The Sewing Place
Machine Talk => Sewing Machines => Topic started by: kaps86 on November 09, 2020, 17:46:20 PM
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hello everyone
im a newbie to this forum so go easy on me please :D, i need help choosing a sewing machine for my wife. she's new to sewing and ive been handed the task of finding a sewing machine for her xmas present. Ive been on the singer website and looking at the singer dressaker m24, not sure if this is a good machine for a beginner but that's what the sales guy suggested.
few things you may want to know.....
*budget is less than £150
*ideally id prefer a good brand
*super easy to use and light weight
*just for general use like shorting trousers etc, nothing heavy duty
any suggestions or help would be much appreciated, thanks
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Welcome to TSP and I'm sure you will receive good advice from the members. It's lovely that you wish to buy your wife a machine but please let her choose her own machine. I can recommend two very good on line stockists, Sewing Machines Direct and Sewing Machine World, both of these will help with choosing the machine that meets your requirements if you phone them.
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Welcome to the world of sewing and all things related.
My four pennorth coming up!
Don't buy a new Singer. They are nowhere near as good as they used to be. Many 'beginners' are put off by the difficulties that the 'cheaper' machines present.
Janome and Brother have reasonable machines within the price bracket.
However, a much better machine that will probably give her more confidence, is a good, older, second hand machine, sometimes can be found in the sewing machine shops where someone has part-exchanged one. Now, the old Singers (pre 1960's are pretty good, nice and solid and don't frighten you!
I'm sure you will get lots more advice on here!
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I see the methodology with a good second hand @KayK , but being a Christmas present, ladies like things nice and shiny and in a box along with a nice guarantee if things go wrong. Big bow as well ;)
I'm also a big fan of Sewing Machines direct, I've never ever tried a machine first before I bought, so I would be happy to ask their advice and give them my budget to stick to and what I wanted.
I'm not a fan of the low end Brothers or Singers. Also Covid has made some machines in short supply so @kaps86 so there might be a problem sticking to your budget.
However, the sewing machine budget seekers will soon point the way to the right machine
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Hi there...
Try and stretch your budget, if you can and I know times are hard at the present, but a cheapo will not do your wife any favours!
A Janome will hold its value should she decide she loves sewing and wishes to upgrade ... equally if she doesnt get on with sewing and wishes to sell on.
Russell at SMD is excellent for both advice and service but do be warned that the cheaper machines are hard to find at the moment due to increased desire ... I believe there is a 3 month waiting list.
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Welcome to TSP and I'm sure you will receive good advice from the members. It's lovely that you wish to buy your wife a machine but please let her choose her own machine. I can recommend two very good on line stockists, Sewing Machines Direct and Sewing Machine World, both of these will help with choosing the machine that meets your requirements if you phone them.
@So Chic thanks for the reply. I would love it if the wife choose her own machine but she literally has no clue about sewing machines (just like me) lol, therefore the task is stuck with me :S. Thanks for the 2 stocklist's, i just had a look at SMD and they have no stock for the machines in my budget other than a (Janome J3-18) £199. SMW have a (Brother LX25) but no sure how good it will be? looks like ill have to increase the budget, however anything under £200 is out of stock. Are there any other brands you suggest?
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Welcome to the world of sewing and all things related.
My four pennorth coming up!
Don't buy a new Singer. They are nowhere near as good as they used to be. Many 'beginners' are put off by the difficulties that the 'cheaper' machines present.
Janome and Brother have reasonable machines within the price bracket.
However, a much better machine that will probably give her more confidence, is a good, older, second hand machine, sometimes can be found in the sewing machine shops where someone has part-exchanged one. Now, the old Singers (pre 1960's are pretty good, nice and solid and don't frighten you!
I'm sure you will get lots more advice on here!
@KayK cheers for the reply and advise to stay clear of singer. Ill give that singer m24 a miss in that case. As the machine is for a xmas present think ill have to stick to something new. Ill check out janome and brother thanks
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I see the methodology with a good second hand @KayK , but being a Christmas present, ladies like things nice and shiny and in a box along with a nice guarantee if things go wrong. Big bow as well ;)
I'm also a big fan of Sewing Machines direct, I've never ever tried a machine first before I bought, so I would be happy to ask their advice and give them my budget to stick to and what I wanted.
I'm not a fan of the low end Brothers or Singers. Also Covid has made some machines in short supply so @kaps86 so there might be a problem sticking to your budget.
However, the sewing machine budget seekers will soon point the way to the right machine
@Gernella thanks for the reply. Your spot on.....needs to be new with the big bow lol. ill give SMD a call tomorrow, but looking on their site the Jonome J3-18 is the only machine they have in stock although slightly over my budget. Not sure if it any good?
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Hi there...
