sewing machine
 

Well, I figured out what was wrong with my sewing machine- the one that was bogging down. A gear that moves the feed dogs is broken. I thought I was going to get so much sewing done today since my mom took my kids and my mother-in-law was coming over to help me. Both of my old machines are broken. The Singer Stylist 534 has a broken gear $75 to replace and my Montgomery Ward Signature machine kept breaking the thread $49.95 for the shop to recalibrate to settings since we couldn't figure it out. After I dropped off my machines, I went machine looking. So here is my question do i need to think about investing in a new machine? I looked at Wal-Mart and a local sewing machine shop. Wal-Mart did not have anyone in the craft department for me to ask questions. The Sewing machine shop had Janome 7330, Janome dc1050 and some other models. The guy helping me said that any machine under $400 has plastic gears that will break the first time I hit a bump. I want to be able to sew straight stitches, but be able to quilt/sew a variety of thickness and possibly some decorative stitches. Should I shop for another machine or fix my old ones and make due?

You can get a trusted vintage machine for less than what you'd pay for repairing your two machines. I would never buy a machine, that you want to last, via Wal Mart. Go with a vintage machine that can do decorative stitching like a Singer 401 and you won't be sorry.

Or...I have an older Bernina that has been a workhorse! It's the 1008, just took it in for it's first trip to the "doctor" in fourteen years....the only problem I had was that the casing that holds the bobbin in broke a very small screw and I didn't have one to replace it with. Also had one of those straight pins with a white plastic head on it that got buried in the footfeed area...but it kept on going! Don't think that would happen on one of the newer ones...

I would stick with a dealer. You may find a refurbished machine at a lower price. It would be a better machine with more features for less money. I would avoid buying a sewing machine at Walmart.

Do you do any other type of sewing beside quilting?

Ladies, sorry to disagree, but for someone that basically wants to do only straight stitching plus up to 100 decorative stitches, I strongly recommend the Brother machines from Wal-Mart at $199.00, not the 149 or 79 ones. The 199 ones have included a walking foot, a 1/4" ft, a quilting foot, quilting guide and many many embrodeiry (sp) foot attachments
inc luded in the 199 price. I have a top of the line Kenmore and Singer and they do not measure up to the Brother machines. They are not the fancy Bernia, Phaff, Janmome, etc, but for a beginner, they are wonderful and truly a great investment. I have three of them different amenities, (only because I have two different living houses)but all
are quality, dependable and truly workhorses. I agree the experienced and real quality quilters have better machines but until a newbie gets really advanced the Brothers are the best bet for the money....no offensive, just a different viewpoint to consider....

Oh , so sorry about your machines!! I agree I would stay away from a machine from walmart. Stick with a dealer for either a new machine or a good used one.

I doubt if anyone who works at Walmart can tell you anything about those machines unless they own one and have used it. I have the Brother cs6000i that I bought online at Walmart.com for $199 about three years ago. It's awesome! The only problem is that the harp space is too small to do the quilting on anything but a small quilt. Research any machine online before you buy. You should be able to find out the details and what all comes with the machines. AllBrands.com has a lot of info on Brother and Janome machines. Hope this helps.

I am sticking with the vintage machines, tired of the plastic stuff. although I have been told (by a sm repair guy)brother is the best as far as buying off the shelf of walmart

I bought the Brother CS9050 recently at Wal-Mart. The harp space is small but, it has 100 stitches , 9 buttonhole stitches,great selection of feet including, walking foot, 1/4 seam foot, quilting foot, and quilting guide. I've really enjoyed it. I got it for $199. It may not last forever but, for now it is what I can afford.

don't worry about the $400 machines being plastic inside, the $4000 machine are too.... if you want strong, stick with vintage, Pfaff, Viking, Bernina, Singers (but even older) Husqvarna, there are many older machines out there that were not used a lot and still have a lot of life in them.... pick up the machine, how heavy is it?...it is a good indicator of how much metal is inside, sew on it at the store and have thin, medium and heavy weight fabrics with you... do some stitches that zigzag, lots of straight stitches, make a buttonhole, .... how is the noise level? you want it fairly quiet but also how smooth-running does it sound? .... does it vibrate when running at high speed? now really look at that buttonhole....is it smooth on top? will it look better if you adjust the tension? most buttonholes and decorative stitches need the tension to go down one number to look really nice .... i have bought several machines in my lifetime and if they won't let you sew on the machine, you don't want it.... how many feet come with the machine? if you are happy with the way it sews and sounds then ask about any guarantee they offer for their used machines... and while buying, ask about any extra feet that come with it or that might be available... you will get the best deal on them at the time of purchase...

