(Part 2) Best sewing machines according to redditors
We found 79 Reddit comments discussing the best sewing machines. We ranked the 49 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the products ranked 21-40. You can also go back to the previous section.
![Janome [Hello Kitty] compact white sewing machine KT-W](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41JZwBAls0L.jpg)
Avoid the super-cheap bargain machines. (The cheap ones you can buy at big box stores) They are mostly made of plastic parts. You'll probably get frustrated with them, they have a reputation for weak motors and low durability. If you end up liking sewing and using the machine a lot (especially with heavy fabrics) you will quickly outgrow it. For a similar amount of money you can get a quaility used one at a sewing shop. It might not be shiny and new but the old machines, especially those with all/mostly metal parts tend to be very solid work horses. You can ask the person that runs the shop for advice and they will often have machines for you to test too. If your hesitant to buy your own, it might be worth asking around. You'd be surprised how many people have an old sewing machine laying around in a closet somewhere.
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As far as new machines go, The decent ones tend to be about $150-ish and up. My preferred brand is Janome. Even the lowest end model is a very solid, easy to work with machine but at about $300 its probably more than you want to pay starting out. janome I loved this machine, but I traded it for a higher end one with more options.
https://www.amazon.com/OxGord-Sewing-Machine-Professional-Handheld/dp/B01CPSRRFK
You did a great job naming her quilting supplies. You've been paying attention without even knowing it!
Here are a couple of items that make my quilting days much easier:
And then of course, I can never have too many extra rotary blades (just check to see how big her cutter is - the standard size is 45mm) or spools of basic thread colors (I use "natural" when piecing) or marking pens / pencils --- the kind that disappear with either heat or water.
The other gift that I ALWAYS love to get is a gift card to my favorite local quilt shop.
Happy birthday to your wife!
A few things I would be touched by if my husband bought them for me:
A beautiful yarn bowl... hand made wood or ceramic in a favorite color. Look up "yarn bowl" on Etsy.
If she likes fancy wood hooks, they are expensive and make nice gifts. I'm not a fan but lots of crocheters love them.
A nice travel bag!
Like:
Kenley Knitting Yarn Bag - Wool Skeins Yarn Ball Holder Organizer & Storage Basket - Travel Tote Bag with Slits & Pockets for Crochet Hooks Needles & Accessories - Protects Wool - Prevents Tangling https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N8PEYS1/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_JTAYzbWRGQ2QH
And finally, I got this as a gift and love it:
https://furlscrochet.com/products/pure-pewter-crochet-pendant
https://www.amazon.com/Janome-Machine-Stitches-Adjustable-5-Piece/dp/B01BKTD7PY/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=janome+sewing+machine&qid=1562356125&s=gateway&sr=8-4
This is an excellent example of a beginner model in both price & feature. (Yes, I picked a brand I like)
Brother, Pfaff, Janome, Huskvarna, Singer are the brands you should be looking for to buy new (there are fancier more expensive brands I'm leaving off the list, because either price or feature bewilderment tends to be too much for newbies). I wholeheartedly endorse buying second hand too, there are a lot of great old machines out there waiting for a new user.
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These things (as a category, not just this specific model below) are GARBAGE do not waste your money!!
https://www.amazon.com/Sewing-Machine-Galadim-Stitches-GD-015/dp/B07RV7KZFV/ref=sr_1_8?keywords=sewing+machine+under+%2450&qid=1562356263&s=gateway&sr=8-8
You ever heard of that brand? no? because it's junk.
With the right needle about any machine will sew a seam in a knit fabric like a t-shirt without even slowing down. something like this perhaps? Some say they found it at Jo-ann Fabrics for $30 so maybe check that out (they normally have display models as well).
The only spot that could ever be a problem would be where you go over the sleeve seams, but again needle and thread selection is 90% of the battle and if it still isn't up to the task you can just turn the machine by hand a few times until you are back into the non-seam area.
This.
Or this.
1) I would recommend a heavy, no-nonsense machine that will take abuse. I would avoid a computerized machine and spring for a mechanical machine if possible (it won't have as many features, but they tend to be tougher machines that don't ever become outdated). If you buy a mechanical machine with metal (rather than plastic) components inside, it should last you the rest of your life.
My favorite brand is Janome. The brand I've heard the worst about is the Singer (excluding antique Singers, which are apparently really good). Brand matters, so do your research.
My sewing machine is the Janome MyExcel 18W (the Australian equivalent of the HD3000). It's pricier than some starting machines, but I think this is a really solid general purpose sewing machine for beginners, because it's very basic to use and will stand up the maltreatment of the novice. But it's also great for advanced users because of the huge range of attachments that Janome makes. If you got this machine for making clothes, I don't think you'd ever need to replace it (unless you get into machine embroidery or something similarly niche).
