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Considered for a very brief moment... |
When I (re)started sewing, I was surprised to find out that fellow sewers —
most of whom were bloggers at the time because how else would I know —
typically owned more than one sewing machine.
Really? One is not enough? Why not?
So I'm asking you readers today (if you could stop being so shy and share a
little): do you have more than one sewing machine?
And if you only have one, maybe tell me what the sewing machine is and its
history; i.e., why did you buy it or how did you come by it?
The reason this question popped up in the first place is that several weeks ago, I was flipping through the Canadian Tire flyer and noticed the "special buy" promo that you see reproduced at the top of this post.
The reason this question popped up in the first place is that several weeks ago, I was flipping through the Canadian Tire flyer and noticed the "special buy" promo that you see reproduced at the top of this post.
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| image courtesy of Singer.com... |
Canadian Tire — which to anyone who's not Canadian is a bit of an
oddity; it's an automotive store with a household goods and home hardware component — regularly
carries sewing machines, but this one caught my eye because of the "heavy
duty" and "mechanical" descriptors.
As usual, whenever I see something advertised that makes me stop and look, I
searched for the item online to see what else I could find out about it. Here
is the description from Singer's site.
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image courtesy of Singer.com... |
Having read that, I was further tempted by the fact that it's made out of
metal and that it was currently out of stock. (Not available? I want it!)
The reviews were mostly good, recommended by 50 out of 72 users. The one
sentence that stood out among the comments was, "All in all it’s not a bad
machine but they sure don’t make them like they used to."
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| image courtesy of CanadianTire.ca... |
It popped my balloon.
It also reminded me of my mother's Electrolux vacuum cleaner.
Both hubby and I came from families who had vacuum cleaners made by that
company that were still running. In Mom's case, when she moved into a new
house after Dad passed, she wanted something lighter to run around her smaller
place. We picked up a new Electrolux, only for me to find out later
that the name had been purchased by another company and it really wasn't the
same anymore. After about five years, her new vacuum ended up requiring a
replacement part that's no longer being made.
In short, they just don't make anything like they used to.
Fortunately, what I had was made in the old days.
One of the things that I wished my
Kenmore
had is a bigger extension table. (The one that it comes with hardly passes for
a "table", given its flimsiness and tiny size. But then, it was designed to be
plopped into a sewing table.)
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| image courtesy of Singer.com... |
Of course, over the years, I've also yearned for a free arm. Some of the smaller projects that I've tackled would have been a lot easier had I been able to "sew in the round".
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image courtesy of Singer.com... |
A drop in bobbin that you can see is also helpful. It would make it easier to
switch out to full bobbin before embarking on a long stretch of sewing.
The 6380 comes with these extras.
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| image courtesy of Singer.com... |
In that aspect, I think my Kenmore was quite generous; it came with a
whole slew of accessories.
My vintage sewing machine is approaching its 46th birthday. I feel extremely
lucky to have made the decision to purchase it back in the day. (Although, of
course, at the price — over $200 — it was likely a gift from my parents; i.e.,
I didn't pay for it.) Similar Kenmore models from the 1970s are
currently selling for up to and over $200 online, which speaks to their
reliability and durability. My machine has never been taken in for servicing
and it's been used pretty steadily over the past ten years.
Having not done any research on late model sewing machines, I have no idea whether the Singer name still carries any cache as a high end reliable brand.
Through casual observation, I see a lot of love and support for
Janome and Bernina these days. But I also think that whether a
sewing machine works for you really depends on what you're looking to do with
it. One person's recommendation may be totally inappropriate for someone who
is not looking to sew similar things, or specific things.
Even if you're not a newbie and are just looking to upgrade to a better
machine, the difference between machines offered by recognizable brand names
is likely negligible if you're just a sewer of "various things".
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| My Kenmore manual... |
In summary, if I didn't have something as good as my Kenmore and was
looking for a new sewing machine, I probably would have bought the
Singer.
Speaking of buying, I don't normally call attention to my affiliate program
ads, but whenever a good deal pops up, I want people to know
about it. If you need to replenish your crafting supplies at Joann's, here is an offer that'll get you a $50 credit at Joann.com (it's an online offer only) in return for spending $50 on a
one-year
Creativebug subscription.
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| A net zero cost for a whole year of Creativebug! |
Your annual pass to Creativebug comes out to a net cost of $0 under the
promo. (Offer expires October 31.)
'Til next...
Hello again. Pretty sure I had a Kenmore a long long time ago, I don't know what happened to it. Over the years I've had many machines. I purchased a Bernina all metal mechanical machine back in the 80s as I was sewing curtains for a living - it's still going and now lives with my eldest daughter. From there I went to an industrial machine which was much better for me along with my trusty Janome overlocker (which is also still going). Somewhere around that stage my repair man offered me a good deal on my first embroidery machine (a Janome 8000) which is also still going, although I got rid of all the embroidery stuff as it was on plug in cards. That machine is also still going and lives with my youngest daughter most of the time. I go to liking this embroidery stuff so then bought a Brother 750d embroidery only machine which used a bit bigger hoops - I still have it and use it sometimes still for smaller projects. Than I received an inheritance so bought myself a machine that will last the rest of my life, a Janome 12000 sewing and embroidery machine. What a wonderful thing it is, I use it quite a lot. And last but not least I inherited my Mum's very old Pfaff which I take to my patchwork group with me because it is much lighter and does what I need it to do - until it fell out of the back of the car and broke. It's in pieces now and I'm playing machine mechanic, I don't think there's very much wrong with it - just need to find a screw to fix one side of the handle, and then remember how everything goes back together. So I'm back to using the 8000 for classes, it's a bit heavy, but it will do for now. The end of the story is that I actually have one sewing only machine, one embroidery only machine, one sewing/embroidery machine and an overlocker (serger). The thing is to use what you have, and I do. Love your columns by the way.
