Alu_Rathbone

Is this a good sewing machine for a beginning quilter?

Singer Inspiration 4205 Mechanical Sewing Machine

Candace

Did you use the search feature and see what people have said about it?

Alu_Rathbone

I was looking at it on ebay, I have not looked else where yet. Thanks for the idea though! I shall look it up on amazon.

Pamela Artman

My advice to new quilters who ask me that question... ANY sewing machine that runs, goes forward and backward and does not jam, knot up, or clunk loudly is a good machine for a beginner! Just get started as soon as you can and as you sew and get to know quilters and see, read about or hear about other machines, sooner or later you'll trade up! (more than likely several times!!)

littlehud

My first machine was an $89.00 Brother. Can we say bottom of the line. It served me well for four years and is still my back up machine. It's not the price but if it does what you need.

Rose Marie

Many quilters have posts about Singers as bad machines.
But so far for cheaper machines Brother seems to come out ahead.
I also have a cheap Brother as my backup and it has not givin me any trouble at all.

kapatt

I love old Singers but I wouldn't buy anything that was made after the 60's or early 70's because they went from the all metal gears to the plastic gears.

When I bought a sewing machine about 18 years ago, I bought a New Home machine. It is all metal gears but I've heard that the company has been sold to another company so I can't really recommend a newer sewing machine from them.

athenagwis

I am not sure how much that machine is, but I bought a singer and though it served me well enough for 2 years I would not recommend it to anyone. If you are going to spend money on a machine, I would buy a Kenmore from Sears (I just picked one up and the board gave it RAVE reviews). It was $250. If you were looking to spend less than that I would go with a Brother over Singer, I have heard better things about Brother. But having a Singer myself and now using the Kenmore, I cannot tell you how much better it is. Yes my Singer sewed a straight line and did well enough for a few years, but the Kenmore feels like a high end machine in comparison and it only cost me $250.

Rachel

raptureready

Personally I won't buy another Singer. They just don't seem to be as good as they once were and the service is worse. Go to several dealers of different machines and try them out. Decide exactly what you want on your machine--needle down option, feed dog lowering, thread cutting, decorative stitches, blanket stitch, etc., and then buy one with as many more options as you can afford. Trust me, you'll end up using them and be happier with your machine much longer. Also, if you purchase a reputable machine from a reputable dealer that also services them you'll save yourself a lot of headaches in the long haul. My next machine will be a Janome.
ps. Also check out the price and availability of the accessories such as additional feet.
Hope this helps.

Alu_Rathbone

I think I'll check out a Brother. I'm looking for a good machine but with a low cost. I'm even looking on freecycle. Thanks for the help! I really appreciated it!