, Value Village (we got most of ours from there), Church basements, etc. Most will test the machines properly before selling them. Most (except the church and garage sales) will also give you a certain amount of time to test them and bring them back if they're not working. Generally, you can get a FABULOUS older machine (read: sturdy and reliable) for the $25 range. If they're not tested, they're cheaper, but not necessarily in the long run.

Once you've found a machine that looks like it has all it's parts and they all seem to be running freely, google the make and model and get yourself the owner's manual and if you can, the service manual.
Usually these are free downloads.


Get yourself to your local seamster/seamstresses and/or upholsterers and ask them who they use for servicing. These people know who to use. Also tell them what you're looking to do. ALWAYS helps to talk to folks who are interested in the subject. They know all the good tricks and have all the good contacts. And I've yet to meet one who isn't willing to share both.


I'm home most of this weekend. I also have free long-distance if you'd like to shoot me your number in PM and give me a time when it'd be reasonable to call. Monday I got off to do the Value Village run, since it's 50% off day. Not really looking for more machines, but they tend to come home anyhow..... otherwise there's alot of GREAT material there, in various begging-to-be-altered states.



Edited to make it clear that I'm not trying to sell anything

[catinthefunnyhat]

Delle!!

Oh my gosh; that is such a generous offer, I hardly know what to say... thank you! I'm totally gobsmacked.

I will PM you my phone number.

WOW.

[delle]

Totally my pleasure, my dear.

There had to be a reason these things landed here, right?????


And as Puppy-boy say's "ooooh. if we get rid of THAT one, we'll have room for another little beauty I saw today"


And the man doesn't even sew..............................

[theCryptofishist]

It's just a museum of old sewing machines...

There's something sweet about that.

[delle]

....except that they tend to freak out guests who are trying to sleep in that loft..... There are just so damned many of them!!!!

We've always referred to the bed tucked under the eaves as "the dreaming corner" for its special properties in that regard. Before the influx of machinery the dreams used to be prophetic and sweet. Now, more often than not, they're not quite so endearing.

[delle]

Edited to remove a call for a nut-cage that clearly didn't belong here.

Tho it totally fits with some of the nightmares I've been cited.

[theCryptofishist]

Wrong thread?

[delle]

Hahahaha. Ya think?

[catinthefunnyhat]

I'm picturing this magical room. Floating dress-forms and sewing machines in every corner. I think the dreams would be interesting. I hope there's also a tree that casts eerie shadows and scrapes against the window on a windy night...

[danibel]

Looks like Delle is taking care of you, but I just wanted to pipe in. I bought Singer off craigslist for less than $50. My sister used it to sew a few things, I have sewn a few things. Now it sits covered in undone fun fur projects... Maybe I will finish those hats tomorrow.

[catinthefunnyhat]

Thanks to everyone who chimed in with advice!

And thanks especially to delle! I today became the proud owner of my very own sewing machine, courtesy of delle and her husband. So far, my new baby and I are getting along great!

I now have to learn to exercise some self-control in the thrift stores. I used to just be really fussy: Things had to fit perfectly and be in like-new condition, and I had to be in love with them, or I wouldn't buy them. Since I decided to get a machine and sew some costumes, I now find myself saying, "Oh... but it's such lovely fabric! And so much of it! Only five dollars!"

[theCryptofishist]

All that in less than a week!

Bwahahaha!

[catinthefunnyhat]

...and I've killed my first project. Where by killed, I don't mean "I completed it in a spectacular fashion," or even, for that matter "I completed it."

Because I can't keep track of right and wrong sides, apparently, I sewed something together half-forwards and half-backwards. Then undid the one side and redid it to be the same as the other... only I undid and redid the correct side, to match the incorrect. Then, while I was trying to take it apart again, the poor fabric just ripped in about 4 places. It clearly wanted no part of the torment I was inflicting. Ah, well... this is how we learn. In the meantime, I had fun getting to know the machine, and I think we're going to be good friends.

Next project starts tomorrow.

[wh..sh]

You can safety pin the ends together before starting to stitch so you know which side needs to go where and all that jazz.
You can even draw a line with white chalk on the inside part of the fabric (on certain fabric).

Don't go blind stitching sista!

[catinthefunnyhat]

Yeah, I have pins (proper sewing pins) and tailor's chalk (white, though, so it wouldn't show up on the white fabric I was using), but I was too cool to use either of them. Or something like that

[theCryptofishist]

I consider that a somewhat spectacular failure...

Am I too easy on you?

[AntiM]

I've done that more than once. No shame in it. I should use Mom's chalk I inherited, pink and green and yellow.

[catinthefunnyhat]

Fishy: You are too easy on me.
AntiM:

It was a failure brought on by my own impulsiveness and carelessness. Nevertheless, it's not a major setback. I'm ok if I get about a 50% failure rate with the sewing projects in these early days. I could lower that by doing things more carefully, following patterns, etc., but that would be much less fun. And by having lots of failures, I will learn lots, too. The key for me is to find a balance where the failures aren't so frequent as to be discouraging, but where I allow myself room to play with materials and have fun exploring. At some point, there will be a natural transition towards planning, caution, and the use of patterns -- just not yet.

I already started my next project, which is a black cape I am making out of a 1980s velvet prom dress I bought for $7. This time, I'm being slightly more careful. But it's also an easier thing, because I am making use of structure that was already there in the garment. I did, however, sew one seam prematurely; I'm going to buy a stitch ripper tonight (mine apparently left on safari a few months ago and hasn't written or called once) and carefully unpick it. I've also taken the time to work out a proper strategy for finishing the top, so I'll be starting that tomorrow.

But today I have to go to school and work on the other, bigger, scarier project.

[AntiM]

The more seam rippers you own, the less likely you will be able to find one when you need one.