Opinions wanted on best sewing machine for beginner

Hello,

I want to sew cotton clothes, quilts, and light sewing. I have a Riccar
that doesn't work well: I can't get the quilt sandwich under the walking
foot without a fight, and then it won't sew correctly through the quilt
sandwich, so I end up making up new curse words just for this machine. I
won't need many or any bells, whistles or advanced stitches, just whatever
one would need to make a cotton a-line skirt and to sew without threatening
the machine to toss it off the roof. So, will I start a war by asking which
brand is superior?


Cyndi

No. You won't start a war, but everyone has there own personal
preference. You're best bet is to visit dealers in your area, with your
own fabrics and a quilt sandwich, and test drive the machines like you
would with a car. And don't overlook some of the used machines. You'll
get bells and whistles for around the same price as a low-end model.

Maureen

QuiltShopHopper wrote:
Hello,

I want to sew cotton clothes, quilts, and light sewing. I have a Riccar
that doesn't work well: I can't get the quilt sandwich under the walking
foot without a fight, and then it won't sew correctly through the quilt
sandwich, so I end up making up new curse words just for this machine. I
won't need many or any bells, whistles or advanced stitches, just whatever
one would need to make a cotton a-line skirt and to sew without threatening
the machine to toss it off the roof. So, will I start a war by asking which
brand is superior?


Cyndi

QuiltShopHopper wrote:
Hello,

I want to sew cotton clothes, quilts, and light sewing. I have a
Riccar that doesn't work well: I can't get the quilt sandwich under
the walking foot without a fight, and then it won't sew correctly
through the quilt sandwich, so I end up making up new curse words
just for this machine. I won't need many or any bells, whistles or
advanced stitches, just whatever one would need to make a cotton
a-line skirt and to sew without threatening the machine to toss it
off the roof. So, will I start a war by asking which brand is
superior?

You'll get recommendations for just about every brand of machines here. The
one that you like best when you test drive it is superior.

See the FAQ at www.cet.com/~pennys/faq/smfaq.htm .

--
Sally Holmes
Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England

Opinions wanted on best sewing machine for beginner

(QuiltShopHopper)
I want to sew cotton clothes, quilts, and light sewing. I have a Riccar
that doesn't work well: I can't get the quilt sandwich under the walking
foot without a fight, and then it won't sew correctly through the quilt
sandwich,
snip
and to sew without threatening the machine to toss it off the roof. So,
will I start a war by asking which brand is superior?
Cyndi
---
It sounds as if the pressure screw on your machine might be torqued
waaaay tight, and the tension needs to be adjusted, perhaps the needle
bar also, if your walking foot is the right one for your machine. Then
there may be a problem with the feed dogs, if the machine is old, they
may be worn and not feeding the material. I can see why you wish to
commit machine murder. Do you have a manual for your machine?
As to which brand is superior, we all have our favorites, and we've
agreed to disagree on the subject. Look for the FAQ which is posted here
regularly, titled:
"SO. YOU WANT TO BUY A SEWING MACHINE?"
Wow, that looks threatening when typed in all caps.
Cea

On Fri, 20 Feb 2004 14:03:55 +0000, Maureen Wozniak wrote:

No. You won't start a war, but everyone has there own personal
preference. You're best bet is to visit dealers in your area, with your
own fabrics and a quilt sandwich, and test drive the machines like you
would with a car. And don't overlook some of the used machines. You'll
get bells and whistles for around the same price as a low-end model.

Maureen

And watch out for pushy salespeople like you would a car sales person...
Some will sell you a model even if you don't really want it if you're not
careful.. Test drive them all.. then choose the one YOU like..

All the best :-))

Mavis