Starter sewing machine - recommendations needed

[BrushyHillGuide]

I’m interested in buying our first sewing machine. I’ve wanted to learn to sew for a long time but just never took the plunge. My wife has also wanted to learn for her own projects. So, I’m looking for some recommendations on what to buy.

I’d like something that’s pretty versatile to start. I’m not going to be building packs any time soon but there are some cordura projects I’d like to able to work on like bags and covers for stuff at the ranch. I realize a commercial grade machine would be faster/better for this heavier stuff but if I could get through it slowly and, possibly, with a little help from my hand on a wheel, I’m ok with it to start. On the other hand, I’d like to be able to sew stuff like silnylon, Tyvek and similar and my wife will certainly be sewing lighter weight materials.

What machine(s) would you recommend? I definitely need to stay under $1k but would really prefer sub $500. I appreciate quality tools but I just can’t go crazy until I see how much I’m going to do.


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[ChrisS]

You can find good used machines for a lot less than $500 to start. See if you can find a Singer 401 for sale somewhere, they were the Cadillacs in the 50s, built to last and easy to service. My mom gave me one and that thing is a tank, punches through multiple layers of cordura no problem. I haven't tried canvas or leather yet, but I think it would manage. It does everything I'd need it to do.

The new machines are fine too, but it's mostly just extras like computerized stitch variations and some bells and whistles. I've never used a new machine, but the amount of sewing I do is limited to futzing around with outdoor gear for my own. A straight stitch is all I need really.

 

[pods8 (Rugged Stitching)]

Shop good will/second hand stores/craigslist. For basic stitching you can get a 70s machine that is stout for probably under $50, definitely under $100. This era of Kenmore machines are decent/metal:

 

[ROJO23]

I have a singer 4432 heavy duty. I have sewn 500d cordura no problem. it was around $150, and it works fine. bunch of different type stitches.

 

[gudspelr]

I have a newer Bernina and an older 1950’s Good Housekeeper that was made in Japan. The newer one works fine, but has less distance between the presser foot and the machine (throat) than the old one. The extra distance means it’s a little easier to stuff your project’s material through when stitching. Also, the old one has all metal gears and is a beast. I’ve stitched through a lot of layers of material with it. The lady who helped me out with it at a local sewing machine repair shop and retailer said I can basically stitch through it if it fits under the presser foot.

And that brings me to a suggestion. I ended up getting pointed to the repair shop when I was looking for help on my older machine, how to thread it, and some of its functions. They were incredibly helpful and I ended up paying I think $50 or something for them to go through it and tune it up before I started in on my projects. The shop had used and new machines that they sell. If I was in your position, I’d check and see if there was a shop like that and let them know what you want to do for projects. Craigslist and second hand stores are also great for finding a good used machine.


Jeremy

 

[William Hanson (live2hunt)]

Can't go wrong with most older models 70s or earlier and as has been mentioned they can be had cheap. For under $1000 You can get some really good modern machines and even some industrial models. Just starting out you should just get a cheaper one and learn and see what you will need.

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[BrushyHillGuide]

Well, y’all are going to make this easier than I thought, on my wallet! Lol! I’ll start looking on Craig’s List. Since we’re on a short break between hunting seasons at the ranch I’ll actually have time to go to the big city and look for some sewing shops. My wife’s b-day is coming up and a sewing machine would make a fun gift to get her. Thanks y’all! I’ll probably post a few that I find and get your advice on them!


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[BrushyHillGuide]

So far I’ve found:

Singer ZigZag (1955) for $162

Kenmore Model 84 (1950’s or ‘60’s) for $150

Both have tables and some extra stuff in them. Anybody familiar with these models?

Also found a Consew for $500 and another older commercial machine for $650 but I don’t think my wife would buy the idea they were for her. Lol.


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[William Hanson (live2hunt)]

What type of sewing are you looking to do?

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[KEVINSENC]

I just bought a $50 craigslist deal two weeks ago, it was a kenmore form the 60's. Works great no issues so far. I went out and bought a zipper foot for it to help me with some zipper install but all in all it was $50 well spent. Also there are a ton of youtube videos out there to watch on how to set up older machines...

