Monday, March 17, 2008
Title goes here
So I'm reassessing the sewing machine idea, especially after going to the Stitches and Craft show yesterday and talking to the Janome lady. Apparently you can get some reasonable sewing machines for around $200 which is exactly my price range, I tried looking at the Janome website but it was pretty hopeless really. I'm about to run off to uni so I can't elaborate too much, so does anyone have any tips and tricks for a first time sewing machine purchaser?
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6 comments:
Just found your blog via Three Buttons. You have a great blog and I like the fact it is secret from friends and personal. Will be back to have a better look. As for the craftiness, there are such a lot of people into it, and many are neither daggy or nanas!
There is SO much going on right now in the craft area. Heaps of it funky and young. The sewing machine sounds great like a greta idea - unfortunately I don't have any advice, but it sounds like it would be just the thing to get you totally motivated again after since your mojo has gone walkabout. Cheers!
I bought a sewing machine about a month ago. It's a Janome MS5027. It was $399 and i really love it. It's so easy to use and comes with every feet i could possibly need including feet for quilting.
http://www.sewingmachines.com.au/5027.html
Now i did research machines for about 2 months before committing to one. I thought about what features i wanted, what types of things i wanted to sew and what my budget was. The 5027 machine covered my checklist, except the part where it doesn't have a needle up/down feature but as it turns out, not having one is not an inconvenience at all. I also chose a Janome because it has good brand reputation. You can get Brother machines for cheaper with more features but people have more problems with them and they aren't as reliable as Janome. Don't buy a Singer, everyone says they have gone downhill since the 1970s.
One thing i also did was take fabrics i would use to dealers and test drive their machines with it.
A lot of 2nd hand machines are also very good and worth considering. Check ebay or the trading post.
-Doublecurl
Anonymous has a good point, have a look at some second hand sewing machines (but would suggest you get someone who knows about machines to help you). My sewing machine is a hand-me-down from my nan, it's an Elna made of metal (weighs a tonne). I was looking in the instruction booklet the other day and realised that it's over 40 years old. My sewing machine is older than me!!!!. But I *LOVE* it. So that's certainly an avenue worth exploring.
Thanks for your comments guys, I had a look on that sewing machines website but got a bit confused by the layout, I think I need to go into the Camberwell Sewing Centre and have a chat to the ladies to find out exactly what kind of sewing machine I can afford that would suit my needs. After I do that maybe I can start exploring the idea of a second hand one :) Thanks again for your help!
I have a $200 Janome and it's great for all the basics. I'm not a fantastic sewer so this covers everything I need to make.
My mum went halves with me in a sewing machine for my birthday last year. We got a great Bernina for about $1200, on special for Mother's Day (normally this particular model is over $2000...), as there was no way my mum was going to let me get a Janome (she's not a fan of them at all). If you can, ask around at sewing machine stores for a second hand machine, they are often traded in for new machines and you might pick up a bargain. Definitely take your time and do lots of research though! Good luck with it, one day it will happen!
Cheers,
ss_storm (from Willow)
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