Sewing machine for beginner sewer

My daughter's enrolled in a beginner sewing class at FIT that starts the middle of next month. We live a few blocks from the school. Perhaps we'll wait until classes start to decide on which machine feels best.

Hi Melinda, I'm assuming you're an adult, and I'm also assuming that you're familiar with the species Americanus Teenagerus, so I don't need to spell out for you the slight disappointment she might experience when offered a secondhand machine. However, that being said, she's a good kid and will be very accepting of the logic (older sewing machines are better than new ones) once it's explained to her. She is, after all, a big consumer of vintage clothing, and that stuff can be pretty iffy, if you know what I mean...

Pose the question to her as: "Would you rather have a well-maintained

10-year-old Mercedes (or BMW, Cadillac, Lexus, whatever-top-of-the-line car she hankers for, etc.) or a brand new Yugo"???? ;-) My personal preference in older machines is the 401A by Singer. I have three, one bought brand new in 1960, and still working like a champion, and the other two off eBay more recently!

That's why I said that she should be a partner in the decision of what machine to buy. My children range in age from 14 to 22, so I'm familiar with that age range as far as my four have been concerned, but we have never been terribly affluent and my children understand that buying a well-cared-for used item gives a lot more bang for the buck and sometimes enables you to be able to own something that you could never buy new.

I would th> Hi Melinda,

Hm... Swap her for an 11 YO boy! He wants his OWN pre-loved sewing machine!. Mind you, as I already have 12 machines... And only 3 were bought new!

VERY good move! If they have lovely new machines that she hates, it'll help narrow down the search! :)

If she has Teen Inspired Newitis, HV do some lovely special edition simpler machines that will be great.

On the other hand... Let me tell you a story!

There was this impoverished student, back in the 1970's. She had very little money, but a serious clothing habit. She'd always had a serious clothing habit. She could sew, but she couldn't afford to buy much on a UK student grant. So she saved up her beer and skittles money for half a term and BOUGHT A SEWING MACHINE! OK, so it was an old hand-crank in a manky case, but it sewed sweetly and never let her down. After a couple of weeks, when her pals saw what she could do with this machine, she noticed a queue of friends coming by for coffee/tea, with little jobs that needed doing. Jamie wanted these straight jeans turned into flares, and his mum had given him some old curtains for fabric... Lizzy needed a new shirt for a date... Alex wanted a strap mended on his rucksack... Ian needed a new window in his Land Rover cover... The list got longer!

The friends would drink the coffee, riffle the bikkies and the fruit basket, sit and catch up on essays and reading, or whatever, while our student sewed. In return (this being a student economy rather than a cash economy!) our lass was taken to the pub and fed sandwiches and beer, taken to the Chinese for dinner, given lengths of fabric, taken on weekend climbing trips - whatever she could be bribed with! And the friends knew that if she had her own work to do, the sewing would wait. Sometimes the sewing was done during the day when the light was better, and the essays were done late at night after the pub... But they all got done, and she passed all her exams, and she still knows some of those other students.

Click on the URL below to see both the student as she is now and the sewing machine!

That was a really great move on her part. She's taking advantage of a very fine school. I wish her well. Juno

The Fashion Institute of Technology is absolutely wonderful! Your daughter is going to have a great time and receive excellent instruction as well. Chelsea has changed so much in that area, what used to be known as the "Fur District" and "Flower District" is rapidly becoming one of the most desired addresses in Manhattan.

Have been meaning to take some classes at FIT, but one never seems to have enough time, maybe this summer.

Candide

Well since you're in our "neck of the woods", if interested have two good resources (dealers) for sewing machines. Both sell new and old units so your daughter can be as spoilt for choice as you like.

Good thing about buying a used machine (or any sewing machine for that matter) from a reputable dealer is one has access to service/supplies and in the case of a used unit one receives a machine that has been tested and repaired, that also usually comes with a warranty. Both my dealers have told me horror stories of some poor soul whom purchased a used Pfaff, Bernina or other sewing machine from eBay, only to have it arrive either knackered or near to it. Usually the cost of repairing such units (if possible) runs into what one would have spent if one purchased locally. With some of the older Pfaff units, parts can be VERY hard to come by if at all.

Candide

The way we handled this with our teenaged girls (when they were teens) was to stop buying them their clothes. We gave them a clothing allowance. One of them discovered Salvation Army and 100% wool sweaters for $5 and under. The other one would do without to wait until she had enough to buy one overpriced item. Both learned a lot from this process. Both are adult home-owners now. They still have differing attitudes, but both are very good with money.

That's absolutely perfect. Shoot - have her post a note here and we'll tell her too. My Mom still sews on her early 60's Singer, and so when I mentioned I wanted a machine she bought me a shiny Kenmore. IT was/is terrible - I spend more time trying to get it to work right than I do actually sewing. I keep it around so my Mom won't be hurt, but I do all my sewing on a very basic late 60's Penney's machine I got at a yard sale for $20, and a Japanese Singer clone I fetched from my neighbor's "going to the thrift store" pile.

I'm just a hobby sewist, but I can tell you it is very frustrating to work with a machine that isn't quite right.

Angela

A used metal bodied machine is always a good buy. They can be infinitely repaired. Any brand will do. I'm partial to the Singer 326 from 1965. It was the first machine I ever bought and still runs. Last month I went machine-shopping with my brother and found another for only $19.99! All I had to do was replace the belt and clean the machine. I photocopied the insturction book and sent him on his way.

