Buying sewing machines for beginners is especially tough when you are a just starting out. It can be a scary task; add to that all the different brands and each of them have many different models it inevitably becomes incredibly more difficult.
1) Objective: Like with any other product you purchase, before buying a sewing machine you need to ask yourself why you need a sewing machine in the first place. Writing down all the reasons why you need it may help you narrow down to the one which is best suits you.
2) Questions: As a beginner seamstress you may need to ask yourself the following questions:
· Will you be sewing simple home décor projects or fashionable clothing?
· Will you be quilting?
· Do you want a lighter and portable sewing machine?
· Do you want to go for a simple sewing machine or a computerized one?
· What about embroidery? Will you need to embroider often?
· What is your budget? How much are you ready to pay for a sewing machine right now? Are you ready to spend the big bucks or do you need to look at the discount sewing machines?
· Do you have enough space in your house or room for a sewing machine and consequently area?
3) Features: The bare minimum that a brand new seamstress should look for in purchasing their very first sewing machine is the following:
· a nice clean straight stitch
· a nice zigzag
· a very easy method of making buttonholes
· an adjustable presser foot pressure
· A variety of stitch lengths from 0-6
4) Price: A great sewing machine starts as low as $50 for a very basic discount model, and can go up to thousands of dollars for the high-tech advanced models. If you’re a brand new beginner then I advise you to stick to discount and the very basic models rather than machines with tons of features, however if you are enthusiastic it is really worth buying an all in one machine, so that you have all the fantastic features as you become more and more familiar with them. Either way, consider all the different models and ask yourself what you’re planning to use the machine for, and then choose respectively.
5) Machine: There are tons of different sewing machine brands and models to choose from, Brother, Singer, Juki, SewPro, Consew, Bernina, Simplicity, Viking Husqvarna and many more. When first starting out, I highly advise you to choose a simple sewing machine like the Singer 4200 series or the Brother 25-Stitch Sewing Machine or Singer 30-Stitch Function Sewing Machine. If you are looking to buy for a childs sewing machine then the Singer Zigzag Sewing Machine and the Singer Chain Stitch Sewing machine is highly recommended.
Come back soon as I will be discussing all the different sewing machine attachments and how to use them and how to find replacement parts if you need them. Plus we will go into different sewing machine bobbins and techniques on making these little buggers easier to work with.