edith Posted April 5, 2010 Share Posted April 5, 2010 I would like to buy a sewing machine for my daughter's 14th birthday; she is about to start a GCSE Textiles course. Has anyone got one of these? http://www.johnlewis.com/Electricals/Sewing/Sewing/Sewing+Machines/516/ProductCategory.aspx It is only £49 so I thought it might be good for a beginner or would it be better to spend a bit more and get a full size one? I could spend up to about £100 for something that would last her longer. I'd appreciate your advice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egzandra Posted April 5, 2010 Share Posted April 5, 2010 I have never used one of these but if you went to a JL store there would probably be someone there to demonstrate it for you. My feeling is that to be user friendly you might need to spend a bit more on a machine. Have you thought of getting her a reconditioned one that might be a better quality machine but second hand. Maybe ring up the school and see if your daughter's textile teacher will recommend something, she will probably have experience of what the pupils find easy and what they will find frustrating to use. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubereglu Posted April 5, 2010 Share Posted April 5, 2010 That looks really nice and very simple to use, which is always good. I wonder if you'd be able to try using it before you buy in John Lewis??? It looks good for a beginner though, although my one concern is that it might be a bit too small and not capable of handling thicker fabrics due to its size. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Webmuppet Posted April 10, 2010 Share Posted April 10, 2010 We have a mini sewing machine (a Jenome which cost £30) it got me started on using a sewing machine, ok it has it's limitations but I managed to make various patchwork things with it. LMW ( aged 9 and 3/4)loves it and has inherited it now I have a 'grown up' sewing machine.The mini machines are a cheap way of getting started and will handle cotton fabric and thin fleece ( I made a blankety thing with fleece on one side and patchwork on the other). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egzandra Posted April 13, 2010 Share Posted April 13, 2010 I was in John Lewis on Saturday in Norwich and the mini sewing machines were on display in three different colours. They looked attractive but they are lightweight. I started sewing on my mum's treadle, which I have inherited now, and since leaving home have had a succession of cheaper machines. The first I got on a special offer from a magazine and it would probably have been better to buy a good quality one to start off with. Also, I think that the cheaper ones are not always very user friendly and someone with a bit of experience might get better use out of them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edith Posted May 6, 2010 Author Share Posted May 6, 2010 Hello, Thanks for your responses and sensible advice! I did go to John Lewis to look at the mini machine; it was cute but very small and light. The sales woman said she would not recommend it and described it as a 'toy'. The birthday was yesterday and I got this one http://www.sewingmachines.co.uk/SMD18_info.htm as recommended by Shirl and others- thankyou! It looks great and does a lot for the money; I'm really looking forward to having a go myself. The customer serveice was excellent, I was given a one hour time slot in the morning and arrived right in the middle of it. Thanks for your help, Jo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowy Posted May 6, 2010 Share Posted May 6, 2010 Well done - hope you both enjoy using it! Do save your packaging for the machine - if anything does go wrong, SMD will send a courier to collect it free of charge and try to guarentee it's return to you within a few days. They are a brilliant company Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
