# Thinking of taking the plunge - sewing machine reccomendations



## Otter (Jan 15, 2008)

I never learned to use a sewing machine and I think it's time.
What would be your recommendations for a simple machine for a rank beginner, sturdy enough to sew denim but as cheap as possible.

The last time I tried to use one I was about 14 and sewed my finger into a seam - TWICE :help: So simple, sturdy and idiot proof is really all I need. The machine will already know far more about this then me. I'm wanting to do simple things, curtains, pillow cases (DD thinks pillow cases are wonderful and mine vanish for the outdoors, never to return, regularly) The most complicated thing I'd want to do is I have some old jeans I'd like to make bags out of. If I manage to not sew my finger into those, I have enough old jeans saved up I may get very, very brave and try to make a quilt with them.


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## ErinP (Aug 23, 2007)

For your criteria (cheap, simple AND durable) I'd recommend something older. Like pre 1985. Hit estate sales or ask at your local sewing shop/machine dealer. You want Grandma's old workhorse...


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## Otter (Jan 15, 2008)

I've been looking, but none come with instructions. We actually have somewhere a very, very old one that DH picked up at a yard sale. (DH can sew, and used to quilt with his grandmother) But absolutely no one knows how to thread it. We used to have it very prominently in the living room and anytime any one so much as looked at it we'd try to get them to see if they could thread it. 

Looking online, it was apparently bulk made in the 50s and there are lots of similar models, but it's not a known name and just different enough that it threads differently. Drives me a little nuts in fact, that it just sits there and I WANT to use it but cant even thread it. Apparently it can do fancy stitches and that is the trouble.

I was hoping there was a really common beginners model, something without fancy stitches that most people "outgrow" but that everyone would know what I was talking about when I mentioned it.
No sewing shops around here or I would throw myself on their mercy. I'd have to buy one online or <cringe> Walmart.


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## AngieM2 (May 10, 2002)

get that old machine and put the make and model number and the word "manual" in a google search, there are sites with old manuals in .pdf for free or some charge, but it will get you started.

And I agree on the going to a dealer and get a good reconditioned older trade in - and if you do jeans, get the heavy duty needles so it will go thru the fabric and not bend or break.


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## CJ (May 10, 2002)

How about a Singer 301?
http://blog.sew-classic.com/2009/03/14/classic-singer-301-301a-vintage-sewing-machine-review.aspx


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## Otter (Jan 15, 2008)

I have the manual. We (lol, not only my inept self, but DH and a few other people who've used sewing machines before) just can't get it to sew.
A line from the link CJ gave jumped out at me


> FYI- a machine advertised as &#8220;working&#8221; may not sew a stitch. It&#8217;s common for people that are selling one to plug it in, see the needle go up and down and pronounce the sewing machine to be &#8220;working&#8221;. Unfortunately, it&#8217;s just not that simple.


I'll look for a 301 on ebay, what is a good price for one?


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## Katskitten (Aug 5, 2010)

I have another question sort of along the same line. Which would be a better machine, the 301, the 401 or the 501's? I am thinking slightly more of a heavy duty quilter.


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## CJ (May 10, 2002)

In answer to both your questions, contact Jenny at Sew Classic. She can advise you (expertly!) on the differences in the 301, 401 and 501 machines, and also if you buy one of hers, they are restored professionally. She knows what she is doing!

I am not a vintage machine lover like many, but I know lots of gals who love these old machines, the 301's especially come to mind.


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## CJ (May 10, 2002)

This is also an outstanding older machine, and I personally would choose it over a Singer, but I'm a Bernina girl and everyone I know who has one of these never lets it go:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/VINTAGE-BER...057?pt=BI_Sewing_Machines&hash=item4aae6e9ab9

These are also excellent machines, all mechanical:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Bernina-Mod...063?pt=BI_Sewing_Machines&hash=item4842259707


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## Maura (Jun 6, 2004)

I have a 301. I love it. You can find them on ebay though they are not as prevailent as Featherweights. You want one from a seller with a high rating, and one that has been *serviced*. My 301 (same as 301A) was from *navebk* 

If you call your local fabric stores and ask who does their repairs, this same person may buy and sell antique machines. I like Singer because you can get parts for them, including needles.


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## Maura (Jun 6, 2004)

The Bernina 830 looks like a possibility. They were well known for making excellent machines but I could never afford one.


