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What sewing machine do you have? - Page 5

post #81 of 95
9/18/06 at 12:09am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by OldFashionedGirl
I guess I don't understand why it's not practical to make a modern machine out of metal.
It's practical it's just apparently not cost effective. I agree w/you though which is why whenver someone mentions wanting to get into sewing I recommend they get a vintage machine and I too will NEVER give up my singer!
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post #82 of 95
9/20/06 at 10:50am
I have a 1971 Singer. It is pretty complicated for being so ancient.
I have 30 stiches and can do leather and denim. There are a bunch of attachments, including a quilters bar. It is attached to it's own gigantic piece of ugly 70's cabinet. blech! but as far as storage it's cool.

I love the machine - although it is in desperate need of a MAJOR tune-up (last was 1986).

I have this machine because my mom gave it to me when I moved to San Antonio. I used to go over her house and use it all the time - but now i live 150 miles away. Not so easy a trip now.

This machine was a gift to my mom form her much loved step mother when she was 11.



My mom and I used to share a Brothers serger and a Brothers computerized embroidery sewing machine that we went halvies on.
But we pawned them both when my dad walked out on my mom while she was giving birth toi my youngest brother and we had to buy groceries and such.
man I miss those machines.... there is sooooo much I can't do now that I don;t have them.
post #83 of 95
9/22/06 at 8:34pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by wryknowlicious View Post
I have a 1971 Singer. It is pretty complicated for being so ancient.
I have 30 stiches and can do leather and denim. There are a bunch of attachments, including a quilters bar. It is attached to it's own gigantic piece of ugly 70's cabinet. blech! but as far as storage it's cool.

I love the machine - although it is in desperate need of a MAJOR tune-up (last was 1986).

I have this machine because my mom gave it to me when I moved to San Antonio. I used to go over her house and use it all the time - but now i live 150 miles away. Not so easy a trip now.

This machine was a gift to my mom form her much loved step mother when she was 11.



My mom and I used to share a Brothers serger and a Brothers computerized embroidery sewing machine that we went halvies on.
But we pawned them both when my dad walked out on my mom while she was giving birth toi my youngest brother and we had to buy groceries and such.
man I miss those machines.... there is sooooo much I can't do now that I don;t have them.

If you check out the "Wefixit" group on yahoo or the vintagesinger list on there they can help you tune up your machine yourself. It's really not that hard.
post #84 of 95
9/25/06 at 7:05pm
My main machine is a Viking Designer 1. I love it! It sews very smoothly and I've had no troubles with it. Its also an embroidery machine, which I do alot of. (I also digitize, but havent since DD was born).
I have a few vintage Singers in the cabinets, one is a treadle.
My Kenmore machine is about 10 years old, but I only use that as a backup if I'm doing embroidery at the time and need to sew. (Craft fair time and the Holidays!!!)
My serger is a White 1600. Its very basic, but works well for me. I havent had it in the shop yet and I've had it about 10 years, too.

I've hardly had any time to sew since DD was born. I miss it so much! I know that in the blink of an eye I'll be sewing her wedding gown or clothes for *her* kids, so I try not to worry about not sewing right now

My next project will be her Christmas dress. Maybe if I start now I'll have enough time to finish in time! LOL
post #85 of 95
9/26/06 at 11:12pm
Thread Starter 
Lucky Lady w/the Viking! Maybe you'll get back to sewing soon. I don't have a lot of time to sew either, usually just a couple hours a week. But the time I do, I enjoy it. Here's hoping you get back to it very soon!
post #86 of 95
10/1/06 at 4:45pm
I now have a Singer 9400 and it is a GEM to use! I love the decorative stitches, and quilting with it is a breeze. Fast too! And I think the needle threader is going to save my eyesight over the years I did some machine applique the other day and I was thrilled with the results.
post #87 of 95
10/3/06 at 6:09pm

Help!

I have an ollllllld Singer treadle (? sp?) machine that I got from my grandmother....it needs a tune up and some new wiring, but other than that, I've been told it still works. Should I keep it and fix it or buy a newer mechanical machine?

I SO want to sew, but haven't used a machine since I was a kid and I don't have a clue where to begin in buying one.

ANY help would be soooo appreciated! thanks...
post #88 of 95
10/4/06 at 1:07pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by kaylas mama View Post
I have an ollllllld Singer treadle (? sp?) machine that I got from my grandmother....it needs a tune up and some new wiring, but other than that, I've been told it still works. Should I keep it and fix it or buy a newer mechanical machine?

I SO want to sew, but haven't used a machine since I was a kid and I don't have a clue where to begin in buying one.

