sewing machine

[MomtoSyd&Emma]

I am looking to get my very first sewing machine so that I can make rat/small animal toys (yep you read right rat toys) lol Anyway I can get a brother still sealed in the factory box for 50 on craigslist or I can get one for 80 at Walmart. Do I need to look for anything in particular, any great first time machines out there? All I am wanting is a basic machine no bells and whistles!?!

 

[ametauss]

Whatever you do; don't buy an all plastic cased machine, they'll bend when you sew.... Go to the store and pick it up, look underneath the machine... if it seems really light then it probably is all plastic and won't last....

I have a Singer that was given to me by my SIL over 18 years ago that she got from her Mom but wasn't into sewing.... I used it very little in the last 18 years and when I decided to start sewing a month ago, it finally blew a gear and cost $100 to fix... the guy at the sewing machine place encouraged my DH to have it repaired since to buy a comparable machine would be around $800... He was the one that told me to not buy an all plastic machine....

I got it fixed and am back to sewing....

 

[agnes_day]

i have a singer ingenuity and it is great! i have used and abused that poor thing for almost 5 years now and it works just as good as when my sweet husband bought it for me.

 

[blueskylen]

I am afraid that the newer machines just aren't build as heavy as the older models. Maybe you can find an older -but in like new condition- one in the want adds,yard sales, or craigslist. I had gotten a new one from Sears several years ago, and it only lasted about 10 years of light sewing( and it was an expensive model ). I am now using my mom's 50 year old Singer that will sew thru leather or anything that you would need to tackle. it only sews a straight stitch, but that is all I really need anyway.
Nothing is as anoying as paying a lot for material,pattern,etc. and then not having a machine that will sew right.

Hope you find a good one.

 

[MomtoSyd&Emma]

Thank you all, I went to my sisters and scrounged through her attic and found our Grandfathers old one, I have no clue how old it is but its a beast to carry lol I havent tried to use it yet as my girls (3&8) are wide open right now, and I KNOW I cant concetrate on learning something new with helpers lol I do know its a Sears Kenmore machine though lol