Simplest Machine?
 

Hello,

I want to buy a machine for mom. She lives a bit far, but during quarantine, we’ve been using FaceTime. She misses her coffee and craft group and I thought we could try to do it virtually. It’ll need to be very very simple and easy to use. She may just need a straight stitch. I don’t know if such a machine exists, but one requiring little maintenance is better. Any suggestions?

Thanks for all the help. I appreciate it so much.

How about an Eversewn? I got the mechanical model. The 15. It has been great so far. I have heard good things of the 30 also. And inexpensive. I paid 150 for mine

I would say go with a vintage machine, you can usually do the maintenance on them yourself, but if not, take it to a machine service person, and can usually be found less expensively than a modern one.

I got a Bernina 215 red machine....I got mine on sale....but the list price is well...a bit pricey $999. and it does have a computer screen....I used to have a Gem Gold (Janome) and that was pretty simple too....neither of these machines are hard to maintain….

If you can get a vintage Singer 237 Fashionmate -

I think it is a great simpler, mechanical machine.

Features: straight stitch
zig-zag
three needle positions
forward and back
one can lower the feed dogs only on the later versions of that model

Down side: it weighs between 35 - 40 pounds, so while moveable, that might be difficult for someone that is not very strong.

I liked this model well enough to have purchased six of them.

When buying any used machine, make sure it works before buying it. I have several machines that still "work" well enough for basic sewing, but some of the featured stitches are no longer accessible.

I am hearing good things about those Eversewn Fizzle mentioned.

There are different types of simple. I'm rather attached to my simple vintage machine. I like my machine with the zig zag better than I like my even simpler Singer 301, but part of that is the slant needle thing too.

While some of the modern machines may look complicated, they typically are pre-set on some pretty basic combinations, and we can gleefully ignore all those confusing lines and dashes and buttons :)

Recently with Covid I had both my expensive and my vintage machine down and the repair shops closed and so I used a really low end Brother for a couple of months. This was the sort that sold for under $100 new, I suggest going up some from the bottom of the line, previously I had about a $200-300 from Costco that was a great class machine and I was very happy with it. The cheapo Brother had some real limitations (like I wanted more control over my stitch length), but I got through the Bonnie Hunter Frolic project and making masks with it. I ended up taping it to the table, it was running around like a loose dog. I have vision issues and was able to make sense of the control panel easier than my expensive machine where I can't read the buttons at all. Another positive is how easy Brother feet are to buy and switch and I was very pleased with the accuracy of my 1/4" quilters foot. The way the bobbin casing area was designed it was both easy to use and to insert the bobbin correctly. The "threading assist" was still better than any solution I've found on my vintage machine. My visually impaired hint for old machines and long arms is the "hummingbird" type needle threader.

Be aware that there was quite a run on machines with mask making and people at home. It may not be as easy to purchase one at all much less find a good deal as you would hope. But what fun for when you get things going. Working together, even when separately, is still fun.

That’s a good point that there’s different types of simple. If there are buttons, mom will push all of them figuring one will do what she’s trying to ‘fix’. She also likes to mess with tension too much. If there’s a machine that takes care of tension and can’t be changed by human, that would be good.

I can’t remember the machine I used in a class, but threading was almost one step. Maybe a Singer?

If I could design a machine for her, it would have no buttons and be voice controlled to change stitch type and an auto threader. The goal for me is to have an enjoyable time working through projects and not virtually troubleshooting.

Thanks for the ideas so far. I’ll look at each of them.

I love Eversewn Sparrow machine. I have the Saprrow 30 because it has all the features. The other Sparrow models start with no features to each model having a bit more. It's one of the best machines for the price.

I have heard the Eversewn Sparrow is a nice machine and also have heard the Janome Gem is good. Not real sure of the price of either of these machines.

For simplicity, I love my vintage Singer 201 or 99K. Straight stitch machines that can handle pretty much any weight fabric, even light weight leather. They are simple to thread and adjust and require no more maintenance than an occasional oiling.

If you're looking for a lighter weight machine, Singer made 201K machines in the 1950's.