Sewing machine question (UK)

------------------------ "Old quilters never die, they just go to pieces."

DO NOT just buy her one! You MUST take her to get it fitted! Think of it as being like buying shoes or a bra! What suits me may rub her up all wrong and get her throwing it (and you!) through the nearest window! Would you buy her walking boots or a new coat without her trying them on, or buy her a new car without her test driving it? Buying a new sewing machine is like that!

That said, the brands I like best are:

Husqvarna - I have a Lily 550/555 and a Huskylock 910 overlocker, and you can see them both at work on my web site: URL below. I'm down in Kent, and I bought them in Canterbury.

Bernina: I like their older machines very well: the newer ones are just as good, but the Husqvarna just fitted better...

Pfaff: great machines, wrong shape for me! NOTHING where my fingers fall on it naturally, so they irritate... (See what I mean about 'fitting'?)

Janome: some folk swear by them, I have yet to meet one I'd let in through the front door! Oddly, their low end ones seem to be better made and more reliable than their top end machines. This is what the little voices in the teaching world are saying to me! (You will see I am an adult ed and KCU tutor, if you look at the teaching section of my web site.)

Toyota: more budget conscious, but good and sturdy for the price: I had one of their overlockers and loved it.

Silver Viscount: same category as Toyota. I had an old metal Viscount that was so good I gave it to my mum, so it's available to me as a spare if I need it! Built like a brick netty, no bad habits.

Husky Star: Husqvarna's budget range, made for them in the far east: good sturdy machines.

Frister & Rossman and Elna come with good reps, but I haven't tried one recently, nor do I know who has one... I used to use a Frister & Rossman, and it was a lovely little machine, but it only lasted 14 years... I did use one of their overlockers recently - it too is on the web site.

Ones I avoid:

Modern Singers! Have yet to find one made after 1964 that I'd actually pay money for...

Brother: Can't abide them! All plasticky, light weight and cheap feeling...

Thanks for the advice and pointers!!

Paul

Here's a handy chart I found while looking for something to add to penny's little sewing machines thread:

You will need to look elsewhere on their site for prices. The shops are in Tunbridge Wells, Croydon, and Bromley. NAYYY - just a happy customer.