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## FarmersDaughter (Jul 8, 2008)

I bought a Janome this summer and love it. I'm new to sewing and this brand was recommended to me by some women that work at local fabric stores. I was told to stay away from new Singer machines as they've declined in quality (but I don't know whether that's true or just their opinion).

I bought the Janome 3128. It is a basic machine that is great for beginners. I got it on sale for $99. I didn't want to spend much just in case I hated sewing or was terrible at it. It ends up that I love sewing, so now I wish I would have spent more and got a machine with more features, but I'm very happy with the quality and ease of this machine. I'll definitely buy another Janome when I decide to splurge and upgrade to one with more features.


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## Little Quacker in NC (May 9, 2002)

After using three old sewing machines given to me(a Singer, and two Elna's)for a few years, plus borrowing others to try out, I wanted a modern machine, with modern features. Just a basic model I could use for quilting and working with Denim(I do a lot of Jean's sewing and do love recycling denim! Looked and looked and went for the basic Bernina Aurora 430. I like having the decorative stitches too but wish I had more.

There's a lot to how a machine functions and how User Friendly it is. I don't see all that well any more at my age, so I wanted a machine that I could change the feet on easily, without looking, and had a needle threader on it. The Bernina's all have nifty snap-on feet and you can do it with one hand without looking. The feet are also of excellent quality. I like that as I have quite few feet that I use and change back and forth frequently while on a project.

Research the feet that come with your machine and try and look ahead at what type of feet you may use the most. I use these most of the time and most all of them while on one project: 

Darning or Free Motion Foot; Walking Foot(with guides for grid quilting); 1/4" straight sewing foot; 1/4" foot with edge guide, Edge stitch foot(can be used for zippers but also great for denim); hemming foot; basic applique feet: Embroidery foot and Ruffler. There's others but these I use the most. 

Of course it depends on what you like to sew and I wouldn't be caught dead making a garment! LOL I do quilt and love making pillow cases of varying sizes. Also the pillow forms too.

Its also good to be sure the machine you pick can handle more than one thread spool. Mine will handle three. Using more than one color is a fun thing.

My cousin has a Pfaff (Sp?)that must be at least 25 years old, has a built-in walking foot and is still just cooking along great after all these years. I love that built-in walking foot and I also love the way her machine has the mounts for varying numbers of thread spools.

Have to be real careful with used machines. Our sewing machines need tender, loving, care. They should be cleaned professionally at least every year and oiled and cleaned properly in between...often. Many of these used machines have not been cared for at all and are junk because of this.

Re cost....it is worth paying more to get what you want and of the best quality. If you hit a Bernina Sale they may have not only money off, but lots of fabulous coupons (I used mine for more feet)PLUS when I got mine the sale included a huge, well made Koala Cutting Table with fold-down wings, plus a huge cutting mat and rotary cutter.

Love this machine! Have fun researching! 

LQ


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## Katskitten (Aug 5, 2010)

I have several machines that I have collected over the years. I inherited a Bernina about ten years ago from my husbands cousin. In looking at the pics It says "930 Electronic" on the front. I love it.
I learned to sew on an old black portable Singer. My Mother bought a Bernina when I was about 17 and I used to push that machine like crazy.
One of our local shops has a 301Singer that if it is still there next Monday it might just find a new home. LOL


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## Molly Mckee (Jul 8, 2006)

If you can't find a Bernina 830 at a good price, I'd look for a 730 Bernina from the early 70's. It's a sturdy work horse, with lots of feet and some fancy stitches. Easy to use and does nice stitches. You should be able to get one on ebay for less than $200.00 including shipping or we bought one on craigslist for 75.00 They sold for about a thousand dollars new and the difference between that and a new cheapie is amazing!


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## Ruby (May 10, 2002)

LOVE my 15-89 Singer. It has a motor on it and by just changing out the belt can be used as a treadle or electric. It makes a very beautiful stitch and has reverse on it. Just a straight stitch, does not zig zag. I only gave 75.00 for it at a thrift shop. Check out the Goodwills some time they will have a used machine.



















The older Singers are made with all metal and are good. The newer ones, (don't know when they started using plastic gears) are not good. With any you get make sure they have all metal gears. Although I do have a Janome 2008H that I love but they are better made machines. Mine is a lower cost computerized machine, but it has a 25 yr warrenty.


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## Otter (Jan 15, 2008)

I found a fellow who does sewing machine repair and I'm going to see how much he wants to clean and check out the one I mentioned above. It says on it;
UNIVERSAL
PRECISION SEWING MACHINE
Zig-Zag DeLuxe Model MZ
Japan 
And hopefully he can make it work and explain what I'm doing wrong.

