As an older person I could finally afford the machine of my dreams. I have a machine that makes buttonholes completely anxiety free, completely replicable, and beautiful, even on uneven lumpy areas. I love it and it makes sewing a joy. It is a Bernina 770.
I totally agree, the buttonhole feature can be so confusing! 🫤
I’ve never used an automatic threader before, but I’m definitely adding it to my list for my next machine. And the walking foot preventing stretching? That’s a game-changer. Every time I see those endless lists of machine feet from vendors, I can’t help but wonder, which ones do I actually need? Thanks for sharing.
As the rare person who DOWN GRADED her sewing machine, it's great to read advice that points out that you really need to think about all the feature that sound great, but you'll likely never use. I had a very expensive and high quality Bernina 570 QE. Too much machine wasted on me. I didn't need 400 stitches. Does anyone really need 400 stitches? I traded in my Bernina and purchased a JUKI TL-18QVP that has all of the features I need and none that I would ever use. And to your point, metal rules! It's a solid machine, although it's very heavy. Not a portable machine as they advertise, but I love it and it's the perfect machine for bag making. For the very few garment sewing features not available on my JUKI, I purchased a Bernette b77, and the price of the Bernette and JUKI combined was much less than my Bernina.
I have a sewing machine but it's so intimidating, I've never used it. it was my mother-in-law's and she gave it to me after she upgraded. she showed me how to thread it and it looked like a 30 step process I was so afraid I wouldn't be able to replicate that I just shoved it in a closet and it still has that same purple thread in it 15 years later.
I've had my eye on a marketplace listing marked free with a singer 401a in the photo. I can't seem to get ahold of them but I would love it to be my heavy duty mechanical machine.
I have a 401G as my "daily drive". Love it. Does superb straight stitch.
Tanner, I would add to your excellent list: the ability to move the needle to either side the full amount, manually. Weirdly, I've come across machines that won't do this.
I have 2 machines I use on the regular. One is a Singer 15-90 straight stitch for all my heavy fabrics and the other is a 1970s singer touch n sew. This is my light duty beast .
When I upgraded I looked for a machine with a wider throat space and a higher lift on the presser foot because I will sometimes sew thicker and or large projects (multiple layers of denim on jeans or a quilt for example). Although not necessary the knee lift was surprisingly helpful when I used it on a large bulky project.
There probably isn't a perfect one, but there are definitely some that are REALLY good. I've sewn on a few now, and have really been happy with my Janome S5/Babylock Victory set. Having said that, I did pick up a mint-condition, vintage Bernina 930 recently, for the more heavy duty end of my sewing spectrum. I can't imagine wanting or needing anything else. The Janome has more stitches than I'll ever use, but I love the feature set that it has, and the buttonhole function is perfection every time. Attach buttonholer, insert the button, choose the stitch number, test the length on a garment fabric scrap, and off you go. The Babylock is amazing.
I love my Juki HZL-DX7. Yes, it has lots of stitches I don’t use, but some that I do, and it makes great buttonholes. Knee lift, threader, programmable foot control. It goes on sale, too. Serger is the Baby Lock 55th Anniversary and it a close second in my affections
I’m always so surprised that Janome machines are not included in short lists more often. I just purchased the Janome HD1000 for about $300, and it has a metal base and parts, manual 4-step buttonhole maker (like the beloved Bernina 1008) and a smooth, smooth stitch for all my garment making. Recommend!
I found a free singer sewing machine next to a dumpster that I picked up. Works for the most part, but I keep running into tension issues that I haven't been able to resolve, and I can't figure out if I'm the problem (most likely this) or if the machine is the problem (less likely). This is the perfect article whenever I decide to upgrade from free
It might just need a good cleaning or tune up! I fought with tension on my machine for years - i thought it was me or the machine was just cheap- and then my grandma mentioned having her machine cleaned and tuned up at the local shop and a light bulb went on. Turned out there was lint inside gumming things up.
Unfortunately I don’t think there is a standard. I know that’s it’s used in advertisements though! For example, my Babylock Accomplish can supposedly sew through 6 layers of denim.
As an older person I could finally afford the machine of my dreams. I have a machine that makes buttonholes completely anxiety free, completely replicable, and beautiful, even on uneven lumpy areas. I love it and it makes sewing a joy. It is a Bernina 770.
