NBR: crafty/sewing ladies

Spanishbeauty · July 2011

I'm thinking about asking for a sewing machine for my birthday. But, I've never even touched one. Seriously, they scare me, haha. It needs to be fairly inexpensive, easy to use, and compact. It would be awesome if it can be packed away as I don't have room to have it out all the time. Recommendations?

amyk927 · July 2011

I have a Kenmore which is pretty basic...it comes in a bag which I put in my closet.

HSartteach · July 2011

I also have Kenmore that is pretty basic that goes in a bag in my closet. I have not had a problem with it. I have had it for about 10 years. I got mine at sears. I don't use it often, but it does basic things that I think a novice would need it to do. I've made curtains, table cloths, and 2 mei tais on it. I love it.

kiarox2002 · July 2011

I got DH a Brother sewing machine at Walmart for less than $100. Neither one of us sewed, but he wanted to learn. We've had it for...hmm... 6 or 7 years now and we've had no problems with it. It doesn't do anything more than straight stitch and zig zag stitch, but I'm far from fancy so it works just fine for us.

My grandmother has a Bernina which I would consider the Bentley of sewing machines. It's totally awesome, but I do just fine with our Brother. Side note, if you can find a place to leave it out you are much more likely to use it. We never used ours until we left it sitting out in our office. Now I use it all the time.

mrs.wildman · July 2011

You can't go wrong with a Kenmore. They have a great selection at Sears. They are very easy to figure out and come with good warranties. They sell cases for them which makes it easy to store.

mcgee · July 2011

I have a Brother, and I love it.

gofurr25 · July 2011

I have a Brother with a dozen or so different types of stitches. It was fairly inexpensive and works well. I grew up using an old school Singer that I love.

Most sewing places, including Jo-Anns, will let you do a test run of their floor models. Then you can look at a couple you are considering and see which feels better to you.

abh1977 · July 2011

My 6-year-old Brother (which I love) is on the fritz, so I bought a cheapie to get me through until it's fixed. The first one I bought was a Brother from WalMart.... I don't remember the model, but it was around $80. It was AWFUL. So then I bought a Singer Simple from Hancock Fabrics, on sale for $99. It's regularly $129, but I think it's on sale for another week or so. It's a great basic machine, and it's pretty small and can be easily moved or stored. (But ditto pp - you'll use it a lot more if it's out and accessible.) If you've never sewn before, it's a good basic one to start with, and then move on to a nicer one once you know what you are looking for.

ETA: Sorry - it was JoAnne's, not Hancock.

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