It's also very good for working on thick fabrics or lots of layers (as happens when you sew across seams), because the presser foot lifts higher than most machines and because the motor is a beast. And there are lots of little things that just make it nicer to use. It's very quick and easy to switch between feet; it has convenient storage compartments and a big cheat sheet at the top (so you don't have to constantly refer to the manual); the bobbin is SUPER easy to replace; you can observe the bobbin while sewing (bobbin misbehavior is the source of 80% of sewing mishaps, in my experience); and it requires less oiling and maintenance than most machines.
Other beginner machines I've used and loved have been an old Elnita (by Elna, a reputable brand) and an old mechanical Brother (also a reputable brand)—but my Janome is better for my purposes, since I'm often working with difficult materials like canvas, denim, and stretchy fabrics.
If you're looking to save money, buying used is a really great idea. Sewing machine technology is pretty mature, so you can buy 20+ year old machines that do almost everything a modern machine does. Check out garage sales; really great machines often get sold for almost no money, because the people selling them often aren't the same people who bought/used them and they don't know their value. (Note that garage sales are also a great source for dirt cheap sewing supplies: zippers, buttons, thread, elastic, tape measures, cutting mats, etc. You can save hundreds of dollars rather easily.)
2) I self-taught when I was 16, before YouTube existed. I wanted to make myself a costume (I tend to be a little too ambitious with first projects...), so I saved up for a machine and jumped right in. I mostly relied on the manual and experimentation to figure it out—my stitches came out ugly and tangled, but the costume came together and held up perfectly.
It's a bit frustrating to get the hang of machine sewing (dealing with thread tension problems, etc.), but YouTube is a fantastic resource, especially for achieving different effects (like blind hems and whatnot). It doesn't take genius to teach yourself to sew, but it does take stubbornness.
I would recommend learning hand sewing as well. It is a useful complement to machine sewing when you just can't get the machine to get in where you need it (like hard-to-reach corners, around lots of buttons, etc.).
4) Plan your projects carefully! That's the hardest part. You'll want to think about how all the pieces will fit together, the order you'll put them together, etc.
If you're wanting to design your own clothes or costumes from the ground up, you'll want to practice with patterns first to get the hang of them. You might also want to take apart some clothes (ones you don't mind destroying!) and practice remaking them with another fabric.
6) What types of clothes, and what kinds of alterations do you need to make? I do a lot of clothing alterations on thrift store finds. I have found that it's very easy to do things like shorten pants legs, make pants legs slimmer, take T-shirts in at the sides, or add triangles of fabric to a shirt to make the hips bigger. But I find it very annoying to do things like take jeans in at the waist (due the thickness of the denim and all the belt loops, pockets, and zipper that must be worked around).
You could still buy a sewing machine to use. The Hello Kitty Janome is popular for people who need a smaller, more portable sewing machine. I mentor several college students who have sewing machines at school. Sewing clothes is easier with a machine but you can certainly hand stitch clothing. Natalie Chanin has built an entire design firm around the concept and has classes on Bluprint and Creativebug that you can buy and watch, or get one of her books from the library.
Or get some needles, scissors, pins, fabric and thread, pick a pattern and start sewing! I think the Sorbetto by Colette would be a good one to start with, it's a simple sleeveless top. Smaller projects to learn skills could be simple bags, headbands, embellish clothes you own or alter them so they suit you better. My wardrobe is a mix of RTW and made by me clothes but I don't have a lot of RTW that I haven't altered in some way.
LED lights for her sewing machine! They can make such a difference, especially in the winter months when it's so dark.
Something like this:
https://smile.amazon.com/Sewing-Machine-LED-Lighting-Kit/dp/B00KGKB02Q/ref=pd_ybh_a_63?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=JZ4GEEY0DMVR5YKQ9EQK
Caveat: Because they are "for crafting" the price markup is ridiculous. If you are handy with a soldering iron, you can get a 25-foot string of LEDs and do it yourself for much cheaper (and then you have like 24 feet of LEDs left over to play with).
Make sure to get the kind with a built-in dimmer switch.
Hiya! You're right, everyone's been super nice so far. It's awesome.
As far as learning to sew, I have this machine right now and love it. It's pretty reasonably priced, too. If you want something even more basic, this is pretty close to the first one I had.
As far as learning, I recommend buying a pattern for something simple (there are a lot of beginner's patterns for skirts and things) and just try it out. You can find tons of tutorials on websites and YouTube if the directions confuse you. (They still confuse me a lot.)
I also have a book by Singer, this one, that has been incredibly helpful at explaining things. I'm still new-ish to the craft (3 years sewing and costuming, but in no way full time) but found that diving right in was the easiest way to learn. You might occasionally sew a skirt panel to a zipper by accident, or put on a sleeve inside-out, but you learn from mistakes, as they're so, so tedious to rip out and fix, lol.
So yeah, simple pattern, inexpensive fabric (not stretch to start with, preferably) and just go for it! :D Good luck!
I might pick up this Juki that's on amazon, It's only had 5 reviews but all of them are 5 stars and one 4 star. It sounds like it can handle heavier fabrics.
