Help with buying a machine

Hello, I usually post to rec.crafts.textiles.needlework and someone suggested I post a link to some sewing machines someone was selling locally on Craig's list. No this is not a spam. I simply don't know anything about machines.

I want to make home dec, bedding, quilts, and my dream, making my own clothes. I need a simple machine which doesn't bunch up or jam up every two seconds, which is what I have now in the cheapest model Brother makes. I bought it ten years ago and it's never really been right and I have no idea how to do tension or any of it.

Will you take a look at the machines this woman is selling and let me know which one you'd buy and why. I am swaying away from computerized because it's Singer's first generation computerized machine.

Here's the link:

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Thank you,

Victoria

"If the present and the future were contingent on the past, then the present and the future would have existed in the past."

-Lama Tsongkhapa

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Reply to
Jangchub
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Ok...here's my 2 cents. I have about a dozen Touch & Sews in my vintage machine collection. If you haven't sewn before I honestly do not recommend learning on a vintage Touch & Sew machine, or the Athena. They are not simple to learn to use and they can be tempermental unless you know their 'sweet spots.' They have the wind in place bobbin and requires regular cleaning of that area to avoid problems.

I had an Athena and really liked it. It has a free arm, which the other machines in that group do not have. However, it, and the 700 series machine in that sale both have the rubber feed dogs which are nice with thin fabric and are required for the stretch stitch designs, but choke when sewing thicker stuff. The two 600 models are later in the series and they, along with the 700 and Athana, have plastic gears.

I see none of the machines have manuals (essential for operation and maintenance) or attachment sets.

This site may be useful.

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-Irene

Reply to
IMS

I'm going to chip in here with my advice for new and fairly new sewists here:

Now, a personal take on all those machines:

Touch & Sew: I've seen those machines referred to as Touch & Swear.

*IF* you get a good one, they seem to be OK, but there seems to be a very high percentage of lemons in this series.

They are all post 1960 machines, from on of Singer's low periods. They were stopping building with all their own parts, and quality control was not what it should have been. I do not buy Singers built after 1960. That said, I do have a 376 from the late 60's, that was given to me. After some work, we got it sewing. You can see that here:

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You really REALLY need to try any machine before you buy it, and talk to the engineer who serviced it if you are buying used.

Reply to
Kate XXXXXX

Top posting for ease; this and others have been very helpful. My local Hancock Fabrics has about ten different machines set up for test driving so I will go do that. I really want a nice entry level machine and like with other hobbies, if I see i'm continuing with it I an buy a very good machine later on.

On Wed, 10 Sep 2008 08:04:39 +0100, Kate XXXXXX wrote

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Victoria

"If the present and the future were contingent on the past, then the present and the future would have existed in the past."

-Lama Tsongkhapa

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Reply to
Jangchub

...Yes you want something that isn't going to be frustrating and problematic enough to put you off sewing -- important when you are starting out.

When I got back into sewing after a 15-year absence I made the mistake of buying a $199 Walmart Singer. It was a piece of junk but the thing was, I thought *I* was the problem -- but it was really the machine. After a few years the sewing urge wouldn't subside, so I decided to try getting a good used top of the line machine and I settled on a Singer 401 after much research (it was Singers top of the line in the

1950s) . I found one via an internet ad (not ebay) for $100 + $20 shipping. That machine re-invigorated my love of sewing, it was an absolute JOY to sew on! It also got me hooked on vintage machines but I won't go into that discussion LOL Getting a decent machine makes all the difference in the world. I've been sewing and collecting machines ever since :)

-Irene

Reply to
No_Spam_Please

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