ReplyDeleteThat's the kind of story I want to hear! Circumstances like sewing for a living or having specialized interests like embroidery would understandably affect the range of machines one might own. (Having children to hand them down to would also be incentive to buy new.) And I agree, no matter what you have, it's important that they're used.
DeleteWhen Mom moved into her current home, she donated her old Singer to one of the movers. It wasn't working anymore, but the young man said that his mother would appreciate it as a display item. At the time, I hadn't gotten back into sewing yet, so I didn't care. But a part of me now wishes I had that as a memento, in much the same way as I have my dad's old typewriter.
Thanks for sharing, and thanks also for the kind words.
I have my grandmother's Singer Model 31 treadle, born August 3, 1910, according to a chart I found online somewhere. I learned to sew on that machine and love that I now have it in my home. It shows a lot of wear but still works. I also have a Singer 221 featherweight, born October 3, 1933. I found that at a local flea market and bought it just because I've always wanted a featherweight. I also have a White machine that was given to me by a friend and I use that one to teach my granddaughter to sew. My daily sewing machine is a Brother NX450Q which I use a lot for piecing quilt tops and craft sewing. I can do free-motion quilting on it also, if I only knew how. Just don't have the coordination for it. At this point I just do straight-line quilting. My girlfriend has her aunt's old Singer in a nice little end table. She says I can have it and I do want it but I need to come up with the space for it! I'm not sure of the model but I know it's one of those all metal machines probably at least from the 1940s. So I always have something to sew with in case one machine needs servicing, and I can always use the treadle in during a power failure! As long as it's daylight . . .
ReplyDeleteKathleen - kakingsbury at verizon dot net
Well, how fun was this post to read! Little did I know we have so much in common. And then to read on and see a picture of ‘my’ sewing machine manual! Well, almost. Same photo on the cover, but mine is a Model 1400, and my manual is spiral bound with a stiff cover and cardstock-like pages. That’s because it’s older - purchased new in 1970 (along with the cabinet) so I would have something to do while my also-new hubby was away at army boot camp. It’s also the only sewing machine (hubby, too, for that matter) I’ve ever had, has never been in for service, and has sewn bazillions of projects, from kids’ clothes and mine, a 3-piece suit for said hubby (turned out great, but never again!!😄), and nowadays mostly bags. I considered getting a new machine awhile back, but after a lot of researching I thought “why?”, when this old dinosaur could sew through whatever I threw at it. They don’t make them like they used to, for sure! I do own an inexpensive serger which gets occasional use for finishing seams.
ReplyDeleteHi Rochelle, I bought myself a Kenmore at age 18 and loved it UNTIL I couldn’t make the button hole size I wanted -(40 years later)… my Kenmore only has cams for 6 sizes… so shopping around I discovered that a newer machine has infinite size buttonholes and Automatic Threading!! I bought that Brother at Costco on sale and have used it ever since… meanwhile I collected my mothers Singer in the most beautiful cabinet ever made for a sewing machine, 3 freebie Kenmore’s on Craigslist that I took to my classroom, a giveaway from a friend that I loan out, and then came the Featherweight Awakening! Haha… I found and bought 2 on Craigslist, totally love their solid functionality! I’ll have one painted a pretty color to keep in my travel trailer for sewing while traveling. Also I was given 2 Singer 101’s in cabinets, they are like a beautiful sculpture that have exquisite functionality.
ReplyDeleteI love them all! Marie
Well, Marie, sounds like you want it all and have room for them! Kudos to you! Reading these stories have been instructive and unexpected... I sure didn't think that it would be fairly common for people to have more than two sewing machines. Looks like Grandma G and I are the outliers on this. ;-)
DeleteI own one machine and have room for only one so that is a good thing. I don't remember what machine my mom owned that I used for home economics in HS but it probably was a Singer. Eventually I owned a standard machine AND a serger during those years of making children's clothes from knit fabrics. I hated it...threading was always a nightmare and finally gave it away...no regrets. My daughter got serious about sewing and bought a Janome which I received when she upgraded. Should it stop working, I will give up sewing since repair people are non existent. It is similar to the hearing aid issue many face. Buying something that cannot be serviced in town is a problem. KrisH
ReplyDeleteWell, Kris, I am crossing my fingers for you that your Janome lasts for longer than you need it to; the idea of giving up sewing because a machine no longer works seems a sad ending.
DeleteBut I hear you on the repair issue. I just read an article about how society has been denigrating careers in trades for decades, which has resulted in a lot fewer people becoming old-fashioned "fixers of things" (among them cars, electronics, and appliances). It's a real problem.
The machine you were looking at is a beast that I've seen in action. I went to a jeans making class (outside of Ottawa) and the lady next to me constructed her pair with that same machine. (It's safe to say that the other dozen machines in the room cost quite a bit more.) Quite impressive, although I can't vouch for it with finer fabrics than denim!
ReplyDeleteIt's so interesting to read the comments about people's sewing machines. I think that you've hit on an emotional issue. I know that my sewing machine is my favorite machine, although my car, furnace, washer/dryer are also pretty big contenders!
And from the point of view of a person who's only had one machine, I have no real frame of reference over what's better and what's worse, emotional or not. Although in terms of "machinery", I have to say that our furnace is likely tops... we went through several weeks last winter when our old one was on its last legs and that wasn't a fun time. ;-)
DeleteThanks for providing some real world feedback on the Singer.