I really am not qualified to give you a good response, but I can tell you that I have an older Viking that I truly love, if you could find one. Made in Sweden, 1982, excellent quality, and it's never been to the shop. A real workhorse. But you seldom see older used ones for sale. No one wants to let them go!

I think you should see if the dealer you spoke with has any used machines. A lot of people "trade up" and the shop has the gently used machines and they are refurbished. You can usually get a good machine for a fraction of the price. I bought my DGD a cheap machine at WalMart. She loves it but I don't. The foot petal is hard to get the machine to start sewing. You have to tap it several times to get it started. Then it is going too fast. It just isn't very responsive. I wish I had spent a little more and gotten a Janome machine for her. I'm thinking of getting a new foot petal for her. I don't want her to get fed up with the machine and give up on sewing.
Sue

I want to be able to sew stuffed animals and other decorating kids of things. I tried my hand at clothes and I wasn't very good!

I asked about the used machines and he said they are all junk!

I wish I had know Wal-Mart has a fairly good machine when I went looking. :) Oh well, I just didn't think of that.

i bought the WM Brother CS6000i. I really like the machine. The stitches are tight. It is a bit noisy, but the price was right!

Personally, I think I would look for an old one...I've never owned a new machine, and from all I've read in the past from the board, I don't plan on buying one.. I have two 1926 machines.. all I can say about both, is that they hum.. Neither of them go reverse, or zig zag, but I've adjusted to it.. I have a 1974 Singer that also hums, and it does forward, reverse, and zig zag.. I also have a Singer in the closet that has cam, but haven't touched it. The thought of buying a machine with plastic gearsw doesn't thrill me..
Barri

If you have a Tuesday Morning store near you they have a $500.00 Singer on sale for $199.00.

I agree with you completely, I have had the brother machines, even refurbished ones with the plastic gears for years and they work awesome, for a novice quilter who is not doing it professionally they are perfect for the price and they can upgrade later and use those for classes. I have purchased from walmart, a refurbished from overstock, and all are working fine. I even have one that I gave to my MIL almost 20years old that she has been sewing on like crazy, and yes it has plastic gears, never been in the shop. My refurbished one is over 5 years old, never been in the shop. I just got the one from walmart a few months ago, but like I said have had cheapo brothers for years, never been in the shop.

The old saying is true, especially for sewing machines, "You get what you pay for". I bought a Bernina 930 25 years ago. I have never taken it to the dealer for repairs, only cleaning. I have never had to adjust the tension, and I have sewn enough clothes on it to pay for itself about three times over, throughout the years. It is the machine I take with me to quilting (My husband and son pack it to the car when they are around) because I can leave it in the case and I know I will turn it on and it will not give me one bit of trouble. My husband pitched a fit because I paid $1,000, for it, but bought my second Bernina for me and did not blink when I paid $6,000 for my last one. I agree with the idea of looking for a vitage name brand. They are work horses. Good luck, though, because they don't get traded in and everyone else wants one too.

DO try the trade ins at the dealer! Also, come up with a list of things that you need/want in a machine before you buy. Things like sewing speed control, needle down features, dropping feed dogs and push button start/stop are things that I thought were luxuries, but have found that they are really necessary for me for some things. I was able to buy a Bernina 430 for $1000 at a local dealer this year and am really pleased with it. I also have a singer 301 and a featherweight that I can use. Going vintage singer is not so bad either :-)

The Brother machines at Walmart are not bad little machines when used as intended. I bought a CS1000 and loved it. They are made for light duty use like piecing and small quilting projects, light weight clothing and crafts. They will not handle many stuffed animals. They are not built for it. I'm not saying they won't sew them - I'm saying they won't sew very many of them.

A 60's vintage Singer machine is built like a tank and will handle stuffed animals with no trouble. I know a lady selling off her sewing machine collection if you want to go vintage. She has a Singer 503, 500 and a 600 for sale for very reasonable prices if you would want to go that route.