Sewing machine suggestions

larrygaga

Mine is a hand-me-down singer from the 60's. It's awesome to have and to behold, but it's awful at sewing at this point in it's life. I would rather get a new one than continue repairing this old one. I really like the fancy ones with like 30 different stitch styles. I have no idea what's important in a sewing machine, as I have only ever owned one very, very outdated one. Preferably one that doesn't weigh as much as I do. 

hteverywhere15

Janome! I don't sew but my sister works for them...they are very good machines. She knows allll about them so I'd be happy to ask her for a specific model recommendation if you'd like.

larrygaga

@hopeh18 Yes please!

crwasson

I have a Singer Confidence that is the love of my sewing life.  Some day I would love to get a Janome or Bernina or Babylock but they are a lot pricier.  Also, regularly cleaning/oiling your machine helps a lot with how it sews.  

MrsMack10612

I would avoid modern Singers, they really aren't the quality they used to be.

My mom, who was an avid sewer had a Janome and I think my sister has a Husquevarna.

larrygaga

I will look into janomes.

If you sewing lovers saw the state my machine is in, you would clutch your pearls and your quilt. I have done everything under the sun to fix it, including having my engineer of a FI tool around with it. We got it into somewhat working condition, but it would be nice to have one that isn't such a piece of crap. I'm sure 50 years ago it was amazing. The fact that it's even still tolerably working means it is amazing. I could take it to a professional fixer guy, but I would rather just get a new one at this point. 

At any point it will jam so badly that it will rip my fabric. Other times the spool will fly off the top and hit me in the face. The tension is really messed up and I fix it for it to just go back to having either too loose or too tight of tension. It is a hand-me-down of a hand-me-down of a garage sale, so who even knows what it has been through. 

I have learned so much about how they work, though, from fixing it so many times. 

Inkdancer

I love my Singer Prelude. It's pretty basic but I don't mind that. It works well and travels well too.

relliotts

Janome is a great brand, as is Bernina, but they are very, very spendy.  If you aren't doing a lot of heavy duty sewing they may be more than you need.  I have a Bernina and love it, but I sew a lot of my own clothes and also do a lot of costuming and corsetry work.  For me, the Bernina was an investment.  I bought it used for about $1500.  New they are closer to $3000 - $4000.

If you're looking for something simple that will work well for every day sewing tasks, and you want the versatility of a lot of built in stitch options, check out Brother machines.  My mom just picked one up at Costco for about $160.  Fully electronic, lots of different stitches, automatic buttonholer, etc.  The one she got gets pretty good reviews and is a good every day machine.

You can check out honest reviews of different brands and machine models at a website called Pattern Review (not sure if linking is allows here, but you can google the name and get to the site).

ohannabelle

Brother for starting, or Bernina.  Don't get sucked in by the 5000 programmable stitch machines, 4990 of which you will never use.

CMGragain

The Singer name was sold years ago.  They are not the same manufacturer.
How much do you sew?  If you only sew occasionally, check Amazon's prices for Brother machines.  You won't believe the difference!  They are so lightweight and easy to control.  The downside is that you will need the manual nearby to learn to use the thing!  Computer controlled machines are like the difference between an old fashioned manual typewriter and a modern computer.
If you are an avid seamstress, then you should probably spend more money on a Janome or Bernina.

larrygaga

I know I would sew a lot if I had a machine that worked most of the time. So far my machine only handles quilts and pillows and other simple things. I did embroidery before on FMIL's fancy machine and I would love to start getting into clothes! Thanks guys!

misshart00

I love the old ones. It makes me sad that yours is so screwed up. I have a husqvarna Viking but they're pretty spendy if you're not sewing a ton.

I agree with PPs that a brother is a pretty good choice.

emanon321

I have a Brother that I love. I don't know the model number right now, but I bought it at Costco 2 years ago for a really good deal. It's successfully chugged away at many school projects, renaissance costumes, and corsets. 

They have Bernina's at my college where I take sewing classes and I can't say I'm a fan. At all. I don't touch them anymore. But it could be that the beginner classes also use those machines so they get abused nearly everyday. Maybe it's not their fault they suck. (I'm totally not bitter about them eating the fabric of my project an hour before it was due)

missdelilah

I have a Bernina 580 that I love to bits, but be prepared to part with a lot of cash for one.  You can get some decent looking second hand Bernina's online, but it's always hard to know what you're really getting if you go that route.  I use mine a lot - I'd say, on average, three or four days/evenings a week, so for me it seemed worth the investment.  I decided on Bernina because my mother bought one in the late 1990s, and it still works wonderfully.  I'll be happy if mine lasts that long.  That said, I've probably put more miles on my newer one.  I also purchased it in Australia, where they're significantly less expensive.  I definitely wouldn't have paid U.S. prices for a new one.  The only problem I have with it is that I sew with 100% cotton fabric and 100% cotton thread, so it needs to be brushed out regularly.  It takes all of about two minutes, but the machine's going to eat my fabric if I forget to stay on top of it.  I don't do much quilting on my home machine as there's a lady not too far out who runs a long arm rental, but when I do, I like to give it a good brushing two or three times if I'm putting together a crib quilt.  I'm not sure whether other brands are likely to be as fussy in this regard.  I know that if you're sewing with synthetic or blend fabrics, and polyester thread, you'll experience much less of an issue with this.  

A lot of the women in my quilting group use Pfaff.  They love them.  They come in at a much lower price point than the Bernina, and I seriously considered buying one.  I mention this because no one else has brought up this brand yet. 

My recommendation is to take the brand part as a starting off point, but buy a machine that has good reviews, is within your budget, and has the features you want.  For me, it was really necessary that it had a reasonably wide throat.  I have a little Singer that FI bought me a few years ago.  It's the one I take to classes, but it won't quilt anything larger than a very small crib quilt, table runner, or cushion cover, because the throat just isn't built to handle that amount of material.  Good luck with your search!  Let us know what you end up with.

misshart00

Also, see if there's a local shop near you that sells machines and supplies. The one here will let you play with a few until you find one you like. However, they don't always have a lot of options on display.

CMGragain

larrygaga said:

I know I would sew a lot if I had a machine that worked most of the time. So far my machine only handles quilts and pillows and other simple things. I did embroidery before on FMIL's fancy machine and I would love to start getting into clothes! Thanks guys!

How about this one?  http://www.amazon.com/Brother-XR9500PRW-Limited-Stitches-Quilting/dp/B005GXPOAM/ref=sr_1_8?s=arts-crafts&ie=UTF8&qid=1412132927&sr=1-8&keywords=sewing+machine

MrsMack10612

I will add I have a simple little Brother (not sure the model) that I bought at Wal-Mart for maybe $150, I love it.  For me it was a great beginner machine.  Even my husband has been able to figure out how to use it.