» buy singer sewing machine

I bought a toy sewing machine for my granddaughter and when I received it the bobbin case was missing and it won’t sew without it. I called Singer but they don’t have one and had me to call some of the service centers but I still haven’t found one.

Real long shot this one…there is a singer sewing machine place on Parnell st in Dublin city…you might strike it lucky there…best of luck!

I’m looking to finally purchase a sewing machine. I learned how to use my mother’s 50 year old Singer machine, and it was a pain in the behind, mostly because it was so old and difficult to thread, and it pulls on the fabric when stitching. But, it did it’s job and it’s lasted an insane amount of time.

I’m looking to purchase a Singer machine, however, it’s very important that I buy a product NOT made in China. My old Singer was made in Canda. I’ve tried searching, but does anyone know where the newer Singer machines are made? A machine like the Singer Confidence or the Singer Infinity?

Are there any particularly good sewing machines for a somewhat novice beginner, self taught sewer, who wants a machine that will be with them for the next 50-60 years? Suggestions please!

Best advice I know of:
http://www.cet.com/~pennys/faq/smfaq.htm

Singer had a really bad patch from about the 1970’s on, and I’m not sure if they’ve climbed out of that and started making good machines again. Janome is about the best inexpensive line I’ve sewn on, but I really prefer the Viking/Pfaff/Elna/Bernina/Toyota/Juki stitch quality to Janome’s.

At 60 years, I’d guess this was a straight stitch only machine you’ve got now. The pulling problem is probably quite easy to solve with a good clean/oil/adjust (you might consider doing it yourself with the help of the yahoo group "wefixit"), but that won’t cure the lack of a zigzag or easy buttonholes. Still, you might want to hang on to the machine for topstitching, quilting, and heavy work.

In general, a lot of the new, less expensive machines are coming out of China. To avoid that, you’ll probably have to go to one of the European or Japanese brands, and not the bottom of the line machines in those brands.

Do shop around… try several brands. Some of the newer machines make things like buttonholes a real pleasure. If you really want a machine that lasts 60+ years, you’re going to be looking at a mechanical rather than an electronic or computerized machines. However, there are advantages to electronic machines that are not present in the purely mechanical machines, like stepper motors that give you full punching force of the needle even at stitch-at-a-time speeds.

I, like you, was a little leery of electronic or computerized machines when I was shopping for a new machine about 12 years ago. Hubby The Engineer persuaded me to at least try the electronic machines because of the stepper motor advantage, and I have to say he’s right. FWIW, I’ve got a midline electronic Viking, and I’m very pleased with it.

Try different brands, too…. some will feel "easier" to you than others. For instance, I almost always feel like I’ve got 10 thumbs when I sew on a Bernina, but I’ve not met a Viking or Pfaff that I couldn’t sew comfortably at within a couple of minutes. For other people, it’s the other way around. Find what works for you.

Also check reviews at places like http://www.patternreview.com

I would like to buy a new sewing machine, and I’m not sure what to buy. I need it to be heavy duty; my daughter is in art school and has crazy projects. I’m not sure whether I should buy one with a mechanical or electric motor either. I need to buy this in Montreal, some major brands are Brother, Singer, Pfaff. Thanks a lot, I know this is a tough question.

Maybe you need two machines? When you say "heavy duty", do you mean long hours of sewing, or sewing through heavy materials? And by "mechanical or electric motor" are you thinking of a treadle or handcrank machine (most machines do have motors), or was it a typo for "servo or stepper motor vs. standard electric motor"?

Most home machines are not meant for long hours of sewing — a couple of hours of needle time a day is fairly heavy duty for a home machine. Even though those of us who sew at home are often in the sewing room long hours, actual stitching time tends to be in fairly short bursts instead of seaming for hours at a stretch like a commercial or industrial machine might do.

If you’re looking for hours and hours of sewing time, I’d suggest you might want to look at commercial machines intended for tailor and alteration shops, at "portable industrials" like the Juki TL98q, or at a standard industrial machine with separate motor and table (and oil bath usually).

Home machines are made for sewing mostly apparel weight fabrics, using "dressmaker" weights of thread. Bulling through thick upholstery fabrics and such on a regular basis or needing to use threads like upholstery nylon v69 is not a job for a home machine — again, you need the proper type of commercial or industrial machine to handle this sort of load. I do keep an old Singer 15 around for the occasional bit of sewing I do that needs heavy thread – but it’s because it’s a $10 machine and if I ruin the tension, I can fix it myself. Can’t do that with my Viking electronic.

Motor types:
Non-motorized (treadle or handcrank) machines are generally vintage straight stitchers. Parts can be difficult to find, but they’re a lot of fun to keep going and to sew on.

Standard electric motor: tends to stall at low speeds and you don’t get the full "punching force" of the needle at low speed. Generally found on the lower end new machines now, with mechanical linkages.

Stepper and Servo motors: give you full punching force at slow sewing speeds; generally found on electronic and computerized machines — this sort of setup generally allows multiple needle positions, needle up/down controls, etc.

Please go talk to the best dealers around about your needs and try out some machines before making your decision. In general, new home sewing machines below about $300 US are not very maintainable and not of wonderful quality — I sewed one into unrepairability in less than a couple of years of not very hard use, and it was never a fun machine to sew on. My Viking electronic was a little more than twice that new, and it’s been a pleasure to sew on in the last 12+ years — it just sews with no fuss and bother, and does what I want it to do precisely. If money is tight, I’d urge you to consider a good used sewing machine rather than a new one.

Take samples of the sorts of fabrics and threads you’ll be using. Test the machine out on them. A good home machine will handle everything from silk chiffon to bull denim with aplomb. Industrial machines, however, tend to be more specialized… there are machines that are designed for light, slippery fabrics and machines that will sew 3/4" of leather — but you’re unlikely to find a machine that will do well with both.

Some starter reading for you, if you can find them at your library:
Gale Grigg Hazen: Owner’s Guide to Sewing Machines, Sergers and Knitting Machines
John Giordano: The Sewing Machine Book
Carol Ahles: Fine Machine Sewing
(these three titles are mostly complementary rather than overlapping)

Web stuff:
http://www.cet.com/~pennys/faq/smfaq.htm
machine reviews at http://www.patternreview.com
http://www.threadsmagazine.com/item/4147/updated-the-latest-in-sewing-machines

Personally, I like Bernina, Janome, Pfaff, and Viking (alphabetical order) for current home sewing machines in terms of quality of stitching and support.

Talk to dealers, sew on machines, check reviews, check on service before choosing a new machine. Consider a garage sale mechanical that you can maintain yourself for heavy duty or dirty occasional projects… the folks at the yahoo group "wefixit" can help you learn to do a lot of the basic adjustments on a mechanical for yourself.