* How much should I spend?
Before starting to write my opinion I wanted to explore the web and see what other blogs and sites recommended. Most of the sites give interesting and useful opinions but unfortunately they are always targeting adults.
Learning to sew is in my opinion like learning to play the piano. You will want your child to start playing on an electric piano or console before investing on a big upright piano...right?
Sewing machines comes in different brands,models and designs so the first thing to do is to decide what is your budget.
Learning to sew is in my opinion like learning to play the piano. You will want your child to start playing on an electric piano or console before investing on a big upright piano...right?
Sewing machines comes in different brands,models and designs so the first thing to do is to decide what is your budget.
Please be realistic. A sewing machine is not a toy. If you can only afford to spend $100.00, then look around for a used machine for sale. An older, good quality mechanical machine can be a fantastic starter machine.
Like I explained on my post " toy or real" spending $50.00 on a plastic toy machine is probably not the best idea unless you want your kid to give up on sewing.
Like I explained on my post " toy or real" spending $50.00 on a plastic toy machine is probably not the best idea unless you want your kid to give up on sewing.
*How Many Stitches Do I Need?
For most of the beginning/intermediate sewing projects you will need only the basic stitches.
Embroidery stitches are fun but how many times is your kid going to sew that cute little flowers on her clothing?
Computerized machines look cool but a mechanical machine works as good.
Check as well for a machine that has an automatic needle threader and a good powerful light bulb. It makes it hard to work if you cannot see well that needle going inside your fabric.
Embroidery stitches are fun but how many times is your kid going to sew that cute little flowers on her clothing?
Computerized machines look cool but a mechanical machine works as good.
Check as well for a machine that has an automatic needle threader and a good powerful light bulb. It makes it hard to work if you cannot see well that needle going inside your fabric.
For children, I really like machines that has a slow and fast speed dial....the bad news is that you can find this option mostly only on expensive machines, the good news instead, is that many old used machine have it.
Another thing to check out is to make sure the machine is light to carry. If your child is learning to sew at home it is not going to be that important but if she/he needs to transport her/his machine to a sewing class, you might want to consider a light weigh machine and a trolly bag.
*How can i tell if it is a good quality?
There are several brands on the market but I would go with the most popular brands because later it will be easier to find parts and notions that will fit your machine.
Check if it is easy to operate and run smoothly. You don't need to know how to sew to check it out. Turn on the machine and step on the pedal to make sure the machine is not super loud and it is free from strange noises and vibrations.
Also, make sure the bobbins are easy to place. I like machines with the top loading bobbin because they are not only easier and faster to load but if the bobbin is made of clear plastic, on a top-loading you can check how much thread is left quite easily.
Check if it is easy to operate and run smoothly. You don't need to know how to sew to check it out. Turn on the machine and step on the pedal to make sure the machine is not super loud and it is free from strange noises and vibrations.
Also, make sure the bobbins are easy to place. I like machines with the top loading bobbin because they are not only easier and faster to load but if the bobbin is made of clear plastic, on a top-loading you can check how much thread is left quite easily.
This is what I learned: when I started to teach sewing,I replaced my
old machines with super fancy Singer machines that I still use
occasionally in the studio. The kids did ok for 2 years but we used
maybe 10 of the hundreds stitches available and the big digital screen
on the machine was a pain. The kids took it for an iPad and played all
the time on it, constantly changing the settings. They also have no
speed control, so they were difficult to use for my beginners.
After I joined a sewing teacher group, I noticed that most of the
teachers were using in their class the Brother cs6000i sewing machines
so after learning more about it I decided to replace all my machines
again.
I use each sewing machine for about 15 hours each week and I hardly
had any issue with them.
They have all the stitches you need for your basic sewing plus some
fun decorative stitches.
The machine comes with a lot of different feet (many machines on the
market come with only a few).
It comes with an extension table and a hard cover.
The machine has speed control (yeah) and the ability to be used
without the foot paddle.
It has an automated needle in and out and automatic threader.
The best part is the affordable price for all these bells and
whistles. (I sound like a QVC person haha)
I like to shop on Amazon. They offer for about $21 (It could be more
now) an extra 3 years’ service plan. If a machine breaks the first
year, I have a shop in Glendale that will honor the manufacturer
warranty but after the first year for any machine repair the cost goes
crazy high. They will easily ask you $100 even before they figure out
what the problem is. With the service plan you can send the machine
for free, they fix it for free and it comes back for free.
I have in class the Brother Cs6000i machine pre-covid used to be
around $145, with Covid it went up to $500 and now it is around
$200-$300. Unfortunately they discontinued this model but the new
model (link below) has the same controls as the one we use in class.
Let me know if you have any more questions. Hopefully they will have
great deals for Black Friday.
Miss Anita
https://amzn.to/3tNztO1
old machines with super fancy Singer machines that I still use
occasionally in the studio. The kids did ok for 2 years but we used
maybe 10 of the hundreds stitches available and the big digital screen
on the machine was a pain. The kids took it for an iPad and played all
the time on it, constantly changing the settings. They also have no
speed control, so they were difficult to use for my beginners.
After I joined a sewing teacher group, I noticed that most of the
teachers were using in their class the Brother cs6000i sewing machines
so after learning more about it I decided to replace all my machines
again.
I use each sewing machine for about 15 hours each week and I hardly
had any issue with them.
They have all the stitches you need for your basic sewing plus some
fun decorative stitches.
The machine comes with a lot of different feet (many machines on the
market come with only a few).
It comes with an extension table and a hard cover.
The machine has speed control (yeah) and the ability to be used
without the foot paddle.
It has an automated needle in and out and automatic threader.
The best part is the affordable price for all these bells and
whistles. (I sound like a QVC person haha)
I like to shop on Amazon. They offer for about $21 (It could be more
now) an extra 3 years’ service plan. If a machine breaks the first
year, I have a shop in Glendale that will honor the manufacturer
warranty but after the first year for any machine repair the cost goes
crazy high. They will easily ask you $100 even before they figure out
what the problem is. With the service plan you can send the machine
for free, they fix it for free and it comes back for free.
I have in class the Brother Cs6000i machine pre-covid used to be
around $145, with Covid it went up to $500 and now it is around
$200-$300. Unfortunately they discontinued this model but the new
model (link below) has the same controls as the one we use in class.
Let me know if you have any more questions. Hopefully they will have
great deals for Black Friday.
Miss Anita
https://amzn.to/3tNztO1
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