Write,
That's a TERRIBLE title for a thread!!
OK, here goes...
It depends a bit on how much you want to spend, but you're in the US, I think? So, the price you'll pay is half what I'd have to pay (don't you just love 'free trade'?), so you can get a good machine (above entry level) for about $300 with some good features.
I've got a Janome DC 3050 machine, which cost me £270 last year (about $500).
I got that one because it's got:
- Needle up/down, which means that each time you take your foot off the pedal, the needle keeps going to EITHER the next 'up' position or the 'down' position, whatever you've set it to. Needle up is good for when you're doing quilting, and want to keep doing short pieces of stitching, and then take the piece off the machine, and needle down is good for if you're going around curves, and need to stop every few stitches to re-position the fabric whilst lifting the presser foot a bit. This is quite a basic 'feature', but a great one to have. It'll save you loads of annoying 'tweaking' of the wheel on the right hand end of the machine, instead.
- DC motor. I think this one is crucial. I'd never had this before on a machine. It means that you can set the speed to be REALLY SLOW if you're doing something precise. Otherwise, on cheap machines, the pedal isn't responsive enough and you just have to put your foot to the floor and GO VERY FAST or 'stop'. Not good.
- One step buttonhole. You get a good buttonhole foot to fix on the presser foot mounting, where you place the button at the back of the foot and the machine then 'knows' how big to make the buttonhole. You don't have to keep adjusting different widths of zigzag to do each of the four sides of the buttonhole, and each one comes out identical until you put a different size of button in the groove at the back.
- On my machine, there are 50 different stitches, including decorative embroidery ones, overlocking stitches (for neatening edges of seams) and stretch ones for knit fabrics. The stretch stitches are great - couldn't manage without these, now, as I sew a lot of stretchy fabrics (later, you might want to get a serger...when you get really hooked
) Too many stitches isn't that helpful, though. It's like with a washing machine - they have loads of programmes, but you end up using only two.
- The various feet that come with the machine are good quality. It's worth trying out a machine in a shop if possible, and looking at the extra feet that come with the machine. Feel all over them, and the throat plate, to see if there are any burrs on the metal. Janome and Bernina machines are well known for having very good quality feet. Bernina machines are expensive, but last for ever. Goodextra feet to have are zipper foot, overedge foot and gathering foot. Most machine manufacturers have lots of extra feet you can buy later, so it's not necesary to get them all bundled in with the original machine.
- Stitch lock. My machine has a button that you can press at any time you're stitching, and it immediately stitches 5 stitches in the same place, locking the thread ends. It saves pulling one thread through to the reverse of the sewing, and tying off those pesky thread ends in a silly knot.
- A presser foot needs to lift quite high to get thick fabrics under the foot, and my machine has a 'double height' lift, so that you can press the lever twice to get it really high, for thick fabrics like fleece.
- A good foot pedal. Most machines have a stupidly lightweight plastic foot pedal, which is so light that it skims across the floor whenever the flex is touched by mistake. A heavy metal foot pedal is good if you can get one, as it stays put.
If you go to
www.patternreview.com , you can do a search of their sewing machine reviews, by putting in the features that you DEFINITELY want in a machine, and it shows you those first.
In the US, there's a lot of advertising of the all-singing-all-dancing embroidery machines, that cost about $3000 plus. WASTE OF MONEY!! They do 'industrial style' patterns, from computerised components, for things like baseball caps and T-shirts and are boring as hell, IMO. Not creative at all.
As to bras... (Mud, go away, put your fingers in your ears and go 'La-la-la')
A really good site for all things to do with making your own bras is
www.sewsassy.com They have patterns from Elan, Kwik Sew, etc. Once you know what will fit, it takes about two hours to make a bra, BUT 'making it fit' is the fun part! The only way, really, is to do it. You cut out the pattern pieces to the size of bra cups that you'd normally buy (just the cups at this stage), 'try them' against you, have a good laugh, and cut a bigger size. I made four before I'd even show my husband how they were turning out, they were so crap! Now I've got the hang of them, they are better than shop ones (they fit, for one thing). You can buy underwires, rings and sliders, channelling for the wires...everything that a commercial bra has, you can buy to make your own. And they work out very cheap, too. I used to pay about £20 per bra, ready-made, but I can make one for about £4.50 now.
Basic stages of making a bra are :
sew the cup pieces together, to make two whole cups
sew the centre panel to the cups
sew the elasticated side pieces to the sides of the cups
sew on channelling along the bottom edges of the cups for underwires (if you want them)
sew on picot edge elastic along the side edges, top and bottom
attach the straps
attach the hook and eye thingy at the back (or front, if you want one like that)
Put it on, and feel very smug that you've got a unique bra that fits, that no-one else has got!
Have I tempted you enough yet??
When ya going shopping? Can I come?
Janet
