Like the cobbler, the tinker, the butcher and baker, the sewing machine repair man is nearly as extinct as the watch maker!

Seriously folks, can you find a sewing machine repair man/person in your area..less than a 30 minute drive?

AND if you do find one, will they work on any and all machines?

NO, and NO in this area...

The only sewing machine repair person is the lady who owns the Bernina shop. She is "technically" only allowed to work on Bernina and Janome machines. However since she and her late husband have owned and worked in the sewing machine repair business for 50+ years she has loyal customers that she will not turn down. But she really does not know the singers and older off brands as well as she does, Pfaff, Bernina and Janome!

As with all of the DEALER shops, their repair staff is really only trained on that brand and most times the shop has a contract forbidding them from working on other machines.

Sew/vac shops are the best if you can find one...not anywhere around here that is for sure! Each machine manufacturer designs their machines so that to truly fix them you need to know their schematics and have their tools...Sears used to do this to their appliances!

There is a man 30 miles from here that will work on other brands, but now that he is contracted to a quilt shop that only sells Pfaff..good luck getting him to take on your machine!

My point is, when looking into buying a machine make sure you know where the repair man is....whether you are buying a brand new machine at a dealer or a nice vintage machine at a yard sale.

There was a question earlier about why people are buying up the older machines....my #1 reason is that they are easier to work on, and once they are working good...they really love to work...

If you have a newer fancy machine, it might not hurt to look into getting an older workhorse machine and learn how to maintain it so you always have a reliable back up.

It is almost like buying a car these days! No need to buy a volkswagon when the nearest repair man is 100 miles away!

I agree. I have a back up that I couldn't live without. But, although I see the advantages of old machines I wouldn't be able to live without all the fancy things my computerized machines do. They don't limit my creativity like old machines. But, I must admit, I always have my eyes peeled for old machines. There is just something attractive about them!

This is why I hope nothing happens to my 1996 Viking Rose. There are no dealers (any brand) in my local area. The Sew & Vac shop that does have a guy to come in to repair sewing machines could have you waiting weeks to get your machine back.

here is another thing to consider. The repair men that are contracted to quilt shops, where will they go when those shops close down?
In this economy the "quilt" shop is a dieing entity as well!
So if you buy a machine at a quilt shop make sure you know where the repair man will be if/when that shop closes!

All fancy things we love on those machines will mean naught if some goes amiss and there is no repair man to fix them!

We have a man who had been a former manager of a sewing store here in town, went out on business for himself and he will come to your home and service your machine. He live in Bolivar and travels to the Branson are, the only limits he sets for how far he travels is up to him. He has been trained on all makes and brands, including embroidery machines and sergers. How wonderful it is to not have to lug your machine to a store and wait.

I ended up buying a Bernina for several reasons but one of them is that the Bernina dealer/repair shop/fabric store is less than a mile from my home.
I had wanted to get another Pfaff but would have had to travel 40 miles to have it services. I realize that 40 miles for some of you is nothing, but I live in an area with lots of people and lots of traffic.

In the thirty years or so that I've owned sewing machines I've taken one in for repair after it fell off a truck and one in for cleaning because the presser foot didn't drop right anymore when it got cold. I suppose I'll worry about it when I need a repairman in another 10 years or so.

I am willing to bet that not many here on the board actually get their machines serviced in another country! There is one Bernina dealer in Ireland (on the other side of the country) and he let me down so badly and actually lied to me to try and cover up things, that I now drive into Northern Ireland to get my machine serviced.

It's about a 300 mile round trip! (but then to Dublin from where I am isn't much different).

And before you wonder why I didn't get another make instead, there is one dealer about an hour and a half from me, but she doesn't have a repairman either, so I would still have to take any machine bought from her to Dublin.

We are very lucky here because there is a gentleman who has been working for most of his life on sewing machines and has a sale/repair shop. He currently has someone working with him learning the business. They will service any kind of machine.

Also our LQS has a repair person who will service any brand machine.

Time to take a class and make some money! :-)

What a great ideal for myself...

http://www.fixsewingmachines.com/Sew...pair-Tips.html

and can do it from my home...