Welcome Back
Have you been longing for a sewing machine? Perhaps you have a budget in mind or the family have started asking what you would like for Christmas or your birthday. Rather than individual presents, maybe they would be interested in going in together, to help towards the cost of your dream machine. Ohh the possibilities, so how do you choose which machine is right for you? Read on for helpful tips to narrow the search.
There are so many options, how do I choose which machine is right for me?
Here are some helpful questions to ask, to help you narrow the choice.
- What do you want to make?
- What comes with the machine?
- What extra feet or accessories are available for your choice of machine and how much do they cost?
- Budget, have a figure in mind that you are hoping to spend, then do some research as to what is available for that price.
- Do you know anyone else who sews, who you could ask about the machine they use?
- Look up the main manufacturers of machines [see links below] to see what is available
What would you like to use the sewing machine to make?
If this is your first machine, pretend for a moment that you can afford anything, and already know how to sew anything that comes into your mind. Now write a list of all the things you would like to create with your new machine. You now have this list it will help lead your choice as some machines are better for some jobs, than others.
For example if you mainly want to do a few clothing repairs and have the option of trying some craft style projects, then you don’t need huge numbers of stitches. Machines with fewer stitches are often cheaper and you could get a much better quality machine with fewer stitches than for the same budget if you wanted lots more stitch options.
If you are thinking more home furnishing, curtains etc then you will be using much heavier weights of fabric, so go for a sturdier machine whose motor can better cope with these things.
Feet & Accessories
Now that you have your dream list of things you would like to create with your machine, have a look at some of the main manufacturers of sewing machines and what is available. When you see a machine you like, download the manual to see how easy/difficult the machine looks like it will be to use.
Not all shops or online retailers have much information about individual machines so getting hold of the manual is a good way to compare machines and find out just what they are capable of. It will also let you discover what comes in the box and hopefully what other accessories and feet are available for that machine.
Feet
There will be a selection of feet that come with your machine, how many there are is likely to be driven by your budget and which machine you choose. With your dream list of projects, have a look to see what feet are needed for those kinds of project and check their pricing. The last thing you want is to discover in a years time is that your great bargain can’t grow with you as there aren’t more feet available so now you can’t do half the projects you had planned, or the feet to make it do so, are prohibitively expensive.
Room to grow with your sewing machine
You have a choice, buy a basic machine with the full intention to learn the ropes on it and expect to trade up to a bigger better one as your skills improve or by doing some research that I’ve mentioned above, getting a little more expensive machine, that will give you the option of adding extra feet as your sewing horizons expand with your confidence.
One thing I can promise you, is that if you get bitten by the sewing bug, you will be astonished at how quickly you want to do more than you ever imagined when you first bought your machine. When I bought mine, I ‘just’ wanted to make bags, perhaps alter a few hems. Three years later and I’m now very keen to try dressmaking, nothing earth shattering but being short I find trousers almost impossible to buy to fit. I like cotton skirts but often their prices are painful, I’d like to try to make some of those too.
Now I’m not saying making your own clothes will be cheaper, sometimes it will, sometimes it will cost the same, and sometimes it will cost more BUT it does give you more options for colours, fabrics and styles that YOU choose, not what the shops say you should want.
Getting help
If you have friends or family that sew, see if you can use their machine and ask them what they love or hate about it. If this isn’t an option check out the many sewing forums online and see what machines people on there are using, ask questions and have a natter. Better to do this now, than to drop a load of hard-earned cash on a machine, that in three months you regret getting.
Storage
Now I know this sounds a bit daft, but do spare a thought for what you will do with your machine, when you aren’t using it.
The reason I say this, is because some machines are a lot heavier than others and if you are needing to store you machine away in the cupboard and haul it out when you want to use it, suddenly the weight of the machine could become a big issue. If the machine will be out on a desk, you want to protect it from dust, so check out what covers the machine comes with or if there are bags available for it.
If you have the space and funds there is a fantastic company called Horn who produce the most amazing cabinets for sewing machines. The have a gas lift to raise your machine to working height, and press again to store away again into the cabinet. There are many options at various price points depending on your budget and available space.
Links
Do have a look at the Textiles Tab for links to;
- Where to find suppliers & manufacturers New to sewing? Check out these links to find a supplier near you or your favorite manufacturers
- Reviews of books, tools and DVDs Need help choosing a product? Start here
- Tutorials
- Where to find blogs and forums A great way to find new sewing friends
It’s also a good idea to look through some catalogues for inspiration and options. I ordered one from Jaycotts last weekend, OK my wish list grew, but it was helpful to have items listed side by side to compare sizes and features.
Oh dear another LONG post, I really need to work on short n sweet rather than epic essays don’t I! Anyway I hope you find this post helpful, these are the tips I’ve picked up along the way and if they save you some time and money along the way, then its been worth the hard work looking up all these links.
Happy Sewing
Best wishes and thanks for reading, see you soon
Billie 🙂
Don’t worry about long posts Billie 🙂 Still looking through all the machines and heaven knows how one narrows the search down until a budget is decided upon! I certainly think it is worth visiting a store with experienced staff who will let you try out a few machines but who won’t pressure you into buying one or another machine.
Thanks for a some great tips 🙂
Hugs
Lynn xx
Its always a bit of a dilema the length of posts. Short n sweet and more people will make it right to the end and not get bored, but on the other hand, as someone who searches the internet a LOT, personally I’d rather have one long but covers a lot of points helpful post than lots of short ones that leave me with a lot of questions at the end.
Would be very interested in which posts you readers enjoy.
luv n hugs
Billie x
If the post is interesting I will read to the end whether it is short or long, just hate lots of waffle – those are the ones I exit quickly! Yours give enough information, cover all the points and are not boring 🙂
hugs
Lynn xx
Thanks Lynn 🙂