have $250 to spend for sewing machine

[bubsmom]

I need some help from you ladies. My dad is buying me a sewing machine for Christmas and I need to point him towards one. I do not sew but want to learn. He is looking to get me as many stitches as possible which I don't think I need. He is looking at $250 machines but wants a case includes also as part of the price. He was willing to buy a shark euro pro for $300 only because it had 1000 stitches. From what I know about shark vacuums I wouldn't want their machine. I want the basics and do not want him to go overboard. From what I can tell the Janome would be the best option from everyones recommendation here. He pretty much only shops in stores not online. Where can he find a store that he can go physically see one and what models numbers do you recommend? I am sorry to ask all these but I am running around all day today and he keeps calling me every few minutes since he wants to get it before Thanksgiving for some reason.
Thank you so much for your help with this.

[sabrinat]

If he wants to go to a store and look and you want a janome, you can go to Sears and your dad can get you a Kenmore, they are made by janome to Sears specs. The prices and features are wonderful and they will probably have some good sales coming up.

[oldgirl,newtricks]

If that was all I could spend and was just learning, I would request a used Singer, Kenmore or Brother which has been refurbished. Most machine repair shops sell them when people trade them in on fancier machines. I'm a fan of the workhorses of the '60. I would also ask for a few lessons to be thrown in so you could quickly learn the ins and outs of getting the thing threaded, bobbin in correctly and some practice with different needles and settings.

[bubsmom]

Thank you. I was doing some more research on the kenmores and that seems like what he was looking for. He seems to be blinded by what they state as the number of functions on one machine and is comparing it to the number of stitches on another. I printed out the specs on some kenmores so he can get a better understanding. Of course right now it is kindof like the blind leading the blind but I am sure it will work out. Thanks for the suggestion for lessons. I have already told my mom if she was looking for ideas for a gift for me I wanted some lesson. Unfortunetly I am having a hard time finding a place that is offering them now but I know I will some soon. I am hoping I can find something scheduled for right after I get the machine but who know. Plus, my mom is actually a very experienced sewer. She made all my prom gowns and even my wedding gown without a pattern, just me describing what I wanted. Hopefully she will help get me started. For some reason she doesn't want to get involved with picking out the machine just because it is my dad buying it. Thanks again.

[BurgundyElephant]

Ok - I'll preface this by saying I sew A LOT. I have a Kenmore. I've actually had two. The first one I had was similar to this one. I bought it because I'd heard great things about Kenmores, and it was what I could afford. It had a front loading bobbin and it jammed up ALL THE TIME. A total pain.

So, I took it back and bought the base model of the top-loading bobbin series. It would be similar to this one.

My machine has been a great little workhorse. It will stitch through a later of stitched needlepoint, bullion fringe, and uphostery weight backing fabric with little problem. However, it overheats after a while, so I have to let it cool down. The people at Sears told me that "doesn't happen", but I know it does.

I see that this machine is on clearance so it may be worth looking at. They will try and sell you a service plan and I wouldn't bother. If it breaks right away they should return it anyway and you shouldn't have to wait weeks for repairs.

Now that I'm sewing a lot more, I'm looking at nicer machines. I've tested out Pfaff and other nicer models and can't make up my mind. I'm just still saving to buy a nice computerized model that can do embroidery designs.

My Kenmore does not do well with free-motion quilting where you drop the feed dogs and quilt away. I do have a walking foot and that is great for regular quilting.

Also, make sure you use a high quality thread such as Madeira. The Coats and Clark sewing thread will have fuzzies fly off and gum up your machine, making your thread break. Trust me.

You can get sewing lessons at most sewing stores (such as Pacific Fabrics). It's worth the time. It's a very enjoyable hobby! I'd also suggest looking up independent quilting shops in your area. Even if you have no interest in quilting a visit to the store will inspire you and the quality of materials is so much better than JoAnn's or the like.

Good luck!