Can someone recommend a sewing machine?

[BertrandRussell]

A not too expensive simple one that dd and I can learn on? Blame Sewing Bee!

[HexagonalBattenburg]

Can't go wrong with a Janome I've found - the abuse that mine has taken is ridiculous and my mother's used hers to do some very heavy duty stuff (she quilts) and it's still going strong.

Can't remember what model mine is but it's not a massively high spec one - does what I need it for. Just buy a pack of spare needles cos there's nowt more frustrating than getting halfway through something and breaking your last one and having to wait to get hold of replacements.

[WobblyLondoner]

Another Janone here. I previously had a Brother but I ruined it by using it to sew fabric that was too heavy for it (curtains). So that's my only word of caution - if you think you might use it for furnishing fabrics try to buy the best you can afford.

[mychildrenarebarmy]

www.johnlewis.com/janome-decor-excel-20-sewing-machine/p955268

We bought this one for our daughter and it seems to have been really good so far.

[BertrandRussell]

I was looking at that one, mychildren! Thank you, everyone- I do hope it’s not going to be a dust gatherer.......!

[Sanguineclamp]

Janone! Well made machines (well, as sturdy as any machines are made nowadays) and parts readily available and not too extortionate. When looking for a sewing machine; the tension control is always key. It's the bit most likely to malfunction or get out of whack so pay attention to it. No point in buying a machine with fancy stitch options if the basics aren't right. I personally prefer flat loading NOT upright loading bobbin too!

[Sicario]

The lady in John Lewis was really helpful. I bought an Elba 20+ years ago and it's still going great.

[CoperCabana]

How exciting! I bought DD a mini Janome and it’s a lovely little machine. Makes me want to get a new bigger Janome for me to replace my old machime.

[ToffeeNosed]

I have a Janome and Brother are recommended but I was chatting to my friend who also sews and we agreed that next time we would buy a cheap one as you don't use a lot of the functions, mainly zigzag and running stitch and a service is over £30.

[Jaffapaffa]

I have a lovely Bernina - reckoned to be the Rolls Royce of sewing machines, and with a price tag to match. I use it almost every day.
But if I want to sew outside the house, I take my little Janome - it was under £100 and it does a good job.
So if I were you, I'd get a Janome now, and if you find that you really love sewing, go along to a big craft fair like the ones at the NEC, where you can try out every brand (and often get a discount!), to see if you want to change or upgrade.

[BertrandRussell]

J3-18 Sewing Machine [[https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0036UODH2/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_I77BCbP7K7DF3?tag=mumsnet&ascsubtag=mnforum-21 how about this?]]

[BertrandRussell]

Oops! J3-18 Sewing Machine [[https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0036UODH2/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_I77BCbP7K7DF3?tag=mumsnet&ascsubtag=mnforum-21 how about this?]]

[BertrandRussell]

Bugger. Giving up til later-sorry!

[KingHenrysCodpiece]

Is the Sewing Bee back on TV? Where have I been?

[Finfintytint]

I’d love a Janome but make do with a Toyota SuperJeans. I really like it and it copes with heavy fabrics very well.

[chunn65]

My advice is don't go cheap, as in my experience once you buy a basic one, you will suddenly want to try upholstery or thicker fabrics for curtains or cushions etc and some machines just don't like heavy weight fabrics despite changing the needles.I have 3 machines and i agree Janome is a great one. Love my Juki but will only do straight stitches, it will glide through denim, curtain weight though. They are robust and most have a metal body and plastic outer. other features to look out for are self threading, (that needle eye is small) you'll pay more for thread cutting! can you loan a machine or have a demo in a shop first. as you'll understand all the features to look out for.good luck Sewing Bee is on Tues BBC2 .

[DandilionBreak]

My advice would be to look for a metal chassis (for longevity), a zig zag and one-step buttonhole facility. If you think you might explore free machine embroidery, you'll need to be able to drop the feed dogs (the teeth that move the fabric when you're sewing). I'd also look for a machine which comes with at least a zig zag foot, an adjustable zip foot and a buttonhole foot. Others are nice, but these are the ones you'll use. Check to see that a concealed zip foot is available, if it's not included. If possible, I'd also suggest you road test any machine first, just to check that you're happy with how it performs.

Take a peek at Sewing Machines Direct website. They often have ex-demo machines at a good discount. I've bought all my machines from them and one was an ex-demo. I couldn't even tell. They'd serviced it properly, there was not a mark on it and it came with the full instructions, all the packaging and every promised accessory.

Jaycotts also do machines at a discount quite often.

[Kerantli]

I agree with @chunn65.
Don't go cheap as you will be wanting to upgrade it if you get on with it and want to try heavier fabrics.

Try get to a hobbycraft where they tend to have sewing machine demos every so often so you can see what each one feels like for you. I personally don't get on with any machine other than a Brother machine - of which I had a basic Brother LS14, and now have a Brother FS40 - neither of which had an automatic needle threader, but I found I never used it on the Husqvarna E20 I had for less than a year.

Look around first, read reviews on machines you're looking into to see how others got on with the machine and any special "tricks" it does then see if you can try and borrow/have a go on one before buying.

[DandilionBreak]

I got my term wrong above - it's not one-step buttonhole (although this is lovely) but automatic buttonhole that I meant. Many of the cheaper machines use a four step automatic process, which also works perfectly.

[Littledidsheknow]

My daughter had this one, a Brother:

www.hobbycraft.co.uk/brother-hc14-sewing-machine/627472-1000

And I have this, a Janome:

www.hobbycraft.co.uk/janome-hc1200-sewing-machine/638245-1000?query=janome

Both excellent and not too expensive.

[Witchend]

I have a Janome that I got for my 21st birthday and is still going strong.
I got a Janome overlocker recently and it's amazing.

[IJustLostTheGame]

Singer do a really good one for about £150. Because it isn't all plastic parts inside it's really durable and goes through heavy fabric well.
Toyota also have a Jeans sewing machine, its black and is a really good basic machine for the price.

[MrsFionaCharming]

I have this one

www.johnlewis.com/john-lewis-partners-jl110-sewing-machine-peppermint/p3489315

It’s essentially a Janome machine, and takes all the Janome spare parts, but without the name. Great machine and easy to use.

[BertrandRussell]

Thank you for all your suggestions! I am very tempted by yours, MrsFiona- because it comes in pink. I like the little flowers on the Brother one too. I may have my priorities a bit skewed.......

[MrsFionaCharming]

My mum chose mine, but knowing her that means it was a Which Best Buy at some point!

[Kerantli]

I've also heard the Silvercrest one that Lidl sells occasionally is pretty good, and pretty sure that's what MIL uses when she sews