Thread: Article on Sewing Machine Purchase and Brands

So many posts seem to be about buying a sewing machine and I found this article to be interesting. I wasn't sure if links was the right place to post but figured it would be moved if I post anywhere else.

http://www.erinsayssew.com/one-brand...-than-another/

Originally Posted by mimiknoxtaylor

Thank you for posting this. I teach the grandkids on my older machines & they love it but now one of the younger ones wants to sew like the older ones & he's 4. We tried a large machine but he's tiny & not prone to take time to listen & go slow so that didn't work well.
In one of her reviews on the article someone asked about machines for children & she has a great reply with recommendations for smaller machines. The Janome Thunder in a variety of colors looks like just what I'm looking for & bonus: at 5 or 6 pounds I can take it in my suitcase when we travel on a cruise & plane!
Thanks

I kind of like how the article rated stitch quality, and how the manufacturers determine strategy for their machines.

Originally Posted by mimiknoxtaylor

Thank you for posting this. I teach the grandkids on my older machines & they love it but now one of the younger ones wants to sew like the older ones & he's 4. We tried a large machine but he's tiny & not prone to take time to listen & go slow so that didn't work well.
In one of her reviews on the article someone asked about machines for children & she has a great reply with recommendations for smaller machines. The Janome Thunder in a variety of colors looks like just what I'm looking for & bonus: at 5 or 6 pounds I can take it in my suitcase when we travel on a cruise & plane!
Thanks

I have only tried to show one younger person how to sew. My thought on a good machine for a younger person to get them interested is one with a top loader bobbin, just because the front/side loaders can jam and get messy to fix the jam. Top loaders just seem easier to me, at least for a new sewist. But I don't have too much experience with getting younger people interested in sewing. I bought a new mother (daughter of a good friend) a new Kenmore a few years ago, and I seriously doubt that she has ever turned it on. I really thought she would be interested especially with a little girl to sew for. Oh well.

Thank you for posting this, Good information. I will take it a step farther. I have several different brands of machine and most are the top of the line. I find the Bernina a very good machine, stitch quality very good, but the embroidery part a little hard to use and the format limited. My Pfaff is only a sewing machine, so can't tell you about the embroidery part, love the built in walking foot, stitch quality good and everything very easy to use. Baby Lock and Brother machines are very similar, embroidery part very easy to use and format easy to find lots of designs, stitch quality good. Singer, very poor, except the old feather weight have great stitch quality. I find that each machine has some good and bad. So, decide what you really need and the price you can afford. Then go test drive the machine, take the same kind of fabric and thread to each machine, make a straight stitch and similar patterns, mark the sample with the type of machine that made it. See if all the button, dials, etc is in a handy place for you. Does it have what you need or want, etc. Now you are ready to buy a new machine. Also, if you can only afford the bottom line, you may be better getting a good used machine for the same price. If the machine is a closet machine, it doesn't have to be too good, but if you are going to sew, get the best you can afford as it will save money on repairs.

We got my niece a Janome at Hancocks. It was under $50 + tax. She uses it a lot. She has learned to care for it. She keeps her manual in a Ziploc along with a few tools. She is 10 and I'm pleased for her sake she's interested. She came over the other day for a short time after school. I had some baby flannel she borrowed and turned into a baby blanket. She got out the rolling hem foot for my 401 to try and I have to say she did a better job than I know I would've done. She has 4 machines at her disposal. She wants a mid-arm. She has only been using a machine for little over a year.

Originally Posted by tessagin

We got my niece a Janome at Hancocks. It was under $50 + tax. She uses it a lot. She has learned to care for it. She keeps her manual in a Ziploc along with a few tools. She is 10 and I'm pleased for her sake she's interested. She came over the other day for a short time after school. I had some baby flannel she borrowed and turned into a baby blanket. She got out the rolling hem foot for my 401 to try and I have to say she did a better job than I know I would've done. She has 4 machines at her disposal. She wants a mid-arm. She has only been using a machine for little over a year.

Just keeping the manual safe is a sign that she is truly interested in the craft. Charming.