In the meantime, I'm watching a couple of ebay auctions for a Singer 301. What should I ask the sellers? Should I just pass them by if they don't have a picture of it stitching?
What do you think of this one? The model was recommended by a friend who uses one for simple repairs and straight seams and the like.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/260861579710?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649#rwid


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## Ruby (May 10, 2002)

Personaly I don't like a Brother home sewing machine. I had one that the belt kept stretching on. I gave it to my daughter the other day so she could finish a quilt top she's makeing. Her machine quit. The Brother comercial machines are good.

The belt on the one I had was a plastic looking thing and is inside the machine. You have to almost take the machine apart to change it out. The belt it came with stretched, my husband adjusted it as far as it would go and it stretched again. I bought a new one and it's doing the same thing.


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## ErinP (Aug 23, 2007)

Frankly, I think buying a vintage machine like this, but only "from a reputable seller," is over rated. Unless you're spending serious money, like for a Featherweight, that is. 
Otherwise, if you're a bit of a tinker-er (or you have ready access to someone who is), I wouldn't hesitate to just buy something that looks workable. Ie, if it has a sewn swatch in the pic, you'll probably be fine.
If there isn't a pic, I'd just email the seller and ask if they've tried using it and how that went. 

Really, there's not a whole lot that'll go wrong with these old machines, mechanics-wise. The only thing that's questionable is the motor and rewiring a replacement for that is about as hard as rewiring a lamp. It's actually quite straight forward.

My aluminum 99K (who turns 90 next year, btw) that I haul to classes and retreats, was burning out the motor one year at quilt camp. I knew it was going, so I'd gotten a new one and had brought it along, just in case. 
I had several friends comment on the first evening, "Erin...I think you're on fire..." lol Yeah, I know. I'll replace it tonight.

So after we were done that day and off to bed, I changed out my motors. Everyone was amazed that a machine that was on death's door the night before was good as new again the next morning and sewed all weekend long.


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## Maura (Jun 6, 2004)

I worked in a store that sold Brother. I wouldn't want one if I was going to do anything more than the occasional repair, not quilting.

Make sure the machine as been serviced. Make sure they ran the machine and it made stitches. If the picture doesn't show fabric that's been stitched, then ask. A 301 isn't that old and the cords should be good on it. There is the 301 longbed, which is what you want if it's not going into a cabinet. The longbed will not fit in a cabinet. However, you can have someone retrofit a cabinet for you or make a frame to go around the machine to use on a table. I love mine.


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## Katskitten (Aug 5, 2010)

Ruby, 
That machine that is in your picture looks exactly like the one I learned on. Wow that brings back some memories. Ours was a portable one.
Muara, 
How does one tell the difference between the short bed and a longbed 301.
Local shop has that 301 but I would probably prefer the longer bed.


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## ginnie5 (Jul 15, 2003)

I too recommend the older Singers. I have several now. The three main ones I use though are my Singer 503 (decorative stitches and sews thru 4 or so layers of denim like it was butter and quilts the best of all my machines), my Singer 127 treadle, and my Grannie's Singer 15 clone that is now a handcrank. I sit on the bed and use it or take it in the den. I love the older machines. They just feel like they were built to last you know? So far with my moderate tinkering skills I've been able to do everything they need to run smoothly. That includes taking the motor out of my 503 and cleaning the brushes in it! Dh was rather proud of me for that one! I paid $50 for my 503 and its cabinet. Oh and there's a 501 in the schoolroom for dd that needs the desk redone that I got for $15 for dd. Just keep looking on CL and ask on Freecycle.


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## Maura (Jun 6, 2004)

The 301 has an extension just left of the needle. It is hinged and you put the little extension up when you pack it, so it's shorter. The long bed has a 5 1/2" extension that goes to the top of the tension thingie when raised. The short bed has a dinky extension that goes to the top of the needle thingie when raised. If you make a frame to go around the machine it won't matter what length the bed is.


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## Katskitten (Aug 5, 2010)

Maura said:


> The 301 has an extension just left of the needle. It is hinged and you put the little extension up when you pack it, so it's shorter. The long bed has a 5 1/2" extension that goes to the top of the tension thingie when raised. The short bed has a dinky extension that goes to the top of the needle thingie when raised. If you make a frame to go around the machine it won't matter what length the bed is.


Thanks for the info.:hrm: I am going to have to take a real hard look at the one at the shop and dicker with the owner/sales guy on the price.. :grin:


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