Sewing Machine Advice - Buford,GA

I bought a Husquvarna Viking Emerald just last year. I haven't used it a whole lot, but when I was shopping everything I read and heard said it was good quality. And good quality machines are $$$$$. I got a deal on mine at JoAnn's for $299. The machine is typically in the over $400 range. It does pretty much everything, except it is not digital (which to me, is not a bad thing).

It is SO easy to thread and fill bobbins. I have used it a few times, and am gearing up to do a lot with in the coming weeks. I viewed it as an investment. I heard from some friends, that some of the ones you can buy at Walmart/Target (the cheaper Singer/brother ones) can break easily, and then you spend the $ in repairs. I preferred to just spend it on a better machine.
BUT, I am new to this, so maybe my info. wasn't spot on. Most of my info, however, came from a good friend who is a big-time sewer (she quilts with her mom/aunts/etc on a week retreat once a year) and is constantly doing projects. She has an older machine that she prefers, but it was taking a while to get repairs done (we live in a small town, and was having a hard time finding a repair person) so she bought a cheaper machine to get her through. And she was having problems with that pretty quick.

1 mom found this helpful

I love sewing and my mother was a seamstress but also a control freak. She never taught me or allowed me to play with her singer. It was an expensive one for back in the day. I always wanted to learn. I bought a used Bernina for under 200$, but it broke shortly after, I was told to go really cheap till you get to know how to sew and do bobbins better and learn the art of stiching. Since you dont know and you want to teach yourself rather than have someone teach you. DO NOT waste money on any good machines. Get a little project one. I got one for 49 bucks at Jo Ann's it was I think Singer 504 mender/craft machine. PIECE OF JUNK and nothing but a head ache. took it back for a Janome and it is a gorgeous little machine that is well built and great for crafts and learning to stitch simple. Cant do anything big on it but you can make kids clothes, crafts, and other things to get yourself up to speed, great thing about it is its like 50 bucks and while your getting better at sewing you can save your money for the bigger one. 5 bucks a pay check and by the time your ready you can get a great Bernina or Husq

I am going to toss in another name here - I have a Bernina and really like it. I used to make a ton of jon-jon's for my kiddos, made all our Christmas stockings and have made pillows, slip covers and a few shorts & capri's for myself.
What I like about bernina is typically when you purchase them they come with one to four person-to-person lessons on how to really use and get the most out of your machine.
They have a "trade up" program so you can actually buy pre-owned machines from some stores.
Additionally - the machine comes with a video (yes, mine is a VHS - LOL but I assume these days it is a dvd) to refresh you on the basics.
Best of luck with your decision.

If you are going to sew, get a machine that is in the price range of $200. The $50 special is not going to last and you wiill be throwing your money away. Get a machine that has straight stitch, zig zag, buttonhole a total of 12-14 stiches built in. You will be able to do any kind of sewing for yourself and the house.

Get some typing or photocopy paper and a dinner plate. Trace around the dinner plate with a pencil. Also get a ruler and draw some straight lines on it. The next step is for you to take a needle without any thread in it and pracitice with your foot controller and your arm the outlines you have on the paper following the lines. What this does is give you control on how to move the paper which will become your fabric and the foot controller on how much pressure to use for speed. Practice this technique for about a week for about 10 minutes a day. You will become really good at straight and curved lines.

Make a notebook from the instruction manual and do all the stitches available on fabric and put them in the book. Make notes on what stitch length you liked and what thread tension (if this is on your machine). So now when you need to do a stitch or pattern, you have your guide and know that the project will turn out beautifully.

Remember sewing is an art. Art takes practice and patience. When you get upset at your project calming get up walk away, take several deep breaths, get a coffee or a wine and relax. Come back later that day or the next. Nothing is accomplished when you are upset and tense but more frustration. In time if you are frustrated sewing you will give it up and not know what you could have done.

So do your research for a machine. If you have a local sewing store and they have used machines that would be a good place to go. They may offer you a few classes to get you started. Besides if anything does go wrong they are there to fix your machine.

Start off with a good basic machine and work your way up the machine ladder to the quilting and embroidery. You may be a person who does not wish to climb that high and that is fine. Just enjoy what you do and it will be many hours of pleasure. There will only be one item like yours on the planet.

The other S.

PS I still do fall and trip in strings of thread almost every day. I have classics, antiques and modern, computerized and industrial machines. I look forward to the day that I don't work so that I can sit and sew all day long. What I am sewing now calls for a heavy duty machine because of the thick fabric layers (got that covered).

I just started sewing about 6 months ago myself. Like you, I didn't want to spend a lot of money on a "good" machine until I decided whether or not I liked sewing. I had the little Brother machine that was about 59.00 at Wal-Mart to start. It was OK, but did not do well on heavier fabric than cotton. I recently bought a Babylock Grace machine and I love it! It was a 799.00 machine on sale for 350.00. It's getting used almost every day and was well worth the price.

