My niece (from the greater Cincinnati area) is looking to start sewing. Probably not clothes -- but baby quilts, bags/totes and maybe bed-sized quilts some day.
She's on a pretty tight budget. I found a Pfaff 2020 at a Pfaff dealer in Dublin, Ohio during my visit to my mom -- I should have bought it for her.
Do any of you have any suggestions for a good beginner's machine that will give her enough features/stitches to excite her about sewing -- but still have a price tag that is manageable for a young woman paying off college loans and living on a shoestring budget!
Kate, I would recommend finding a sewing machine store in her town and going in to look at good, refurbished, used machines. While you could find a new machine for a couple hundred dollars, for a good bit less than that, you could find a good machine that just isn't the new model. Buying local means she would have easy access to information and maybe even lessons. If you're determined to buy new, try one of the lower priced machines from Babylock or Janome. I've used both and they're nice machines. My very favorite machine, which definitely has plenty of pizazz, is my Pfaff 7570 which came to me when it was already around 12 years old. It's a fabulous machine and my favorite of all my machines for piecing because of its precision and quiet stitching.
I bought my daughter in law a Sears Kenmore machine last Christmas, she loves it and my two granddaughters ages 9 and 12 love it too. They really like the machine and have had no problems using it so far. The girls say it's cute and easy to use and it's fun! Sewing is fun for them all now with this machine. It's made by Janome and can be purchased from Overstock in a refurbished model for between $99 and $119 (the price there varies for some reason). The model from Sears is badged as a Kenmore and sells for around $129 to $149 on sale and they have a regular price of $179. This machine has good reviews on both of these websites as well as the patternreview.com website
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I have no connection to either Sears, Overstock, or Janome other than as a customer. In fact I sometimes very much dislike Sears but since my family is mostly in California I buy almost everything online and have it delivered and I had great delivery with this machine. I think machines should be going on sale because of Mother's Day but who knows?
Hope this helps,
Judie
Kate > My niece (from the greater Cincinnati area) is looking to start sewing.
I'm with you on the 7570 -- I have one also. and a 2030. I found a 2020 at a Columbus Pfaff dealer -- for a great price ($250!!) -- but she wasn't ready yet. That would have been a GREAT machine!!!
Kate, I'm not familiar with the Pfaff's at all so I have no clue how recent the model you're looking into may be. But, have you ever searched the Good Will site for any machines? I do every once in a while just for kicks & giggles. You never know what they are going to have but they are always dirt cheap. I'm using DH's laptop at the moment and the link is on my computer upstairs. Just google 'good will stores' and it will take you to the link which is searchable. They tell you location, whether it will ship or not, etc. Also, craigs list might be an option for budget items.
Got to love those 7570's! Mine, called Pfilomina Pfaff is a real joy. I am disappointed that I no longer have a real Pfaff store in the area though. As much as I like the 7570, she may be a bit more than a beginner needs as her entry level SM. How about a Janome Gem? I do not have one, but have good reports from my buddies here who use that as their going to meeting machine. NAYY.
Kim: Thanks for the info ... I had no idea that Goodwill had an online store! GW on line auction is at
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Best bet is to type sewing machines into the search. That brought up two pages. Buyer pays shipping, but can pick up the purchase at the specific Goodwill where it is currently in stock. There may be a good SM on the list that is in a store near you! Pat in Virginia
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