The Sewing Place

Very small, light, simple machine

StitchinTime

Re: Very small, light, simple machine
« Reply #15 on: July 21, 2019, 19:00:21 PM »
@Lowena Your main machine is a top loading bobbin you might prefer to stick with that. My earlier suggestions are now outside your revised budget of £50.

I’ve found a slight better spec of your the machine you were thinking about for ~£2 extra. This is a top loader and doesn’t have the battery option which makes me wonderful it has a better motor. It also seems heavier than the first machine (3.6 vs 2.5 kg).
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Uten-Beginner-Machine-Portable-Stitches/dp/B07RKSWV55/ref=pd_sbs_79_4/277-0015758-7966042?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B07RKSWV55&pd_rd_r=89eb767a-af9e-4823-bf3c-83fcefd39c8e&pd_rd_w=00Hp1&pd_rd_wg=fzBKX&pf_rd_p=18edf98b-139a-41ee-bb40-d725dd59d1d3&pf_rd_r=RV93HPR15S0YF8GX3MD3&psc=1&refRID=RV93HPR15S0YF8GX3MD3

I think this is the user manual for the 16 stitch version but I can’t tell from this whether it (or the 12 stitch version) has auto declutch for bobbin winding.
https://www.tivax.com/media/downloadable/SS-700plus-user-manual.pdf

SewRuthieSews

Re: Very small, light, simple machine
« Reply #16 on: July 22, 2019, 12:06:46 PM »
Lidl has a basic Singer machine from Sunday 28th July for £79.99.

Helen M

Re: Very small, light, simple machine
« Reply #17 on: July 22, 2019, 12:13:58 PM »
With price in mind how about this one from J Lewis (not sure if anyone has linked this machine from elsewhere) https://www.johnlewis.com/silver-12-stitch-mini-sewing-machine-white/p3330350

It's £49, there are mixed reviews but there is a J Lewis in Norwich so maybe you could go and see it in person before you buy? I've seen it in my local store and it did look cute.
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Lowena

Re: Very small, light, simple machine
« Reply #18 on: July 22, 2019, 13:47:18 PM »
Thanks girls.
Triumph of hope over experience :D

jintie

Re: Very small, light, simple machine
« Reply #19 on: July 22, 2019, 15:45:26 PM »
Helen M, these cheaper machines are hopeless at handling anything but very lightweight cottons. They are toys, really.
Rottweiler with scissors

BrendaP

Re: Very small, light, simple machine
« Reply #20 on: July 22, 2019, 16:26:21 PM »
Sewing machines are like most other things, you get what you pay for.  It's not just the range of fancy stitches etc, it's the robustness of the thing and the power of the motor which increases as you go further up the price range.

If you are determined not to buy second-hand then you've got to be looking at £100+ for something that won't splutter and die  as soon as you ask it to sew more than two layers of lightweight fabric.

Given the current discount the Hello Kitty machine (already suggested by someone) on the Sewing Machines Direct website is probably the best buy.  If not the Brother LX17 next to it is probably the nearest to what you are looking for.  It's got the simplicity of a drop-in bobbin and it's by the same manufacturer (but probably out of a different fctory!) to your main machine.

If I was wanting a machine for taking out once a month to a P&Q group I'd take the vintage Featherweight  :vintage: but you'd be very lucky to find one of those for less than £100 now, they seem to go for about twice that and are restricted to straight stitch, the 222s with zig-zag are usually more like £400.
Brenda.  My machines are: Corona, a 1953 Singer 201K-3, Caroline, a 1940 Singer 201K-3, Thirza, 1949 Singer 221K, Azilia, 1957 Singer 201K-MK2 and Vera, a Husqvarna 350 SewEasy about 20 years old. Also Bernina 1150 overlocker and Elna 444 Coverstitcher.
http://paternoster.orpheusweb.co.

StitchinTime

Re: Very small, light, simple machine
« Reply #21 on: July 22, 2019, 16:35:37 PM »
I've managed quite well with a John Lewis mini machine for piecing quilting cottons at a monthly meeting, which I think is what @Lowena wants to do.

As I mentioned earlier, it doesn't sound too happy going over seam intersections if I've not nested the seams, but it got through them. I got mine second hand from ebay and it is still going strong after 5 years of being taken to meetings.

