Brother or Singer

abby8279

My mom wants to get me a sewing machine for Xmas.  I have 0 experience.  She is going to teach me on it.  I was thinking about narrowing it down by brand and then letting her ultimately pick it out.  Should I tell her Brother or Singer?  Or is there more to it than that?

RachelCA29

I've heard Janome machines are amazing. I grew up using a Singer, but that says nothing of the quality of new machines. I have a Kenmore machine, it gets the job done - I don't use it as much as I'd like.

MapleMomma

TBH I love my machine but couldn't tell you what brand it is. I got it at a garage sale for $5. Best money every spent.

I think it boils down to getting something user friendly.

freezorburn

I think you need to research individual models. I once had a starter Brother that was really difficult to adjust tension, but when I was shopping for a machine last year I saw a higher end Brother that practically did everything for you, and looked very easy to use. It was more machine than I wanted, and would have blown my budget too.

I'm happy with my Janome.

I think we had a sewing machine thread about a week ago, where I linked to a forum that has lots of machine reviews. Mobile right now but If you can't find it I can link it again later

unaveragejane

My mom has a 25-year-old Singer that has been a PITA for years. The quality might be better now, though. I really like my Brother, and so does she. My aunt (who quilts a lot) has a Brother for basic sewing and a super nice Janome that she just bought for quilting.

Do you have a local sewing and vac repair place? If they are selective about what they'll work on, you might let that factor in your decision. We've got access to places that will service about any brand, but when we lived in the country our options were limited.

Nvywife

I have a kenmore right now, and love it.

Into+the+Kitty

Another vote for loving my Janome.

JNU76

I don't sew, but my mom is a quilter. She replaced her very old Singer with a Janome a few years ago, and she absolutely loves it.

abby8279

I am glad I asked.  I have never even heard of Janome before.  

nanabanana06

I have a computerized Singer, I love it and I do use the 100 decorative stitches (along with the auto tension and needle up/down). However, for a beginner machine I say stay away from Singer. I would say Brother of the two brands. My mom and Grandma both have really nice simple beginner brother machines they both love.

freezorburn

I have a Janome Sewist 521. According to Janome's website it's been "retired," but I bought mine new earlier this year. I'm very pleased with it so far.

Here's one of the places where I looked up reviews when I was shopping: 

https://sewing.patternreview.com/SewingMachine/

Critter015

I have a Brother that I love, but it was more like $350 and has special quilting features. My MIL has an older basic Brother and I used it a lot before I got mine. My mom got a new basic Singer a few years ago and it was just fine for basic sewing for me as well.

freezorburn

Oh, and I second the recommendation to look into whether you have a local sewing/vac repair shop. Not only so that you know you can get support when you need it, but sometimes you can also find used or refurbished machines.