I need opinions on sewing machines

[Jackie in FL]

My daughter will be 12 next week and She wants a sewing machine for her birthday. I know nothing about sewing. Tried to learn, just can't. :tongue_smilie:Anyway, what's the best for a beginner? We would like to keep it around $100.00. We were looking at the ones at Wal-Mart but I was afraid they might not hold up too well. So I would appreciate any advice.

TIA

[Jann in TX]

Go to a sewing machine store and look at their 'refurbished' models. This way you can purchase the best machine for your money. Many of the older machines are jewels! Often you can get free or low-cost lessons and lots of other support when you purchase from a dealer.

 

For $100 you will NOT get a quality new machine--don't be fooled by what looks like a 'name brand'--they were MADE to be cheap. You WILL get a machine that has plastic (not durable or reliable) parts and lots of frustration. It is much easier to learn to sew on a machine that actually works correctly!

[Shenan]

I enjoyed my Kenmore sewing machine for many years until I was able to afford my 'dream' sewing machine.:D It's about 16 years old and still going strong. Never had any problems with it, I've only taken her in for routine maitenance.

 

My oldest learned how to sew on it and my younger girls will be using it soon enough.:)

[HollyDay]

I would definitely go to a local store and "play". The best way to pick is to hands on look. Also, I would say to get a machine with an automatic button hole. Makes life much easier. I bought a HuskyStar a few years ago and have passed it down to dd. Good little machine.

[Sharon in SC]

Kenmore. Kenmore. Kenmore. :-D I have two. The oldest was my mom's that she gave to me. It is 30+ years old and going strong. My dds use it now.

[Suzanne in ABQ]

I'd do some research. Just because Kenmore (or any brand) was good 30 years ago, or even 15 years ago, that doesn't mean that it's good now. I'm guessing that a new Kenmore isn't made by Sears. It is most likely some other make, with the name Kenmore placed there by Sears. I'm not saying new Kenmores are bad. I really don't know. I just know you can't trust names anymore.

 

That being said, I agree that buying a refurbished, high-name machine from a reputable dealer who offers classes and good service is your best bet. I love little mom-and-pop stores. My dd took lessons at a little store who used New Home (Janome) machines for all their beginner classes. They're very simple to thread and operate. I just happened to have one at home, so that was an added bonus. (dd was only 7 when she took the classes)

 

Learning to sew is complicated enough. A cheap machine will cause your daughter unneeded frustration when the tension goes out of whack, or the thread breaks, or the stitches drop, or the feed mechanism doesn't work properly, or it's difficult to thread. Get a good machine, that's simple to use. You don't need lots of bells and whistles. Any low end Brother, or Pfaff, or Janome (aka New Home) will be better than a high end Walmart model (in my opinion).

 

It's cool that your dd wants to learn to sew. It's a lost art. :)

[Reesegirl]

Yes, generally I think that a name like Kenmore or Singer are good brands to keep in mind but don't purchase a $100 kenmore machine from Sears...I did that and it quickly had problems. I think the suggestion to get a refurbished machine from a sewing machine/vac store is the best idea. You will get more for your money. Also make sure that it has zigzag so that she can learn to properly finish seams. And I agree with the earlier poster who said to get a built in button holer...it does make it easier.

[lighthouseacademy]

I am a professional seamstress and have taught sewing to the poor people who wanted to learn to sew and spent $100 on a cheap new machine. Please please please please (did I say that enough!?) do not waste your money on walmart machines. Also, please do not waste your money on New Home- which, Suzanne is right, it is made by Janome. Janome and New Home are not the same machines though, even if they look alike. Janome is the parent company and they are good, but New Home is their lesser model that is definitely lesser quality. If your daughter ever learns to sew, the New Home will bring nothing but frustration because they are cheap machines. If you want a good machine for $100 I suggest, like the other posters, you stalk your dealerships. Also, look on craigslist. Old Berninas are work horses and can often be bought for 100-200. Working on a cheap machine might sort of work, but it takes much more effort to sew a straight line with a cheap machine that doesn't grip the fabric properly or the needle placement is off so you can't measure the seam allowance properly (there are few new Brother machines like this). Of, if a person begins to sew quickly, the machine walks across the table because it is too light and the vibrations cause it to walk. There is enough frustration with learning how to sew that a crummy machine should not be added to the mix. Also, don't be fooled by a bunch of fancy buttons and functions. The most important features for a machine are straight stitch and zig zag and a button hole. Ideally, these stitches are not completely preset in that you can control to some extent stitch width and length. Also, control of the needle position both to the right and left of center is very important for zipper setting. Other than that, all the rest of the stitches are fluff and will rarely be used.

[Sharon in SC]

I'm not saying new Kenmores are bad. I really don't know. I just know you can't trust names anymore.

 

 

 

This is certainly good advice. I might should have made it more clear in my post, though, so I thought I would clarify - I mentioned that I own two Kenmores. One is "old", the other "new" (purchased probably 12 years ago, now). I'm more than pleased with both. I would talk to Sears and find out *who* makes their Kenmores. I think I paid between $200 and $300 for my newer one.

 

More than anything, I wholeheartedly concur with not going cheap. You'll pay the price later in one way or another!

[Jean too]

Consumer Reports recommended one of the Kenmore models a few years ago as "the best buy". I don't remember which model. Perhaps you could check your library for their(CR) latest sewing machine comparison.

[Jackie in FL]

That's pretty much what I thought.:) I told my husband that the Wal-mart one would be cheap plastic from China. Now I can tell him what you ladies recommended. We bought one from a garage sale 2 months ago for $20.00 and one of the gears was broken. So I bought a new one on line and my husband replaced it. It still didn't work so he took the top off and the gears there were broken. So we trashed it because We didn't want to invest any more money.:glare: I'm off to find some sewing machine shops.