ANY help would be soooo appreciated! thanks...
If you're on the fence about how much you might sew. I'd start by seeing if I could freecycle a machine. Even if it needs a tuneup at $50 (avg. rate) you're still probably going to end up with a decent machine. Also garage sales are great places to find hidden gems. You can always upgrade later. Good luck shopping.
post #89 of 95
10/4/06 at 4:00pm
I agree with the pp. If you're not sure about sewing, it's probably not worth it at this point to fix up the treadle. That's not to say get rid of it, though! From what I understand, using a treadle machine is a task in and of itself, w/o learning to sew at the same time (kinda like learning to drive on a stick shift, I would imagine).

Watch craigslist, freecycle, rummage sales, thrift stores, etc, for a used machine. I'd even suggest going to your local sewing machine repair-shop; a lot of times they'll have older machines that they've gotten as trade-ins. Learn on that. Once you've got the basics of sewing under your belt, and you're sure that this is something you want to persue, THEN get the treadle machine fixed up.

(I guess if you have the money and the inclination, there's not reason not to get the treadle fixed up now. I just wouldn't necessarily recommend getting it fixed up so you can use it to learn how to sew.)

Hope that makes sense!
post #90 of 95
4/21/08 at 4:49pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by shalena View Post
I have a brother innovis NX400Q. It was my dream machine, so I'm happy as a pig in mud with it.

My serger is a husquvarna 905. I looked at a bernina while serger shopping and would have rathered that, but didn't have the $ at the time.
I found this thread on a google search!! I'm seriously considering buying this exact machine....I found a local dealer with this discontinued machine in stock. Do you still love the machine? How much do you use it...is it holding up?? Thanks!!
post #91 of 95
4/21/08 at 5:25pm
Thread Starter 
Wow...you don't even want to know how many machines I've added to my collection
post #92 of 95
4/21/08 at 5:35pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by sabrinat View Post
Wow...you don't even want to know how many machines I've added to my collection
Ha ha...another machine collector?!?! Well, I'm probably not a hard core collector...but I do have several machines. Most of them are dying and are refusing to be repaired at the moment. My favorite is a Baby Lock machine that's about 10 years old...it has sewn more than its fair share of quilts over the years! I've taken it apart to clean and service it more times than I can count! It's so worn that the poor needle plate is thin and bends easily. I've also had to replace the bobbin case...poor thing!!! Anyway...I also have a computerized Baby Lock machine that I've had for about 20 years...and I bought it used from So-fro, when we had one of those stores! LOL My most recent purchase was a HuskyStar machine...I'm not sure of the model number but it only cost me around $150 and boy was it the worst $150 I have ever spent on a sewing machine. Anyway...that's why I'm in the market for a new machine. I kinda want to buy one machine that is going to do my general sewing and also have some decorative stitches for my custom edged flannel receiving blankets. I'm a little nervous going all electronic...but I'm getting such a good deal on this Brother NX400Q that I'm finding it hard to pass up! Maybe I'll break down and send my mechanical Baby Lock in and see if a pro can fix it back up...it's seriously the best machine I've ever had! Oh...I also have a couple more machines that I recently acquired but I need to fire them up and see if they work or not!
post #93 of 95
4/29/08 at 7:41pm
Last summer, my husband gave me a Babylock Ellure, with embroidery unit. I've also got a White Superlock Serger.

The Ellure is pretty much my dream machine. We got a really good deal on it ($1000 instead of $2500 full price). The only thing that could make it better is more embroidery designs and the quilting table to go with it. It's my dream machine because its got so many decorative stitches, embroiders, quilts, and lots of feet. I also like the automated touch screen.

But I'll admit, I kind of dream of getting a $15,000 embroidery machine that has multiple needles and can be threaded with 5-6 colors. Those are cool.
post #94 of 95
4/30/08 at 2:49pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by jenneology View Post
Last summer, my husband gave me a Babylock Ellure, with embroidery unit. I've also got a White Superlock Serger.

The Ellure is pretty much my dream machine. We got a really good deal on it ($1000 instead of $2500 full price). The only thing that could make it better is more embroidery designs and the quilting table to go with it. It's my dream machine because its got so many decorative stitches, embroiders, quilts, and lots of feet. I also like the automated touch screen.

But I'll admit, I kind of dream of getting a $15,000 embroidery machine that has multiple needles and can be threaded with 5-6 colors. Those are cool.
I have an Ellure too. I got it last spring and just finally started learning how to really use the embroidery . I like that you get a lot of bang for the buck and that it sews really nicely...plus the embroidery is great w/ a nice big stitch field. I've thought fleetingly about trading up the Ellure for an Esante, but I can't see the point. For what I want to do the Ellure is a perfect companion.
post #95 of 95
4/30/08 at 9:49pm
I have a Singer Inspiration 4205. It's a very basic model, but I like it. I'm still a novice, so I didn't want to invest a whole lot of money right away. It was my birthday gift to myself last year. I picked it because it was reviewed (and got good marks) by ReadyMade the month before. It sounded like the right machine for my needs, so I bought it!

I haven't begun to think about a dream machine since I haven't exhausted my capabilities with this one yet.
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