Buying a sewing machine

[JetLi]

Honestly don't know where to start. It would be for small dressmaking projects & alterations of stuff like curtains - nothing fancy. It needs to be easy to use. There seem to be so many makes & models. Can anyone help me out please? Just a general direction really, like "Brother ones are good" or "Toshiba are rubbish" or has anyone bought something recently that they can recommend? Around £100 is the max I have to spend.
Thank you

My friend has just got one from Lidl, £60.She says its easy to use and instructions v.clear. Sorry but can't remember make and model.

I bought one a few years ago - and I found 2 places with brilliant, knowledgeable shop assistants. (like you I was pretty clueless) one was at John Lewis - the woman was really passionate and knew her stuff - the other was at a small independent sewing/material/craft shop. I would really recommend trying to get to one or the other - or ideally both. I don't think you can beat face-to-face non-pushy help - and I definitely got it from both of these.

I got a singer from tesco direct for £80 a few months ago for exactly the same reason as you and so far it's great. Very simple to use but does everything I need it to. Will try and find a link.

Bum it's not there now :(

If you're just using it for the odd project then pretty much anything in your price range would be OK.

I use an industrial (plus a small selection of domestics, embroidery and an overlocker) which I would use for curtains because it's strong and fast which I find best for something heavy, but the others do the job. My machines are quite old.

Thanks all for the advice

Hi,

I'm new to machine sewing but want to learn.My mother in law has given me an ancient Viking which used to belong to her auntie, it must be around 50 years old. It is a gorgeous, very heavy machine. There is something wrong with the tension and it will need fixing (about £45).

Is this machine worth fixing? OR is it too old to be any good? Sometimes you read the older machines are better than the newer budget ones. What do you think, will it be fiddly to use?

My machines aren't quite that old but they're pretty old. They're built to last and heavier duty (people were more likely to use them for curtains in the past!) so I'd go with it. £45 isn't a lot really when it comes to sewing machines, get it serviced and even if it lasts less than a year you have made back your money.

I'd make sure I brought a TOP LOADER - as in the bobbin loads from under the needle, rather than from the front of the machine. Your options might be limited at that price, but the top loading design is much preferred to front loading - less hassle in the end.