The Singer326 is a wonderful machine that uses cams for decorative stitching. Fortunately, the cam inside his machine is the zigzag, the only one he will ever need.

My mother bought my niece a used Baby Bernina that does blind hems, zigzags in several widths, and straight stitching. What a love of a machine!. When it is cleaned regularly, it is impossible to make it misbehave.

Miz Spike

Hi Candide, Sure, can you forward me your two resources. We'll have a look this weekend. I'm a big fan of eBay, but rarely do I buy complicated mechanical things, so perhaps sticking with a dealer is the way to go.

Thanks,

Mark

Manhattan Sewing Machine Center - 212-7347909 (on East 85th Street)

Crown Sewing Machine Service - 212-6638968 (Broadway near 114th Street)

Manhattan Sewing deals mainly in Bernina, Elna and White, and Crown, Pfaff but each may have other machines for sale and or used/unclaimed items. Of the two I prefer Manhattan, but Manhattan fixed/cleaned up my eBay find Pfaff unit and so far no problems. Considering what it cost me, there better not be either! *LOL*

While on the subject of eBay and Pfaff, if you want a true work horse starter machine for your daughter, look at the Pfaff 1200 series (1209,

1222, 1229, 1217 and a few others). There is a reason these machines though long out of production are quite dear for "used" machines. They are German made and built for the duration with mainly all metal. In fact early Pfaff models from the 130, 200 and 300 range are equally durable (more so because they are truly all metal and totally mechanical), and equally sought after.

Pfaff has been sold several times IIRC, and today's machines are made in Asia (again IIRC), but the German built units were and still are the golden standard when it comes to sewing machines. Ok, some might disagree, but Pfaff was the first and only sewing machine to have a built in dual feed/walking foot, which makes sewing all types of fabrics a breeze.

Pfaff even has it's own group on Yahoo (Old Pfaff Forum), which is were fellow Pfaffies get together to natters on about our machines and share information.

Pfaff 1200 series and other models mentioned can be found on eBay, but as with all other things, buyer beware. My 1209 unit arrived with damage that rendered it totally useless. Crown Sewing fixed the problem and the seller once advised of the problems refunded a good deal of the purchase price. If you do decide to venture onto eBay, look for sellers who are sewing machine dealers (there are quite a few), and anyone else who gives a guarantee on the unit. Failing this, bid accordingly; while some parts for older units are hard to come by, have another source should you ever need it, that probably can help, and they also do repair work but are out of state.

Last summer there was a Pfaff 1222E on Craigslist going for only a few hundred. This was a good price considering it was local and came with all accessories, however being it was just after receiving my damaged Pfaff unit and subsequent repair/bill, didn't go for it. Could kick myself now! *LOL*

Candide

"Candide" wrote Pfaff was the first and only sewing machine to have a

Candide - A few weeks ago I would have agreed with you on this point but I just recently bought a Davis Vertical Feed treadle made some time between

1916 (the copyright date on the machine) and 1924 (when the factory switched to making Huffy bikes according to the internet...) which has a 2 piece walking foot and no feed dogs! I'm not sure when Pfaff started putting the IDT on their machines... Just checked Pfaff USA and it says 35 years so must've been with the 12xx series - my Mom bought her 1222 in 1973. I have a 30, 130, 260, and 1475 so we're Pfaff fans!

Hi Candide, Sorry for not thanking you sooner, but this weekend has been busy. My wife and I ventured out in the pouring rain on Saturday and went to a few stores and repair places in search of a Bernina 830-- to no avail. We came home soaked (our pet corgi wasn't too thrilled participating in our futile quest and tried to duck into every store he could just to get out of the rain). I spent several hours on line today and yesterday scouring for an 830, and even bid on a nice looking one on eBay that wound up going for around $870 with shipping (I capped my bidding at $755). I'll take you up on adding Pfaff to my search, plus I'll definitely call Manhattan Sewing and Crown first thing tomorrow.

Thanks again, Mark

Best of British luck in finding a Bernina 830 in a shop! *LOL* Those machines are "work horses" and normally kept on even after a person acquires a new machine. Otherwise they are sold off on eBay where they are fetching prices in the several hundred dollar range.

Cannot blame the wee doggie, it was a horrible day to be out and about.

*LOL*

I spent several hours on line today and

Bernina 830 is a very "hot" machine at the moment, more so than the Pfaff 1200 or 1400 series. It amazes me how much people are willing to pay for a 20 some odd year old machine, but they are worth it. Personally I'd delay purchasing an 830 until the furore dies down, or unless one comes to your attention at a good price.

Manhattan Sewing is an authorised Bernina dealer/repair service, but while he does have new Bernina models, cannot say if he will have an

830. However the owner is a very nice man and will answer all questions you may have. The shop is very bright and clean with lots of Bernina and other machines on site for you (or DD) to try. Personally I'd take DD, to the shop and let her take a look at the various machines. Have her bring along some material she is likely to sew and try several machines. Again you may not find a 830, but at least you and DD will get an idea of what sort of machine/stitches/features she likes and will want.

Crown is an older store, and reminds one of "Oscar Madison's" bedroom!

*LOL* IIRC they also service and sell typewriters (remember those), radios, vacuums and other small appliances besides sewing machines. When I was there last summer with my Pfaff, they had several rows of machines including some vintage Elna, Pfaff and Bernia machines on the wall and on tables, but was not sure if those were for sale or dropped off for repair.

Candide