Buying a sewing machine?

So, you are going to buy a sewing machine so you can make things. That is wonderful! Please, please, please buy the best machine you can afford. Save yourself a big headache ending in disappointment. Now, I said the best not the most expensive. Of course I have my opinions and do not like some of the most expensive ones. Complexity of machine does not mean quality. To make the most beautiful garments and quilts all you need is a strait stitch. I look at the dresses Eddi has stitched – with a strait stitch Singer from the 1940′s – and marvel at how beautiful they are. Not a zig-zag or serge to be found… Of all the machines that people bring in to class, I am most impressed with the Janome machines. You get a lot for your money and they stitch well. They hold their tension and have quite a number of features for under $500. Chris at the Auburn Sewing Center gives you as many guide instructions as you need when you purchase from her. I also find it easy to instruct students in their basic use.

So please do not buy a new machine for under $200, because you will probably not enjoy sewing with these flimsy machines and you may not be able to get the machine to sew. Last Fall I had a student bring a machine she had purchased at Wal-Mart to class. We threaded it up and began to sew on some cotton muslin. Everything looked o.k. so she got out her project. She was working on polyester flannel PJ’s as Christmas gifts. We got the seam pinned and started sewing. There were skipped stitches so I had her change to a ball-point needle. No luck. I sent her down to Chris to get a Janome and told her to return the other machine. She spent about the same amount on the Janome as she had on the other machine. The difference was remarkable… The Janome actually sewed!!!

Word of advice, if you cannot afford new, look at yard sales for older machines from the 50′s and 60′s that still work. Kenmore, Singer, Brother are worthy of mention here. Remember you only need strait stitch, everything else is want.