Need help before a purchasing a sewing machine

What type of sewing machine is best for me?

Taking up a creative hobby like dressmaking, quilting, home decor, sewing or crafting can be fun, so purchasing the most suitable sewing machine for you can make a huge difference. Developments in sewing machines and sewing accessories will produce more of a professional finish to whatever sewing project you undertake.

"Buyer's guides are usually full of jargon, however our alternative, no holds barred guide to buying a sewing machine lets you consider your choice from a different perspective"

The variation between any manufacturer's basic sewing machine and their top-end model is a lot more than just the price. Features such as bobbin loading, computerised machines automate these treacherous tasks. Although this sewing machine buyers guide are our own personal thoughts. you can rest assured that our unbiased and huge product knowledge is for your benefit and hopefully will be useful in helping you choose before you purchase.

Do I really need an expensive sewing machine?

We often hear, "I will pay as much as I can and buy the best sewing machine I can afford". No, that's not correct. Often paying the most will not buy you the best sewing machine for your needs, this is not the most cost-effective way!

Nor is... "I want a cheap sewing machine". Our yard is packed full of broken cheap sewing machines from unknown manufacturers.! Customers may have been thinking that paying an extra few pounds were just for the brand name. The extra few pounds are for the metal parts instead of plastic, durability instead of "if it's broken, throw-it-away", well-engineered smooth running instead of an unpleasant noisy rattle and comprehensible instruction books instead of pigeon English.

Some obscure branded machines I've seen even have stitches the wrong way around causing all kinds of problems when hemming or quilting and that's not just the machines for under £100! It is simply not possible to sew a blind hem stitch on a large curtain where the bulk of the curtain has to go through/under the bed to the right of the needle.

Which brand is best?

Our question to you would be, what will you be using it for?

Quilting, dressmaking, general sewing jobs around the house or maybe charity projects, a school purchase or even the first step in setting up a sewing-related business. All these details are very important.

If you were wanting a strong heavy-duty machine capable of sewing home furnishing, curtains etc we would point you to the strong and reliable Pfaff brand. Have you heard about their IDT feed system? Quilters will love it! For Embroidery, it’s got to be Brother...super high quality, fast stitching, no-nonsense machines.

For the Quilters, as we have already mentioned, you would never be compromised if you were quilting on a Pfaff with IDT. Computerised machines with an easy-to-use interface, try the Husqvarna range and for the beginner sewer or budding intermediate sewer looking for a durable machine, Janome has a great selection.

What would an expert tell me?

The first thing we would ask is... how much do you want to spend? Hmm you say... I've heard that one before. But hold on, let me explain and tell you that all sewing machines, from a selected manufacturer, are not the same quality. What I mean is, if you have a set price level of, for example, £300, I will guarantee that one brand of sewing machine will be far better made than another, at that same price! Yet the specification will be very similar.

I'm sure that while you're reading this you may be doing some research to buy a sewing machine for yourself or as a gift. You'll be thinking! how long is it likely to last..? What about reliability and how easy will it be to buy parts and add-on accessories; or even get it serviced in the future... whats the best buy?

Personally, I would suggest calling an expert who can guide you through purchasing a sewing machine or use these consumer sewing machine reviews to help, there's a lot of reading...!

Do I buy a sewing machine and later an embroidery machine, or a combined one?

I'm a numbers guy when it comes to making a purchase. Yes, there are advantages when buying separate machines to do each task, especially if one has the space in a sewing room to have both machines out and ready to use at the same time, just like a mini factory going from one to the other when needed.

However, these days more than ever manufacturers are producing a variety of models to allow separate purchases.

Take for example the Bernette 70 series. 3 models; 1 x embroidery machine, 1 x sewing machine, and each is very good and worth looking at. The other is a combo sewing/embroidery model which has all the features of the sewing model and all the features of the embroidery model. 

Buying the sewing machine, then maybe later thinking about buying an embroidery model in total will set you back a small fortune. However, buying the combination model is an incredible bargain at £1800. That way one would be getting a high-end sewing/embroidery machine with the exact same features as two separate machines and saving £700 in the process.

In summary

• Price isn't everything
• Not all brands are the same
• Call us, we can guide you through purchasing a sewing machine
• We offer a 30-day returns peace of mind

Start by investigating specific machine features to learn more about each machine in your price range as well as reading the reviews. We do find other websites copy/paste our descriptions so maybe they don't know the machines they sell as well as we do.

If you find a sewing machine that impresses you with the features you need, the right number of stitches or patterns and is at the right price etc. But you are still not 100% sure, don't worry we offer a 30-day returns. We want you to be confident that the sewing machine you buy from us will be right for you at the end of the day. That’s all we want and I'm sure it’s all you want too.