Im thinking of trying the DIY thing & need suggestions or recommendations for a machine! I don't want to invest too much money but want something capable of doing the job!
Thanks in advance!
Im thinking of trying the DIY thing & need suggestions or recommendations for a machine! I don't want to invest too much money but want something capable of doing the job!
Thanks in advance!
See my guidelines post in my sig. Others have found it helpful.
I may be slow... But I sure am gimpy.
"Bless you child, when you set out to thread a needle don't hold the thread still and fetch the needle up to it; hold the needle still and poke the thread at it; that's the way a woman most always does, but a man always does t'other way."
Mrs. Loftus to Huck Finn
We Don't Sew... We Make Gear! video series
Important thread injector guidelines especially for Newbies
Bobbin Tension - A Personal Viewpoint
Ramblinrev's post is a great place to start. I have been extremely lucky finding some great singer machines on craigs list got a 1947 and a 1948 singer 15-91 a 1952 singer featherweight and a 1936 singer model 20 childrens hand crank machine which is very cool. I have to stop collecting these though running outa room in my small apartment.lol
I read the articles you suggested but I'm still in the dark as to what to look for!
WalMart sells Brother & Singer machines . Would either of these be adequate? One in particular is of interest:
Brother 70-Stitch Computerized Sewing Machine with Extension Table, CP7500 The Brother CP-7500 Computerized Sewing Machine comes packed with features to meet all your needs. It features 70 built-in stitches, 110 stitch functions and seven styles of one-step, auto-size button holes, so you can easily handle all your stitching, crafting, garment decorating, home decorating or quilting requirements. The large extension table of this sewing machine can easily accommodate your quilting and other larger projects. It also packs user-friendly features such as automatic needle threading, automatic bobbin winding, one-step bobbin replacement and more. It comes with a computerized LCD screen for convenient stitch selection. With just a touch of a button, you can start, stop or reverse the operation. The Automatic threading sewing machine is easy to learn and use. Get creative and produce free form or traditional quilt patterns with the help of this quilt sewing machine.
What do you think?
Mrs. Moment recently found a Singer 600E at a garage sale for $4.00.
It needed one simple fix, and now works pretty well. Just made my first project, a Fronkey style bug net. A pretty nice machine and can do a lot more than I ever will learn or care to.
Love is blind. Marriage is an eye opener.
nu2hike - please don't take this wrong, but are you going to require all those different stitches? I too wanted a new modern machine until I found that most DIY only needs one or two stitches - a straight stitch mostly. I went to all the nearby GoodWill's and found several great old machines that more than do the job. I wouldn't trade my Singer 201 for anything newer. But then again, it only does what I want it to do - DIY stuff.
I got in a fight one time with a really big guy, and he said, "I'm going to mop the floor with your face." I said, "You'll be sorry." He said, "Oh, yeah? Why?" I said, "Well, you won't be able to get into the corners very well."
Underquilts.com
add a singer 301 to the list
The Singer 15-91, 201-2 and 301 are great machines and if you can find one locally (cheap), by all means get it. I own several of them and they are GREAT machines.
However, if you can't find one or just don't want to bother/take the time, go ahead and get one of the Walmart machines. I bought a ~$120 Singer a few years back when I needed a machine quickly. It has sewn 6 hammocks, one tarp, the end loops in 6+ tree straps, a few pillow cases, two under quilts, blind hem stitched the hems on dress slacks, etc., etc. and is still working fine. Will it still be working 20 years from now and be passed down to my grandchildren...no. I expect it to break in the next few years. Did I get $120 of value out of it...for me, yes.
As LB alluded to...don't buy based on the number of stitches. To make the above items I only used the straight, zig-zag and blind hem stitches. I didn't have to use the zig-zag and if you aren't hemming dress pants, you won't need the blind hem stitch.
I like the Necchi machines made in Italy back in the 50s. Sounds strange I guess but they are simple, built like a brick outhouse and never they always work. BU Nova is the one to get. You can find those on ebay, or email me -
paulnabors at mac dot com
for more info.
sky
"The power of the imagination makes us infinite."
John Muir
As mentioned before, you really need only a couple of stitches for most DIY gear, so you really don't need one of the brand-new computerized jobbies. Get an older, rugged, second-hand machine and spend the money you saved on a REALLY BIG TABLE!
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