In this comprehensive
guide, I will write about how you can choose your best sewing machine – This guide will also highlight what beginner
needs to look out for when buying a sewing machine..
Recently I bought this sewing
machine you see above from amazon. I love it but it's very fancy and it is far fancier
than what a beginner needs. You really
don't want to get a machine like this until you know that you can be using it
almost every day.
You also don't want to
get a toy sewing machine. There are a lot of toy sewing machines out on the
market for children. Though they are real sewing machines and they do sew a
real two thread stitch but they are junk. They are just absolutely junk and you
don't want to waste your time on them.
So I advise getting an
actual or real sewing machine but just a regular. What I want to explain to you today is the
features that you do really need to have on a machine. This is a general
features and they are almost in all kind of sewing machine.
However, if you want to
save a little bit of money you can definitely buy used machine. Whether you're
buying used sewing machine or a new one you're looking for the same kind of
things and you will want to test out the same things. To check some of the features
I will list it is strongly advised you look for sewing machine reviews from real users to also understand their
situation.
Operation of Machine
so you definitely want
to you try out your machine before you buy it again whether its new or used and
that means actually sewing something.
If you have access to
the sewing machine, try to make a straight stitch. Then you should listen to
the sound of the sewing machine. You should check if the sewing machine sound’s
grindy, more loud or dumping. You have to make sure the machine didn't have any
kind of ticking sound. You want the sewing machine to operate smoothly
Another way to check the
operation of the sewing machine is to look at the stitches that you just sewed.
What you're looking for is even laying. if you have one stitch that's twice as long
as the others that means it's skipping a state and is just a recipe for
disaster that's going to meet a lot of trouble down the road.
You are also going to look
at the back side. The stitches should basically look the same front and back. you
don't want loops or anything like that hanging out on the back. so just look
and make sure that the stitching is even and seems smooth
Available Stitch
So after you listened to
the sound of the machine and stitch taking a look at the basic stitching you're
ready to look a little bit closer at things.
Don't be seduced by hundreds
and hundreds of available stitches it's kind of like cable where there is lots
and lots except that you're never going to use it.
There is really only two
types of stiches that you can use and that is a straight stitch and a zig-zag stitch,
everything else is just extra. Luckily for you the symbols that are used to
describe the different stitches are universal so it'll be the same symbols on all
different sewing machines.
The one symbol that you
are absolutely looking for is your straight stitch. That's a basic stitch and
every machine is going to have it. The
other stitch that you use a lot is a zig-zag stitch. I really wouldn't get a machine without a
zigzag stitch. Again now almost every
machine is going to have that. There’s
one other stitch that I used fairly frequently and that is a stretch stitch. You
don't have to have it you can use the zig-zag stitch to sew on stretchy fabric,
but this stretch stitch is really nice.
Another one that a lot
of people ask about is the buttonhole stitch. You do not need a buttonhole
stitch. You can use the zigzag stitch to
sew buttholes and in fact I get better results when I use a zigzag stitch than
I do when I use a fancy buttonhole stitch.
So the stitches you're
looking for is the straight stitch and a zig-zag stitch. Stretch stitch is nice but not necessary and
everything else is just extra stitches.
Backward Sewing
One other thing you
really want to be able to do is sew backwards. With this you can stitches at the beginning or
the end to the seam so you're going to look for a button something like this
shown below.
On newer machines it's
going to be this button but on older machines it'll be something else and
that's not standard and in very old machines they won't have it.
Pretty much any machine
is going to have it but just make sure that you can sew backwards. You want to be able to back sew!
Threading
The next thing you want
to look at is how the sewing machine is threaded. Threading a sewing machine is
actually fairly complicated but newer machines make it a lot easier some of
them will have numbers along the way to show you the path. It will have a little diagram shown on the
side of the machine. They're all different so get the person who is selling you
the machine to show you how to thread it and try it yourself. it's going to feel clumsy and uncomfortable
but you'll get used to it.
I'm one nice feature
that newer machines have is that there's almost nothing that you have to thread.
To thread, there are little notches to slot something so that it just kind of slides
into place. If you have difficulty threading through a hole or if your child
has difficulty threading the needle through the hole that might be something
you want to look out for.
Bobbin – Front or Drop in
Another thing that you
should look at for is the bobbin. The bobbin is what holds the thread that's
coming up from the bottom of your machine. sewing machine works by locking two threads
together top thread and bottom thread so there are two ways that the bobbin thread.
There are two basic kinds’ of bobbin mechanisms
·
Front loading bobbin and
·
Drop in bobbin
I think that up front
loading bobbin is a little bit smoother but the drop in bobbin is easier to
load so you're just going to need to decide which is this is most important to
you.
Foot
Pedal
The one thing you want
to look out for is a sewing machine that's controlled with a foot pedal. Every
once in a while you'll find a machine that's controlled with the payroll or
something else, but a foot pedal as much easier for children and really any
beginners to sew I would never sew with anything else.
Manual
If you're buying a used or
new machine make sure it has a manual. You will definitely want your sewing
machine manual that's going to give you the instructions on a lot of basic
things that are specific to your machine
Finally, most people
forget to look at reviews about sewing
machine
Where do I buy?
I don't recommend buying
from a big box store if you can go to a local sewing machine store. They’re
often a sewing machine and vacuum store around. If you have problem with your
sewing machine: you going to take it there for maintenance and regularly to
have it cleaned
Sewing is very serious business
and you can do some cleaning, yourself but you need to have it professionally
cleaned every so often. They will also give you a free demonstration on how to
thread it and how to do your maintenance.
If you buy your machine
used from somebody the first thing you will want to do is bringing into your
local sewing machine store. They will help you clean and service it, to make sure
everything's running beautifully.
Finally if you need to
buy online, make sure you have a warrantee and buy from online stores with good
return policy like amazon. I strongly recommend amazon if you really need to
buy online. The advantage of buying online is because you can get really good
deals and far cheaper products.
So that's what you're
looking for when you buy a sewing machine. I hope I have been able to help you
make the best possible choice. I am confident you would get the best sewing machine that suits your
needs.
END..