sewing machine reccomendations?

[rainbowmoon]

I am going to have to get a new machine soon. what is your favorite? I have a Singer (piece of crap) right now. looking to upgrade. I also need something heavy duty/durable. I may go for a refurbished one from www.allbrands.com so I can afford a nicer model. I have been wanting a White but am open to suggestions!

[sabrinat]

Originally Posted by rainbowmoon

I am going to have to get a new machine soon. what is your favorite? I have a Singer (piece of crap) right now. looking to upgrade. I also need something heavy duty/durable. I may go for a refurbished one from www.allbrands.com so I can afford a nicer model. I have been wanting a White but am open to suggestions!

White is no longer an actual maker of machine. Other companies make the machines and they are badged as Whites. You might look into a Janome or Kenmore.
I personally think if you're looking for heavy duty and durable you can't go wrong with a vintage. If you get a pre1970's they are true stitchers and virtually indestructible.

[iowaorganic]

I have a Janome 6500 and boy was it an upgrade from my crappy Singer! I got a hot deal on it by calling dealers and seeing if they had an scratch/dent machines. Mine has a little scratch in the paint and that made it $400 less than the perfect ones and still has the same warranty. I made my decision after going for a day of test sewing at 4 different shops. Viking, Bernina and Elna (seems like a pretty good machine- the dealer sewed through a yardstick and 6 layers of denim!) were the other ones I tried.

[happyfrog]

Originally Posted by iowaorganic

Viking, Bernina and Elna (seems like a pretty good machine- the dealer sewed through a yardstick and 6 layers of denim!) were the other ones I tried.

now WHY would one need/desire to sew thru a yardstick??

now i can see sewing thru some plastic sheeting sandwiched in the middle between 2 heavy weight fabrics - shoot I did that myself a week ago, lol when
I made a new under carriage storage thingy for my Runabout stroller.

to op - i think personally one should go to the 'real' dealers - bernina, viking, pfaff, singer, whoever else is out there and test drive the machines - both new AND used - there are some GREAT used machines available - you just have to ask!

find out how much money you'd need for your 'dream' and then decide what you really NEED and go from there on saving for that machine.

most people will only straight stitch and zig zag, and reverse both those stitches. as long as one has variable stitch length you can sew/create almost anything from embroidery to buttonholes to plain old hemming of curtains or whatever.

all the bells and whistles are fun to play with and drool over but really they're not used much - unless you're a serious quilter or creative sew'er who uses those fancy stitches to embroider stuff on fabric (my machine does that and I did that a couple of times,b ut WOWSERS is it time consuming) did it only because the machine had it, not because i really had any need to do so, ya know?

bettyann
working on sewing diaper stash for baby #3 as I'll have THREE children at once in diapers!!! eeks!

[rainbowmoon]

:
thanks for the info.

I am still leaning towards allbrands, as unfortunatley, there is not much in the way of shopping where I am. (I'm pretty sure they have a nice warranty as well, I know several people who have bought machines from there and have been satisfied)

I am actually looking at machines that do embroidery but they are soooo pricey. I just want a workhorse that won't burn out (My mom has a kenmore from the early 70's that's still running! ) so maybe you have something there about vintage machines. hmmm.

[Morganfyre]

In my NSHO, as I am a complete sewing machine snob, Berninas are the best way to go. They are one of the few that are still using solid metal frames, and I am very particular in that my machine MUST be heavy (as must be my iron). Right now I have an older Bernina (130) but really want to get either one of the Quilting editions or the new one with the stitch regulator (drool).

Barring a Bernina, stick with a used, heavy machine. Even the ancient Singer Featherweight is more reliable than many of the newer machines. If you must, go with a Janome or a Husqvarna.

[rainbowmoon]

I have been eyeing this one. do you mamas think it's a good one?
http://www.allbrands.com/products/abp11667-0067.html

I think it has a 10 year warranty on parts and 1 year warranty for labor. pretty good?