Sewing machines

[Laskaland]

I have a New Home that is about 15 years old. Very simple to use and I really like it. I paid probably $350 for it? When I first learned to sew I had an avacado green Singer that my mom bought at a thrift shop

This was the early 80's. Now THAT was a machine. wooo. Miss that one. You can check out estate auctions/ farm sales in your area too. One sold for $5 last weekend that was in great shape. I just didn't have any more room, or I would have bought it!!!
Goodwill is another good spot AND craigslist! I have seen some on Freecycle even www.freecycle.org
Good Luck!
Christina

 

[Judy]

If you just want to quilt, and can't get an old but good machine, I would go with a cheapie from the WalMart. Quilting is just straight stitching. More expensive models generally just make a bunch of fancy stitches that you will never use. If you happen to choose one that just eats thread or otherwise refuses to function, you haven't lost much. I would go with Brother or Singer, and hope they still make decent machines. And stay away from those things that need 4 spools of threads, by all means.

 

[Katy]

I've had my Singer for about 35 years. Doesn't have a lot of bells and whistles, but it still sews good.

 

[Laskaland]

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No kidding! Great point. They freak me out- think about untangling THAT mess. LOL I am such a klutz, too

 

[Laskaland]

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Is it avacado green? LOL. I miss that one

 

[CoyoteMagic]

I've got a Brother from Walmart for $100 about 10 years ago. Before that I did everything by hand.

For just making quilts you don't need anything fancy.

 

[Judy]

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Absolutely agree. If you spend over $100 on a machine for quilting, you are getting ripped off!

Just looked around a bit on the web. WalMart has a Brother for just under $70 that is probably what I would buy if mine died.

 

[chickens4me]

I am glad you posted this as I also am looking for a new sewing machine.

I do know I would never buy another Kenmore (their low price one) as the bobbin binds up very easily and you have to take it apart a lot to fix it.

At least that is my experience with it. Perhaps their higher priced models are better? I don't think I will waste my money to find out now though.

 

[FrenchHen]

I've done costuming and some garment stuff. Quilting isn't my cup of tea.
I found that old models are more workhorses than the new, ahem, cheap models sold at -mart stores.
Spending money for a good quality used machine may be a better investment than spending the same amount for brand new machines with plastic parts.

Check your local sewing repair shop, and see what that guy/lady recommends. If they don't fix a model very often, that might be a good model. If they think it's junk, buy something else.

Sewing with a crummy machine (I had a wal-mart Singer, now I have a Viking) isn't much fun.

 

[Judy]

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Is it avacado green? LOL. I miss that one

You know, even if you make your own clothes, all you really will want is zigzag and a buttonholer function. Fancy stitches are OK for female toddlers clothes, I guess, but I never had one. And I don't have to tell anyone over about 40 that making your own clothes is no longer economical, as it used to be. I can't even buy fabric any more without driving about 120 miles. Even before I retired about 3 years ago, it got cheaper to buy business clothes than make them, even though I needed to wear at least dress slacks, blazers, and dress blouses.