Machine Kit
What kind of portable sewing machine should I get?
I just got this Perfection Sewing Machine Kit from Walgreens for $30. It's been a huge hassle, so I'm going to return it tomorrow.
What would be a better portable sewing machine to get? I have a quilting project coming up for my church, and I'm also interested in eventually making simple clothes or hemming stuff -- pretty simple things.
I've been looking at this Brother 10-stitch sewing machine for about $80 on Amazon. http://www.amazon.com/Brother-LS2125I-10-Stitch-Automatic-Buttonholer/dp/B000EOX28E/ref=pd_rhf_p_t_2 One complaint of this machine, though, is that it's really difficult to control the speed.
Can anyone recommend anything else that's good for a beginner-intermediate that would suit the kinds of projects I want to do?
Buying sewing machines is a lot like the old computer programming adage: good/fast/cheap: pick any two. With sewing machines, it's new/non-frustrating/cheap: pick any two.
All you need for quilting is a straight stitch machine. In fact, I'm sewing on an excellent straight stitcher this week because my main machine is in for an overhaul -- the one I'm using is a Singer model 15 from 1954, $10 at a yard sale and about an hour's worth of oil and cleanup time. And I'm making shirts, which (except for buttonholes) require only straight stitching.
Start here: http://www.cet.com/~pennys/faq/smfaq.htm
If you're determined to get a new, cheap machine, don't look at the number of stitches per $ spent... look for something like the Janome Jem series. which were designed as "haul to class machines" for experienced sewing folks.
"Difficult to control the speed" is not a good machine for a beginner. And would probably cause an experienced sewing addict to consider backing over it with a heavy vehicle, several times.
In a recent poll of confirmed sewing enthusiasts, about 90% of the time, we were using straight stitches; about 5% zigzag of various types, blindhem and buttonhole, and about 5% other stitches.
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