However, my advice to you would be research the machines on line, find out what kind will suit your needs the best (sewing clothes, crafting, etc.) and look for a used machine on Ebay or Craigslist. You can find some really good machines, some lightly or never used for very reduced prices.

Classes are offered at JoAnn for about 40.00 and are very informative. There are also MANY on line video tutorials on YouTube (particularly The Crafty Gemini's videos) that are detailed, informative and extremely easy to follow. I highly recommend them. I've learned almost everything I know about sewing from those two sources.

Good luck and enjoy!!!

K. in GA

I had a Brother, too and it got the job done. But I secretly longed for a Bernina. Never got one, and just as well, I don't really sew anymore.

:(

I'm glad you asked this, a sewing machine is what I'm asking Santa for as well. Looking forward to reading the answers.

your mother is correct! both brands are great & offer a lot of features needed for the 1st time and/or beginner sewer. Singer may be a better one. Both come with step by step set up instructions & the patterns you'll buy will walk you through the sewing process. Have fun!! You'll enjoy it!!!

The Singer machines are not the quality they used to be. Just FYI

My daughter is into fashion design and she got a machine last year. We bought a Babylock. It is what is used in the schools here and if they can withstand kids on them, then it was good for us!!

We got one for about $385. This is the model the school use. There was one a bit cheaper in the $200 range and one more expensive with more bells and whistles in the $550 range.

It has been a good machine for daughter. I know nothing about sewing but daughter loves it... it is easy to use.

I'd steer clear of going as cheaply as possible. Keep in mind that you get what you pay for.

Hi C.,
I used to sew alot but haven't in a while. I looked at this machine on the Walmart website and it seems like a good one. It has a lot of features and functions. If you have a Jo Ann Fabrics where you live they have classes for beginners. Sewing can be fun and relaxing so I hope you will enjoy it.

I have a Kenmore which is about 20 years old. I am not sure if they are made any better today but mine is one of the most frustrating to use. I even took a class with it when it was new and the instructor was boggled as to why it did some of the things it did.

That being said it sits not being used. If I had a better, more user friendly machine I probably would have persued sewing more and actually enjoyed it.

I hope someone can give you advice about the Brother model you are looking at because I'd hate to see you waste your money on a machine that collects dust.

She's right, a Brother is a good affordable choice. However, if you have money to invest and want something that offers versatility and dependability you're going to want to spend more money. Check out a mid-range machine like the Brother SE400. It sells for about $400. For a very short while, Walmart carried these online. I don't know if they still do.

See: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MmpOwKji4eE&feature=re...

You certainly can't go wrong with a tank that will carry you far and for many years like a Husqvarna. They have high resell value and are very well made and dependable. I second the suggestion on a Babylock. These two brands are the best on the market that money can buy. They are also very expensive.

Kenmore (Sears) and Jenome (JoAnne fabrics) are good machines too. They are very affordable and solid.

I enjoy sewing but it comes in spurts. I have a singer from Target that I got for less than $100.00 a couple of years ago. It works great for my projects like pillows, slipcovers, minor clothing repairs. There are different stitches, button hole makers etc. I would recommend that and a sewing class at JoAnn's as someone mentioned or something, to start with. Until you know how much are going to love it or use it, I wouldn't invest a lot. I have a 1962 Singer that my mom gave me and as mentioned, the Singers today are very different quality, made mostly from plastic, as opposed to the metal one from the 60"s. But I don't use the old one too often because when it stops working, it's expensive to get fixed...

I actually got a Singer two years ago for Christmas and have not have any issues with it at all. Infact I took a class at my local quilt shop (these ladies are pros by the way) and said that the machine I have was a great choice for a beginner. It is the Singer Esteem and it has all the basic stitches plus a few more. I have done all types of fabric from heavy denim and wool and small quilt projects to delicate fabrics and it handles each beautifully. It has an easy to thread bobbin and needel threader. I think I paid about $150.00 for it I am looking to upgrade in the next year as I am sewing more and am wanting some more advanced features and am thinking of starting up my own business making baby items. Go onto the different manufactures websites and see if there are any sewing centers that carry their products and go talk to the staff there and see what their recomendations are. i don't think you need to spend a lot of money to get a good qualitiy beginner machine. Besides what if you decide that sewing is really not something you like and you just spent hundreds on a machine that will just end up collecting dust.

They occasionally offer basic classes at Vo-Techs and craft stores. Keep an eye open for these. Also, watch for quilting groups and other sewing craft clubs. Calling the contact person to find out if anyone could help you learn this new skill. Good luck, I enjoy sewing very much and make many garments.