Advice on a Thread Injector Purchase

So, in a stroke of luck, my wife has been really eager to learn how to sew the last few months. Her cousin has shown off some of her handy work, and now Vicki is really dying to find a way to learn. I have been hunting down local instructors, and have most of that settled out, but it has become obvious that our little $75 Brother WalMart special isn't worth servicing.

That means that she's going to need a new thread injector, and, well, I'm sure as heck not going to argue with that! :lol:

You folks are the only people I know who would know the needle from the foot pedal on a sewing machine, so I have to ask here. Ignoring (or at least minimizing) the focus on hammock making, what new models should I be looking at, or avoiding? My budget looks to be in the $200 range. I saw a Singer Heavy Duty model for $170 at Joanne's this week, and that definitely caught my eye, but Amazon has some good deals going on a couple different Brother models with all sorts of whiz-bang bells and whistles.

She has expressed interest in fashion type sewing primarily. Simple clothes and the like. Maybe some quilting down the line, if that will factor into selecting the machine.

So, horror stories, or love stories. Lemme have them so I can figure out what to get!

oh dude, check out the brother xl 2600i. Its in the 100 range and has tons of great reviews all across the net, including from me:) its got a one step button hole maker, drop in bobbin with a clear cover so you can see how much thread you have to finish that stitch or not, (very nice) the threading system is so straight forward and the reverse switch is right out in front. Its got 25 built in stitches for all your non gear applications. I sew mostly nylon and such on the regular, but when i do my corderoy patchwork, it doesn't slow down through multiple layers. I even repaired a buddies soft top for his cj-7. It comes with a bunch of accessories which I'm not even sure of What they all are lol. I don't know, you might be looking for something more high end? But i just wanted to throw this out there in the possibility pile. Its got all the goods with a great price and it saves ya moneys for materials and patterns :)

It comes down to what do you want and how are you going to use it. If you want to be able to machine embroider puppies and flowers and Egyptian patterns on the hems then you will not be happy with a cheap machine. The innards are just simply not precise enough to give a high quality, high density stitch pattern. In the vast majority of case those stitches are like fishing lures. They look great on the shelf but when you get them out to use them they lack the performance you had in mind.

Fashion sewing is a meaningless term except to marketers. Are you doing stretch fabrics like lycra and spandex? Lingerie and bathing suits, workout leotards and tights are going to require different features than wool blazers and tweed skirts and slacks. Stretch stitches need a good machine because they are multi-directional and forward and back. An electronic machine is a real boon to stretch work. Natural woven fabrics are going to be fine with any gear making machine. Knits need a really good zigzag but not necessarily a stretch stitch Mechanical machines are fine.

Buttonholes are an essential part of garment construction. IMO (personal opinion only) I don't like the one touch button holers. They are fine fora lot of uses. But in the fashionista world sometimes you want to get a little funky. Once again... the buttonhole is a very complex stitch and IMO needs a good machine to keep everything balanced and elegant. Forward and reverse zigzags rarely come out the same density without the ability to fine tune the stitch. Higher end machines allow that. Lower end may not.

Please understand me. I am not suggesting low end machines are not worth getting. I am saying you want to know for sure where your priorities are going to be down the road. Buy the best machine you can afford for the skill set you want to develop.

You may find as you look around the current machine is fine for stitching, but what you would really rather have now is a serger. While sergers are not that essential for gear making they can be almost essential for garment work. That is if the basic stitching requirements are already met.

In my usual way I have taken what would seem to be a simple question and turned it into a complex quadratic equation. But look at both the used and new markets with these guidelines in mind and you will have an easier time.

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Originally Posted by Frost

That means that she's going to need a new thread injector, and, well, I'm sure as heck not going to argue with that! :lol:

My budget looks to be in the $200 range. I saw a Singer Heavy Duty model for $170 at Joanne's this week, and that definitely caught my eye, but Amazon has some good deals going on a couple different Brother models with all sorts of whiz-bang bells and whistles.

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The singer hd for $170 would be a good choice under $200. I saw a Singer HD4423 for $129 on amazon.