What kind of sewing machine is best?

[lovemychildren]

Hey guys. I'm using my mothers 25 year old (roughly) sewing machine. It's a Kenmore 1212180. Anyway-- my mother hasn't remembered how to get it to do a "ZigZag" yet so we only have the typical vertical stitch. It has 3 shoes to use. And DH took it apart for me and oiled it yesterday. It "works" now. I made out of old baby blankets: A wrap for ds1 and ds2 and two stuffed "dinosaurs" w/old buttons from dhs' ol' shirts for eyes. I had SOOO much fun. Anyway-- we googled, and ebayed and looked around online last night. After my hospital bills (Csection :( and 3 recent ER visits for my children) are payed off, we will be in considerably better condition financially. This is when DH and I want to consider a large purchase for a sewing machine. Large meaning between 100-250$ as the limits.

I'd like to make curtains, and bed clothes, and clothes (for the kids), costumes for dress up, and wraps and slings and diapers and things. Which sewing machine would you recommend on that budget? What features do you like to include? Please remember I know virtually nothing about sewing and am only recently diving into it. Well, I guess I'm only tapping my foot in the water. *some day soon I'd also like to learn sewing things by hand- like knit or what ever its called where you can make beany hats and things. :D

[brown eyed girl]

Honestly? I'd take that Kenmore into a sewing machine shop and see if they can help you with how to do the zigzag and anything else on it....

those old machines were made SO much better than today's machines, that unless you plan to spend at least $500 it's not worth it.

My Singer is horrible... it was a $200-250 machine in 1993 and it's a piece of junk. It's constantly not working properly... and to take it in to have it looked at isn't worth the price $45 since it is inoperable so often. Usually if I fumble with it long enough it will miraculously start working again.

I hate it. I'm waiting for my mom to give up sewing and give me her 1965 Kenmore.

But that probably won't happen as long as she's alive. Too bad for me.

[lovemychildren]

I'd take that Kenmore into a sewing machine shop and see if they can help you with how to do the zigzag and anything else on it....


Those two stitches are the only ones it does. I was hoping for a sewing machine that I could do edges of things and different patterns. And this one also is "hit and miss" for how well the spool thread stays in place (with out getting tangled and pulled out of the needle hole. I do like it... but I really want one with more than just 2 stitch options: zig zag and verticle ..

[Mama Rophe]

I got a Pfaff(sp?) Hobby 1132 for about $250 when the sewing store was having a sale. I love it. It works really well, I haven't had a problem with it yet. It has quite a few different stitches on it.

[Lavender Lily]

Yup, my momsaid the same about Kenmore. She trusts them. She had this Singer sewing machine for a while, she always complained that it seemed too weak when it came to sewing jeans. She said the Kenmore is alot better. So when it comes time for me to buy one, I'm getting the Kenmore.