Which Sewing Machine?

[vicky]

One for you crafty people on the vine.
I've never used one before and have no idea. I'm after one to make lots of curtains for small windows so I'll be using quite thick fabric. So something sturdy and easy!
Are any makes better than others?
And are there any websites/books you can recommend?
Thanks!

[Bigmallly]

This may be of use Vicky, plus you get a free 30 day trial.

Sewing Machines, Iron Presses & Overlockers - Cooper Sewing Machines - Toyota, Singer, Brother & Janome

[ginger ninger]

Hi vicky, I have an industrial JUKI flat base lock stitch machine, I bought it from a factory I worked at when it closed down, but unless you can us an industrial machine, I wouldn't recommend one to you, there very fast and....It really hurts when you sew your finger.
I've found this site for you to have a look at, it'll give you a good idea whats on offer and the wide price range, I've not used it so I don't know if there any good, if you have a Dunn Helm near you, they do a good range of sawing machines, plus they could tell you which would be he best for making curtains. Good Luck in your search

Sewing Machines Direct : Leading UK Retailer for Sewing Machines, Embroidery Sewing Machines, Overlocker Sewing Machines, Brother Sewing Machines, Janome Sewing Machines, Necchi Sewing Machines, Babylock Sewing Machines, Toyota Sewing Machines, Elna

[Capsid]

My wife bought a Janome model after a fair bit of research. I think they are sturdy and well recommended by those who use them.

[Flummery]

I do a lot of sewing and have 2 Janome machines. The first is a little Janome Jem - a good basic machine, no trouble with thick fabric as long as you use a suitable needle. I've altered jeans on it for my sister - although the expression, asking a quilter to alter clothing is like asking Monet to paint your garage!
The other is a Janome Memorycraft 6600 which is speedier (3 speeds) and does a bit of embroidery and other fancy stuff. You can do automatic button holes - plonk you button on the special foot and it makes the button hole the right size. It's great for quilting too. I use this mostly these days, though I'm keeping the smaller machine - you never know - grand-daughters might show an interest!

[Nicos]

I've got a Singer.
I only do straight lines, repair the odd sip and button hole and oversew fraying edges.
Basic model for me as my old one packed in after 30 years. My mother still uses her Singer she bought in the 1950's!!!

[Bren In Pots]

I've got a New Home machine (companies now called Janome) that I bought 35 year ago and it gets used most weeks for either with material or scrapbooking papers. Then my other 3 machines are old treadle ones that have never failed me yet to sew thick denim

Have you thought about buying a second hand/reconditioned machine you could get a decent one for a good price.

[Two_Sheds]

I've had Singers, Brothers and Frister & Rossmans. I've just got a Janome, which I did a lot of research on before buying: it's great.

try this: Sewing Machine, Embroidery Machinery & Serger Reviews - Reviews for Singer Sewing Machine, Brother Sewing Machine & Viking Sewing Machines at PatternReview.com

[Two_Sheds]

Have you thought about buying a second hand/reconditioned machine you could get a decent one for a good price.

Yes you can: last year I eBayed a sturdy metal Singer for £17. That'll last for ever that machine: the new plastic ones aren't half as good

[vicky]

Oooh - Thanks loads of sites to look at!
I am veering towards a secondhand sturdy machine rather than a new plastic one...but when I look at them they all look the same!

[Glutton4...]

I bought a cheap and cheerful Brother from my Sister's mail order catalogue about ten years ago. I made a load of curtains, then put it back in its box. A year ago, when I wanted to make new curtains for our Caravan, I took it out and it didn't work!

Luckily we have a Brother agent in Colchester, and they repaired it. The engineer, told me they are made to a budget for the mail order companies, and 'you gets what you pays for!' I also have two ancient Singers, a manual one and an electric one, they work, but I use them as plant stands!

[geoff]

I got a secondhand, reconditioned, Janome/New Home machine about 8 or 9 years ago, for just under fifty pounds from my local sewing machine centre and it has been completely reliable. And I've used it quite roughly as I sew a lot of tent and rucsac materials, nylon webbing and so on

Whatever you get, get an instruction booklet, a decent pair of scissors, some sewing machine oil and possibly a simple sewing book. Be patient; and be prepared to make mistakes

[allotment sue]

I do a lot of sewing and bought a second hand (though hardly used) Janome Memorycraft 6500 about 18 months ago. It is sturdy and very heavy and I am very pleased with it. I have used it for a whole range of fabrics and it has been fine. I overestimated the ability of my old singer a few years ago by trying to mend a New Zealand rug on it. The trick is to make sure you are using the right needle. Your machine supplier or any sewing shop will be able to advise you. Happy sewing/sowing!

[geoff]

Just remembered
A few years ago I was unemployed for a while and I worked for a charity shop to get me out of the house and keep me occupied

They got a lot of sewing machines donated but they couldn't use them as the shop wasn't insured to handle electrical equipment, and also there were far more machines donated than there were customers for them. Sadly most of the machines were just dumped at the tip.

I'm sure that if you had a diplomatic word with the staff they would put one or even more machines aside for you; offer to make a donation.

They might even let you have a browse through the store room to pick a couple of likely machines; or at the least let you rob the machines for needles and parts. Often there are also boxes and bags of spare needles, large quantities of thread, and other accessories also being thrown out, as home sewing is becoming less popular

Of course you take pot luck on the condition of the machine, but you should try to see if the motor runs, or at least turn it over by hand

[Jeanied]

Starting out with sewing machines you need a basic model to learn on - preferably a free or one that costs next to nothing - this will be enough for all your basic sewing needs and will save you quite a bit in 'professional' sewing costs. When you are confident enough you may find you want to tackle more sophisticated tasks (embroidery, specialist sewing tasks including sewing stretchy fabrics, quilting and sewing really heavy duty stuff such as upholstery and leather) you may well find a second-hand machine which is just right for the task.
I learned on a hand-crank long bobbin Singer sewing machine (it's upstairs now and still perfectly useable) and now I have a Bernina which does quite a few whizzy things but mostly I do straight sewing (which the old Singer will do too!)
As for books etc - I have a lovely old Laura Ashley book on decorating the home which has a lot of ideas for curtains, blinds etc - I would suggest a good browse around the library along with the charity shops - there is so much out there which all got forgotten in the boom/ throwaway years of the 90s and 00's!