Cheap sewing machine suitable for heavy curtains with a lining

[AnimalCrossingHere]

I'm new to sewing and want to make curtains. I live in a cold house so thought I could buy thicker, better quality material and make them myself to save money.

I foolishly did not buy the nearly new singer 4411 I saw on e-bay for £140. I was waiting for DP to come home so I could ask about my birthday and it was gone when he got in, but £140 would be around the top of my budget.

Any recommendation for similar machines? I want the most basic model I can get, number of stitches and extras don't matter, I just need to know it will go through thick material. Tried looking at the motor watts as a guide but getting bogged down.

You need a vintage machine - Singer, Jones etc all readily available. Have a look on gumtree - something prior to 1970 is your best bet, though maybe 70s if all metal.

Ideally you'll find something with a tested motor, but you can also use a hand crank - I did a set of curtains in a hand crank Singer 99 sitting in a field a few years ago and they came out perfectly.

There's a vintage sewing machine group on Facebook with all kinds of manuals for download, and lots of people happy to help with setup and identifying parts.

Good luck!

Thanks for the recommendation!