I just never used the brand before.
I’m a big big fan of my Eversewn machine. They are a smaller brand but make a quality product that has the performance level of a much more expensive machine. Janome also makes a very good basic mechanical machine for around $75. Janome https://www.amazon.com/Janome-Thunder-10-Stitch-Portable-Compact/dp/B00IIW2GF4 (it comes in other color combinations)
Eversewn https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01FEHUB2U/ref=cm_cr_arp_mb_bdcrb_top?ie=UTF8
The Eversewn has the advantage of being all metal on the interior.
Howdy r/sewing. I'm a complete begginer looking for my first sewing machine with a $200 budget. Starting off, I intend to mostly stick to basic alterations on cotton, poly and denim shirts and pants. Based on my research, it seems like the general consensus is to get one of these three machines:
Brother XM2701
Brother CS6000i
Singer Heavy Duty 4432
Out of the three, which do you recommend the most for my uses? Is there anything in particular I should be looking for? Thanks!
Janome makes good machines. It may be plastic on the outside but the guts are very robust. Steal or buy thread from the parachute riggers, they have good stuff. The thread I bought at some department store in Dubai was junk. Although if you happen to be somewhere in Southeast Asia or the Middle East it probably shouldn’t be that hard to find good thread.
This isn’t the exact model but close: Janome Basic Easy-to-Use 128 Sewing Machine with Interior Metal Frame, Front Loading Bobbin, Compact and Portable https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CMRLG98/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_xyCZAb46YNZJP
I see from searching Amazon for Janome compact sewing machine that they actually have a wide range in that size. I wouldn’t consider the sub-$100 units.
I have the Singer 9100 profesional. Its abit on the pricy end but worth every penny. It can do EVERYTHING but if you dont need the extra stitches and functions it might be overkill.. It can be controlled with or without a footpedal, which is detacheable, so it wont take up space if you dont need it. Took some getting used to but i came from the ikea sewing machine, so i guess its only natural. It does heavy duty sewing as well. We made our own Pallet couch and i Made all the upholstery with it. http://www.amazon.com/Singer-Professional-Computerized-Machine-Extension/dp/B00EXSTMBS/ref=sr_1_96?s=arts-crafts&ie=UTF8&qid=1417799120&sr=1-96&keywords=singer
Well, for my previous sewing endeavors I used my mom's Singer, and I kind of became a fanboy not because I know lots about sewing machines but because it never gave me any trouble after pretty much a whole year and a half of constant use and abuse.
The one I got for myself is a standard model Singer with several stitching patterns. I was thinking between that or the "heavy duty" model but decided on fancy stitches because I'd give those a use.
So far I've only done a... "sewn sketch" of a muppet but I love it and it will definitely suit my needs. Guessing the "heavy duty" is more fit for clothing and stuff (though they both seem to be able to handle it).
I've used clothing patterns and heavily modified them to make clothes for little toys. Same thing with the toys/puppets themselves: you snag a pattern for something similar, then add/butcher/try/fail miserably/repeat til it looks decent. Still, it was toy-only so pretty much none of those were even functional but for display purposes only. Maybe I'll rip some old shirts apart and try to figure out how they're done once I have my muppet army.
Family friend happens to be one such person. He and his wife bought a Juki long arm sewing machine.
Its worth noting that basically everyone in this thread has conflating sewing and knitting. Due to it being way more complex, there's a lot less in the way of cnc knitting machines for consumer use. It would be sweet to see that change.
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On grandma's and g-code.... Videos of people setting up their punch card knitting machines. Considering you can still buy new punch card operated knitting machines - there's probably demand for one that's easy to use and more flexible.
I absolutely love my Brother sewing machine. Honestly, it's the $50 machine you usually find at the Black Friday sale at Walmart. I can't find the exact model (I purchased it probably 5 years ago), but here's the newest version: https://www.amazon.com/Brother-Solutions-Lightweight-Sewing-Machine/dp/B01K4223OE/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=brother+sewing+machine&qid=1556759991&s=gateway&sr=8-2
I would not recommend it for anything more complex than what you are describing, but something like this might get the job done:
https://www.amazon.com/Singer-Stitch-Sew-Quick-White/dp/B01MQRP6Q8/ref=asc_df_B01MQRP6Q8/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=216504060462&hvpos=1o5&hvnetw=g&hvrand=6358258620828740732&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9008148&hvtargid=pla-350168603224&psc=1
edit: This model has a pedal, which will make it MUCH easier to use because it leaves both hands free to guide, for only a few dollars more:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B006VJBKNK/ref=sspa_dk_detail_1?psc=1&pd_rd_i=B006VJBKNK&pd_rd_w=bBcmq&pf_rd_p=46cdcfa7-b302-4268-b799-8f7d8cb5008b&pd_rd_wg=E4IYn&pf_rd_r=E6KNZ8EE2MG0GED38MK5&pd_rd_r=b1c94637-6dca-11e9-9c58-2d5da5e59492