Your writing is a delight! Thank you for delivering valuable information so playfully.
Thank you I really appreciate that :)
I totally agree, the buttonhole feature can be so confusing! 🫤
I’ve never used an automatic threader before, but I’m definitely adding it to my list for my next machine. And the walking foot preventing stretching? That’s a game-changer. Every time I see those endless lists of machine feet from vendors, I can’t help but wonder, which ones do I actually need? Thanks for sharing.
As the rare person who DOWN GRADED her sewing machine, it's great to read advice that points out that you really need to think about all the feature that sound great, but you'll likely never use. I had a very expensive and high quality Bernina 570 QE. Too much machine wasted on me. I didn't need 400 stitches. Does anyone really need 400 stitches? I traded in my Bernina and purchased a JUKI TL-18QVP that has all of the features I need and none that I would ever use. And to your point, metal rules! It's a solid machine, although it's very heavy. Not a portable machine as they advertise, but I love it and it's the perfect machine for bag making. For the very few garment sewing features not available on my JUKI, I purchased a Bernette b77, and the price of the Bernette and JUKI combined was much less than my Bernina.
I have a sewing machine but it's so intimidating, I've never used it. it was my mother-in-law's and she gave it to me after she upgraded. she showed me how to thread it and it looked like a 30 step process I was so afraid I wouldn't be able to replicate that I just shoved it in a closet and it still has that same purple thread in it 15 years later.
I've had my eye on a marketplace listing marked free with a singer 401a in the photo. I can't seem to get ahold of them but I would love it to be my heavy duty mechanical machine.
I have a 401G as my "daily drive". Love it. Does superb straight stitch.
Tanner, I would add to your excellent list: the ability to move the needle to either side the full amount, manually. Weirdly, I've come across machines that won't do this.
I have 2 machines I use on the regular. One is a Singer 15-90 straight stitch for all my heavy fabrics and the other is a 1970s singer touch n sew. This is my light duty beast .
When I upgraded I looked for a machine with a wider throat space and a higher lift on the presser foot because I will sometimes sew thicker and or large projects (multiple layers of denim on jeans or a quilt for example). Although not necessary the knee lift was surprisingly helpful when I used it on a large bulky project.
That is a good point! I need to try that out!
Does a machine need a special setting to use a free motion foot? Can you put it on any machine and just go for it?
There probably isn't a perfect one, but there are definitely some that are REALLY good. I've sewn on a few now, and have really been happy with my Janome S5/Babylock Victory set. Having said that, I did pick up a mint-condition, vintage Bernina 930 recently, for the more heavy duty end of my sewing spectrum. I can't imagine wanting or needing anything else. The Janome has more stitches than I'll ever use, but I love the feature set that it has, and the buttonhole function is perfection every time. Attach buttonholer, insert the button, choose the stitch number, test the length on a garment fabric scrap, and off you go. The Babylock is amazing.
I love my Juki HZL-DX7. Yes, it has lots of stitches I don’t use, but some that I do, and it makes great buttonholes. Knee lift, threader, programmable foot control. It goes on sale, too. Serger is the Baby Lock 55th Anniversary and it a close second in my affections
I have a Babylock Victory Serger and I love it as much as my dog, and that is saying something lol
I’m always so surprised that Janome machines are not included in short lists more often. I just purchased the Janome HD1000 for about $300, and it has a metal base and parts, manual 4-step buttonhole maker (like the beloved Bernina 1008) and a smooth, smooth stitch for all my garment making. Recommend!
I found a free singer sewing machine next to a dumpster that I picked up. Works for the most part, but I keep running into tension issues that I haven't been able to resolve, and I can't figure out if I'm the problem (most likely this) or if the machine is the problem (less likely). This is the perfect article whenever I decide to upgrade from free
It might just need a good cleaning or tune up! I fought with tension on my machine for years - i thought it was me or the machine was just cheap- and then my grandma mentioned having her machine cleaned and tuned up at the local shop and a light bulb went on. Turned out there was lint inside gumming things up.
Is there any standardized measurement for how heavy duty a sewing machine is?
For how many layers of fabric it can stitch through?
I would like to modify and repair work clothes, like Carharrt pants.
Unfortunately I don’t think there is a standard. I know that’s it’s used in advertisements though! For example, my Babylock Accomplish can supposedly sew through 6 layers of denim.