Sewing Machine purchase advice

[MaggieBsBoat]

Hi all, we want to buy a sewing machine for our daughter as a Christmas present, she is doing an apprenticeship in textiles. Just so she has one at home. She is keen on making her own clothes and is quite adept already (she is 17). I gather an overlock machine would be good but another may be better. Any advice would be much appreciated. Budget around £500 so nothing too fancy at this point. Thanks!

I've recently upgraded to a Brother Innocis A65 - I love it!

https://www.thesewingstudio.co.uk/products/brother-innov-is-a65-sewing-machine?tw_source=google&tw_adid=707611198985&tw_campaign=21390864869&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQiAgJa6BhCOARIsAMiL7V-4UcDGr0WIOjYI-HMImkoFzKSDmFsetH_qXPS3tyhChhgFSdxUzYEaAqCaEALw_wcB

A sewing machine and an overlocker are different things entirely - both would be very useful to her.
The good news is with a budget of £500 you could probably get both

Thanks so much @IamSmarticus and @igivein !

I know nothing about it all - have not used one for many years, but I wanted to surprise dd so didn’t want to ask her. It’s good to know it may be possible to do both. She’s very very into it and it pains her not to be able to use a machine at home.

I know you want to surprise her which is lovely but she might have a particular machine she is after, do they use a particular model on her apprenticeship?

I recommend buying from Sewing Machines Direct (based in Wrexham but do nationwide delivery) simply because their after-sales-service is really good. Like, really good. They'll happily chat to you via phone or email about what you want and make recommendations based on budget and requirements too.

I wouldn't bother getting one with loads of fancy stitches etc. You want one that does the basics really well, not one that half arsedly does lots of things not-very-well! For £500 you might be able to get both. Brother and Janome are good makes with good budget options - don't bother with Singer, they're crap these days and just trading on their name.

In many colleges they use Berninas not the computerised model, but the 300 I think. All metal construction, great workhorses.you can still buy them new for about £1k, but you can get decent refurbished models for around £300 - 500. That would be my choice. If you have a decent sewing machine shop you could go for advice.

https://www.directsewingmachines.co.uk/contact-us/
these have a shop in Battersea but also an online shop

Just a thought but my sewing teacher is a big proponent of used older machines, the old heavy metal ones v. today's plastic models.

Properly serviced they can go for decades and are stronger for sewing heavy fabrics. You might check with a dealer for second hand vintage.

I'd love a machine that allows you to do machine embroidery. I think this means the feet need to be able to be lowered so you can move the fabric around any way at all. Might be worth considering, especially if she's studying Textiles.

I would ask her what she wants. I imagine, if she doesn’t have one, she will probably want a sewing machine rather than an overlocker if she has neither at home.

I would ask her whether she’d prefer a fancy pants sewing machine or a more basic model; you can get a good one for £300 and a brother overlocker is less than £200 in John Lewis at the moment.

Would endorse Sewing Machines Direct too.

@MaggieBsBoat I have an all singing all dancing Janome which also does embroidery. press the button and off it goes without touching it. only stops to change the colour of the thread needed but my machine cost 3k. the best machine you can afford will last longer for her. also buy some metres of good fabric that she can sew on christmas night!! she will love it

Another vote for a refurbished second hand model - you get a lot more for your money, which is good if she's doing this for a living. Older and sturdier is better (especially if she's sewing her own clothes and wants to do anything a bit thicker/sturdier like denim)

I have both an overlocker and a sewing machine (mid-level bernina - no complaints on it) - and next I want a coverlocker

Get to a sewing machine shop and ask what they have second hand - something that does a bit of everything so if she wants to do clothes or free-hand embroidery she can.

@MaggieBsBoat and make sure the machine has weight to it or else it will slide on the table!

Oh I’m thrilled. You’ve all been so helpful!
So upshot is (if I don’t ask her, and I do see your point @Gizlotsmum that it may be a better idea to do so), that a very sturdy second hand model could be best. Bernina sounds good, or Janome. I’ll have a look around and definitely check out sewing machines direct.
Thanks again to all of you. I do hope I can get one. It will make her Christmas. Sewing and textiles are her life since she was around 7/8. Can’t wait.

I’ve been saving in an account for her for the last few years. I’m pretty sure when I hand the money over she’ll blowing all on a fancy sewing machine rather than driving lessons!
She‘s been saving bags of fabric since she was small, but they are all really small bits. The idea of some nice metres of fabric as a gift is a really good one! Thanks!

@MaggieBsBoat as an added. get her a couple of big photo albums and a heap of plain cotton so that she can sew sample of each stitch in various sizes, write them in the album with the cut out pieces of cotton. always a good reference. also she can note the tensions of each thread there too and how it differs with tension tightness, dont forget the threads!!! largest black and white reels as well as normal coloured threads. better threads give better results.

@MaggieBsBoat come her birthday you can get her an adjustable tailor's dummy!!!

I have a Brittania computerised machine. It's is a very solid Japanese machine with metal parts. I love it, sewing with it is a dream. You can get an extra part for it that converts it to a full embroidery machine too. It's a really personal thing, can you make it a day out type experience? Also, if you're thinking of fabric vouchers, I highly recommend Northern Monkey Makes, they have a huge range of all types of fabric.

Yes, my sewing teacher has a stable of second hand Berninas in her classroom. They are painstakingly refurbished and very heavy and solid. Beautiful machines.

Think of them as giving your daughter a classic, like a vintage automobile, rather than "used goods."

I have a Janome 725s. I bought it because it was the model they used on one series of Sewing Bee. It’s perfect for me, not too fancy but doesn’t limit me at all (and by all accounts the buttonhole function is relatively easy to use compared to other machines!) I also have a Janome overlocker which is also great.

Another recommendation for Sewing Machines Direct. Mine is Janome with an SMD brand on it. It is at least 10 years old, serviced every couple of years. It has a slider bar for speed so no matter how hard you press the presser foot the slider bar can limit the top speed. Great for if you need an individual stitch sewing, like when you need to turn for a corner and one press can do one stitch or you need to slow it right down for sewing through several layers.

It has a million stitches but I have only ever used straight, stretch, zig zag and button hole.None of the design ones like little flowers. It has a top load bobbin and an automatic needle threader.

My overlocker is a Brother, very easy to thread up and lots of videos on Youtube showing you how.