Sewing Machines - a different sort of egghead.
 

Tose of you that have seen my Singer sewing machine know that it is 30 years old, pretty basic and in need of a good tune up. Out of curiosity, I started looking at new machines. After getting beyond the sticker shock, I immediately got confused about options. So, I thought I'd pick the brains of the sewing=knowledgeable on this board.

First of all, brands. I have a Singer. My Mom had a Singer, my ancient black portable is a Singer - I know of no other brands. Janome keeps coming up as a good choice, but I have never heard f them. Then, there's always the Kenmores or the Brothers of the world. Any brand loyalty among all of you?


Secondly, I am a pretty basic sewer and I doubt that I will ever do much beyond decor and basic clothing. I would like options, and an opportunity to grow and learn, but I don't need bells and whistles. I am liking the ease and precision of a computerized machine but they seem to have a lot more features and I might not need that. Also, price becomes prohibitive after a certain point.

Any recommendations? What would you buy if you had, oh, say $300 to spend on a new machine? Is that price way below the mark? Am I out of my mind?

Get the tuneup. I got my wife a sewing machine tuneup for her birthday a few years ago on a machine older than yours. It was about $80 or so. (Yes, she asked for it.) As the Car Talk guys say, never buy new if you can fix.

If you buy a fancy new machine, you'll probably end up spending more on classes to learn how to use it right.

If your budget is 300, do not buy a new machine. New machines in that price range are made with plastic innards that won't stand up the way the older machines with their metal workings do. Many people who do serious sewing comb second hand stores for machines like yours. And it's pretty easy to fry the electronic brain of computerized machines, as I know from experience.

Go get the tune-up.

If your budget is $300 get the tune up

Find the local Singer shop.

I'm using my mom's old Singer (she bought it in 1970, and she replaced it with some fancy pricey electronic thing a while ago). The only thing I can't do is buttonholes--the options are all there, but they're not working properly. I suppose I should find the local Singer shop, too, eh?

Add another vote for the tune up here....best money you'll ever spend towards a sewing machine.

Yup, another vote for the tune up. Could never afford my Mom's Ulna (Elna?) machine, 150 saved it from the dumpster and my sister now has it, 35 years later

Elna. That's what my mom got. Once she's got the settings right, she pushes one button and the buttonholes just take care of themselves. It's magic, I tell you.

my mom has some fancy electronic thing. I think it has a modem. Very fancy and cost more than my computer. But she can push a button and button holes are made and she can push another button and it will embroider super complicated patterns.,

Susan likes her new machine that she got a Costco for about $200. And she does a LOT of sewing.