Try and stretch your budget, if you can and I know times are hard at the present, but a cheapo will not do your wife any favours!
A Janome will hold its value should she decide she loves sewing and wishes to upgrade ... equally if she doesnt get on with sewing and wishes to sell on.
Russell at SMD is excellent for both advice and service but do be warned that the cheaper machines are hard to find at the moment due to increased desire ... I believe there is a 3 month waiting list.
@Iminei thanks for the reply. ill give russell at SMD a call tomorrow, but looks like the only machine they have in stock within/slightly over budget is Jonome J3-18. Yep your right, all lower end machines seem to be sold out everywhere at the min
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Sewing Machine World are also very helpful, I spent about an hour in their shop a couple of years ago, trying out machines, and nothing was too much trouble for them.
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Have a look at this thread started a couple of days ago
https://thesewingplace.org.uk/index.php/topic,11417.0.html (https://thesewingplace.org.uk/index.php/topic,11417.0.html)
Truly a pre-loved machine will be a better buy that a cheap plasticy low end Singer or Brother.
For a novice you don't need an all singing all dancing machine, just something which does a few utility stitches and buttonholes.
As you are discovering there has been a huge upturn in demand for basic machines because of lockdown. SMD have an Ex-Display Elna 240EX for £209. (Elna is Janome with a different badge). I bought my Elna coverstitcher from SMD as ex-display. It just means that the box has been opened and it's been in the showroom for a while, but essentially brand new.
Other reputable online shops include Franklins (https://www.franklinsgroup.com/) and World of Sewing (https://shop.worldofsewing.com/index.php). There is one retailer to be wary of - the name changes from time to time so do ask here before you buy!
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I agree that a used machine will give you better value for money.
For example, on Gumtree there's a Brother Super Ace 3 For sale at £150.
It's sold by an engineer (in Ringwood, Hampshire) and offers 12 month warranty.
I had a brother super ace in the past and have good memories of it.
(I have no affiliation to this seller but just thought it was worth a mention.)
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To give you a bit more scope, I have dealt with Hobkirk Sewing Machines in Blackburn - online and not in person - and found them very good.
https://www.hobkirk.co.uk/
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*budget is less than £150
This is why we recommend second hand.
*ideally id prefer a good brand
Of course.
*super easy to use and light weight
Aything lightweight is going to have a lot of plastic in it - not good when it comes to sewing machines.
*just for general use like shorting trousers etc, nothing heavy duty
The very lightweight/cheap machines might struggle with even four layers of fabric, and you often get that when crossing seams, even with trouser hems.
Bottom line is that you get what you pay for and even without the current shortage of entry level machines £150 isn't enough to buy you a decent new machine. A rubbish machine is likely to put a novice off sewing rather than nurture a new hobby.
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Um, didn't @Iminei have a machine for sale? Or did I imagine that?
It was on facebook, but maybe too much at £450...
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Yes I do @Bodgeitandscarper ... But I think its too far above @kaps86 budget.
Its also very much geared towards quilting with the extension table, extra feet and IDT ...
Maybe if Kaps's wife finds a decent starter machine and gets the bug she could upgrade to it but first things first ...
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What about this one @kaps86 , on Ebay, but bricks and mortar shop in Lincoln:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/JANOME-4400-SEWING-MACHINE-1-STEP-BUTTONHOLE-EX-DEMO-1-YR-GUARANTEE-/284070700179?hash=item4223eee493
or this one:
https://www.sewingmachines.co.uk/browse-machines/sewing-machines/h-class-e10/
although a four step buttonhole, not automatic.
and this:
https://www.snuttsewing.co.uk/collections/janome/products/janome-2200xt-now-only-129-00
with four step buttonhole
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Sewing Machine World are also very helpful, I spent about an hour in their shop a couple of years ago, trying out machines, and nothing was too much trouble for them.
Oh they are indeed, always helpful, my favourite place!
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Consider some features to look for. Most machines have a built-in light, but some inexpensive ones don’t. I wouldn’t buy one without a light or an automatic threader. I also like top, drop-in bobbins. They are easier to use. All of my Brother machines have the features I have listed.
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The Janome machines are good. Janome also makes Elna machines, and those sold under the John Lewis name.
Take a look at the John Lewis JL 110 range which are well within your budget, and of decent quality.
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If you really want her to her to have a brand new machine for the Christmas excitement and are happy for her to keep it for a year or two and then be prepared if she gets the sewing bug to look at getting a better quality used machine you'll serve both needs without too much risk of making a big mistake. You don't get much for your money with a new machine I'm afraid. I've a range of machines but the old top quality machines that I bought used give me many many times more pleasure to use than my cheapest new machine that cost £400 - twice the price of the oldies.
