advice please

Welcome! But be careful - we are not all ladies! ;) We do have some very talented male sewists here too.

An excellent choice. But try it first to make sure it fits you... Buying sewing machines is like buying shoes and bras: try before you buy!

If you can afford it, it's feasible. Husqvarna and Pfaff are both good makes and last for ages. My Husqvarna Lily is nearly nine years old, has been used all that time for sewing professionally as well as for quilting and home projects. I'm not looking to upgrade or replace yet awhile! You can see some of the mad projects I've fed through it on my web site - URL below. (It's quite safe: I don't sell anything through the web site).

How do I use an overlocker?????

Carefully! It's fast, and it chops off the margin for error! That said, once you get used to it, you'll never want to be without it. I make things like this on mine:

also things like this: > if my then 12YO son could learn to use the overlocker, so can you: > was last summer. He needs to make some new school trousers now... ;) )>

You will! :) Poke about and get yourself a good sewing manual, some nice cotton thread and some plain unbleaches calico and practice making seams and learning to control the machine while you decide what you want to make first.

They are ALL expensive if things go wrong! However, if you treat the machine with respect and look after it, you'll get many years of reliable work out of it. Do look at the service schedule, and keep to it. Modern machines are like cars in that respect: they respond to regular servicing! Mine get serviced every 9 months to a year as they get heavy use, but most domestic sewists get away with once every year to two years.

About the best there are. The only other in that bracket is Bernina. The reason I have Bernina and Husqvarna machines is only that Pfaff don't fir my fingers, which is why you need to try before you buy.

imaan had written this in response to

:hello Kate, Thanks for the reply, the advice and the link...you must have done some hard work at Weight Watchers, you don't look like you need to lose any weight at all!

I am probably going to hold off on the husqvarna computerised. It seems a little scary, and I want to test my simple Janome while I get the hang of a sewing machine. I am halfway through making a simple A line dress, and it seems to be going well so far. I have not had the courage to get the serger out of the box yet. The lady that sold it to us has offered a free lesson, so I am going to avail myself of that. It all seems very complicated.

I have also decided to spend the AUD800 I would have spent on the Husqvarna on a Horn sewing cabinet instead, for the time being. I have young children underfoot, and don't want them getting into sharps. And using a sewing table as a laying/ cutting table will be kinder to my back! I am told these tables ought to last for years. So, I have placed an order.

I would love a fancy sewing machine, but I figure it can wait a little, till I know what I am doing. Many sewists I know seem to have multiple sewing machines and overlockers...why?

In any case, thank you for your advice. Any more is always welcome:-)

Imaan

Kate XXXXXX wrote:

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