Helen M

Re: Very small, light, simple machine
« Reply #22 on: July 22, 2019, 16:39:57 PM »
Helen M, these cheaper machines are hopeless at handling anything but very lightweight cottons. They are toys, really.

@jintie  I won't be buying one but Lowena did want something that was in that price range which was why I quoted it. It has some reasonable reviews, others not so but J Lewis responded and seem to have put the problem right. I won't bother suggesting anything in future.
« Last Edit: July 22, 2019, 17:25:22 PM by Helen M »
Stash Busting 2024 - Goal: 25 metres
So far:  1.5 metres  ------ Donated : 0 metres
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Elnnina

Re: Very small, light, simple machine
« Reply #23 on: July 22, 2019, 17:18:13 PM »
Lowena correct me if I am wrong but I know you gave your previous sewing machine to your grand-daughters and when you were up there once you found that they do not use it.  So as you know your way around that machine why not have it back and use that.  If the grand-daughters then change their mind they can always come up to use it at your home.  Seems silly to have that machine sitting in a cupboard unused and possibly unwanted.  If it is too heavy, then spend the money you were going to spend on  machine and buy a small trolley or bag on wheels.

I once attended an overlocker course and in order to transport my overlocker I put it in one of those huge zip around bags on wheels and I must say I got a lot of questions about where I had got this.  The bag itself starts off as a good sized cabin bag but has wheels on the base, then there are a couple of zips that go around the bag and you unzip the first one and it extends upwards, unzip the second one and it extends upwards again.  So think travel shops here the ones that sell luggage or airport shops.  By the way my bag came from Canada so I know that doesn't help you, but I have seen them over here.

annieeg

Re: Very small, light, simple machine
« Reply #24 on: July 22, 2019, 18:47:29 PM »
Anyone got any view on the Elna Lotus?
It's very compact but I wondered about weight and parts if it goes wrong?
I think @Morgan knows that machine?
Annie

Sewbusy

Re: Very small, light, simple machine
« Reply #25 on: July 22, 2019, 19:15:46 PM »
Was just going to suggest an Elna Lotus, @annieeg beat me to it. Tire's one on eBay, looks to be in good condition and its on as a BIN, newly listed. Perhaps a little more than you would like to pay, however although older machines they do have a good reputation and I have seen @Morgan  comment favourably on them in the past.
Ideal for carrying to workshops and classes.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/elna-lotus-sewing-machine-with-instructions-foot-pedal-good-working-order/202739720257?hash=item2f343aa041:g:2QgAAOSwmF1dNbc

Lowena

Re: Very small, light, simple machine
« Reply #26 on: July 22, 2019, 20:42:44 PM »
Thank you all. @StitchinTime you are exactly right in what I want.I will have a close look at the JL machine.
@Elnnina There's no way I could ask for the machine back and it would be too big and heavy for what I want anyway
@Helen M yours was a good suggestion and I will probably act on it.Please don't be put off giving advice and suggestions because of others opinions.You and Stitchintime both took on board exactly what I asked for.
I would only ever buy a new machine and my health issues mean that it needs to be very small and light. A child's one might actually fit the agenda  :D :D
Triumph of hope over experience :D

StitchinTime

Re: Very small, light, simple machine
« Reply #27 on: July 22, 2019, 20:52:39 PM »
@Lowena I think the Silver machine at John Lewis is the same as the 12 stitch machine you initially found on Amazon. The manual is available on the JL site and mentions a battery compartment - I don’t think there can be too many sewing machines that take batteries  ;)

Lowena

Re: Very small, light, simple machine
« Reply #28 on: July 22, 2019, 21:42:24 PM »
@StitchinTime you're a star! Fingers crossed
Triumph of hope over experience :D

Greybird

Re: Very small, light, simple machine
« Reply #29 on: July 22, 2019, 22:29:35 PM »
@Helen M I thought your suggestion fitted exactly with what Lowena had asked for - well researched. It might not fulfill all the functions of a general purpose machine but that wasn't what was asked for. I would have thought that a suggestion by anyone wanting to help another member would always be of value. Don't stop!