Some of this comes down to many of us having a strong physical reaction to our machines, much as many people do to the feel of driving a particular make or model of car. This can be amplified when you're learning a new skill too. My DGD is learning to drive and simply cannot get on with her mum's car. She has no problem driving her driving instructor's car and she's spent years in the passenger seat of her mum's car but when driving it herself she says it just doesn't feel right to her at all. Having driven her mum's car I understand why too although I don't have a problem with it myself and her mum loves it more than any other car she's ever had. Sadly it's not helping her driving experience one bit.
Fortunately a sewing machine isn't as big a financial outlay but not having the feel for a particular machine can make a big difference, so it makes a lot of sense to give her the chance to try a few out and make the choice guided by how it feels in use before attaching the bow on it.
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I previously had a Toyota sewing machine from Argos. Not glamorous but really did what I needed at the time. Upgraded to a Janome for my main machine quite a few years later. But I used the Toyota for evening classes for a while and eventually donated it to a centre helping people with life skills.
Argos don't sell those anymore, but there are lots of sewing machines on the Argos website in your price range new. They may not be quite what is being recommended here, but Argos is all over the country and ive generally found them to be good for returns if there are problems -just keep the receipt.
The Argos ones have reviews and many seem to have satisfied customers. So if they have stock that may be a good approach for you.
https://www.argos.co.uk/browse/sports-and-leisure/sewing-machines-and-accessories/sewing-machines/c:30677/ (https://www.argos.co.uk/browse/sports-and-leisure/sewing-machines-and-accessories/sewing-machines/c:30677/)
Unfortunately a lot are showing out of stock at the moment. Covid affected production in china
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@Marniesews Youve got that exactly right!
Both with cars and sewing machines and thats Why Im selling the Pfaff ...
Nothing wrong with it at all, sews beautifully but I just dont 'like it'.
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Like @SewRuthieSews I did a lot of sewing on an inexpensive Toyota before I had a fancy (and the money) for something posher. It was absolutely fine - maybe a bit noisier than one of the bigger brands, but gave a great introduction to sewing and made some good garments and even quilts.
If I was buying a first sewing machine for someone starting out I would probably look at the John Lewis website, as someone else suggested. I would assume they were going to be helpful if anything did go wrong!
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All I can say please use your local sewing dealers otherwise they will disappear and it will be impossible to have machines serviced. The local dealer sold up about a year ago and I had to drive about 50 miles to find someone to even look at it.
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I so agree @So Chic. These shops have knowledgeable people and are usually happy to help in any way they can. Where I worked closed last year as owners and me retired. We once worked out that between the 4 main staff there we had over 120 years sewing experience in different areas.
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It is lovely to have a box to open on Christmas Day, but...what if the contents aren't quite what you had in mind?
Does your wife know about this proposed gift? Has she had any input into the requirements?
Less exciting on the day, but perhaps worth thinking about is a gift wrapped 'voucher', promising to take her to a real sewing machine shop to look at, try out and decide just what she wants (subject to budget of course). As others have said, a sewing machine is a personal thing - it has to work the way you understand, not insist it knows best; it has to have the features that are important first, any other bells and whistles are purely incidental. The other advantage of a real live shop (not necessarily a department store, though that might fit the bill) is that you can talk to someone who knows the products and should be able to show you the various features and explain anything you need to know. It may also happen that your wife might after all be more amenable to a pre-owned machine that does exactly what she wants rather than a new one that isn't quite right. Second hand machines usually come with some sort of warranty, and establishing a relationship with a shop that can provide advice, servicing and extras is a good thing.
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Why not take her to a real shop before Christmas if lockdown loosens (make an appointment now).
On Christmas Day give her a box of sewing stuff - which she will need to go with the machine, so you need to budget for them for her to start this new hobby.
If that's a good idea we can give you a list.
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I believe @Deafoldbat that the task of choosing an appropriate machine was delegated to him by his wife. She didn't want to do it.
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I believe @Deafoldbat that the task of choosing an appropriate machine was delegated to him by his wife. She didn't want to do it.
She's very brave @Lowena , I wouldn't let DH choose a sewing machine, he'd just go for the cheapest model they had, or the one that looked the prettiest. You have to specify exactly what you want and don't let him buy clothes, safe with jewellery and perfume. Which is why if I need anything large/more expensive, buy it myself in early December, never disappointed then. Unfortunately Jaycotts have sold out of those chairs or that would have been on my to me list. But, I'll settle for the new sewing machine.
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My DH knows better than to choose a sewing machine for me!
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Mine would be absolutely terrified at the idea!
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Mine is not clear on the difference between knitting and sewing machines - or between knitting and sewing if it comes to that!
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I've had a rethink on this @Lowena , if she had a pretty face and was a little flirt, she'd be able to sell him anything she wanted. :laughing:
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After all these replies we have yet to hear what @kaps86 thinks or has done ..... Helllloooooo???