 

[gudspelr]

Knowing what you want to make as William mentioned can really help you out with some decisions. I’ve not used one, but I hear walking foot machines can be really nice, though not “necesssry”. I mad 3 quilts with Apex Climashield insulation, a silpoly tarp, a silpoly pyramid tent, and some stuff sacks and meat sacks. I used a straight stitch and a bit of zig-zag, and that was it for the various stitching. If you have a desire to make some clothing, the ability to do button holes is pretty cool and I want to try that at some point. I also got a zipper foot which helps greatly in getting a zipper sewn in nicely.

If you’re have plans to make a lot of back packs and do some really meaningful stitching through thick layers and maybe even some foam, that could certainly alter what you might want to look for in a machine. But if you’re not sure that’s something you’re going to do, I’d say find a fairly cheap but good used machine and learn to make several things you want for some gear. If that works out well and you want to upgrade later, you don’t have too much money into the first machine, learned a whole bunch, and still have it for whatever projects you want or can even sell it. Oh, and just so you know, if you call it a “thread injector”, it sounds much more manly...or so I’ve been told .


Jeremy

 

[mtnhmr]

I'm currently searching for a Singer 201-2; this model has a potted motor which does not have a belt and is direct gear driven. Essentially, this little mass produced cheap machine will punch leather easily with solid stitches for basic projects.

You can easily find these machines under $100.

 

[BrushyHillGuide]

What type of sewing are you looking to do?

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I’d like to make some pockets, pouches and covers for things like my spotting scope, tripod, and maybe even camera gear. Once I learn some technique, possibly add a zipper to a pack bag or modifying a bino harness - stuff like that. I’m also interested in playing around with making some tarps out of Silnylon or even cuben. I’d love to have a tarp cover for one of our tractors, for when I need to keep it out in one of the pastures for a while. Driving 7-8 miles on rough ranch roads to and from the barn each day is time consuming and hard on me and the tractor. It’d be nice to leave it out but know it’s covered from the rain. Also things like hemming pants and generic home sewing projects my wife is interested in.

Eventually we’d like to make some leather/hide/fur pillows but I’m pretty sure we’ll need a commercial machine for that. So, this is sort of our intro to sewing effort. Like you said earlier, this will give us an affordable way to learn and discover what we like and need down the road.


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[BroodBuster]

I picked up a Brother at Costco not long ago that has been working just fine. The whole sewing thing is pretty relaxing and easier than I thought. I've only used it on pillows, curtains and such as I am putting the finishing touches on my truck cap camper. A mattress and bedding is this weekends project. Box said it was strong enough for leather so I'd think cordura will be just fine. It was right around $200.00 but they sure didn't last long though as the only time saw them on the shelf was the day I bought it.

 

[William Hanson (live2hunt)]

Finding one machine to do all that is not going to be easy. Most home machines don't work well with the light Fabrics like silnylon or cuben and one that does probably isn't going to work with leather. A buddy of mine uses a pfaff with IDT and he likes it pretty well on everything from Cordura to silnylon.

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[William Hanson (live2hunt)]

I will say though that the experience you'll gain from using and older cheap machine will prove invaluable even when you get a better machine.

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[Texarican]

I'm teaching myself to sew currently using a borrowed Singer Simple 3116. Making the DIY hammock top quilt and underquilt using Costco Black Diamond down throws. All the seam ripping and stuff is a major PITA but the sewing part is not hard at all and that little machine is very easy to use. I doubt it would work well for canvas or thicker materials though.

 

[cnelk]

I purchased a used Bernette several years ago. Its served me well doing DIY stuff and general repairs

I would suggest to use a size 100 needle tho. That will work better on heavier materials

 

[pods8 (Rugged Stitching)]

I would suggest to use a size 100 needle tho. That will work better on heavier materials

Depends on the thread size you're running too. If using T70/V69 thread (which is the upper end thread size folks tend to run in home machines for heavier materials) a 110/18 needle is recommended min.

 

[BrushyHillGuide]

I will say though that the experience you'll gain from using and older cheap machine will prove invaluable even when you get a better machine.

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Yeah, I’m not going to worry about the leather for a while. Here’s a Kenmore 84 I found for $95 with everything in the picture. Do you think that’d be good for the Cuben/Sil to Cordura projects?

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