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My husband works construction. He rips his work pants after 5-7 use. sometimes last up to 2 weeks if I bought those expensive ones. SO I buy at least 2 new workpants every month. And I did Hand sew some of his ripped worked pants before but my stitching isn't good enough and rips few days after. and It usually takes me a while to stitch a pair of workpants. I did hand sew for his pants for about 2 years already. So I'm pretty sure a sewing machine is quite a good investment. Also he usually wear a carpenters pants, heavy denim or those thick craftsman workpants..so its a bit much of a hassle to stitch back up every time it rips..
The best home sewing machines for the kind of mending you want to do are the old all-mechanical machines. These will last forever if properly maintained. It’s true you can pick them up for next to nothing in a thrift store, but you can’t count on their condition.
The lightweight cheap zigzag machines sold in WalMart may or may not do a good job for you.
What I would do - find a sewing machine store that also sells refurbished/used sewing machines. Take a pair of your husband’s pants with you, and ask for a demonstration. Most places like this will also offer classes.
Check the shop’s reviews before you go. Some use used car salesman tactics to pressure you into buying the machine they most want to sell, rather than the machine that would be best for you to buy.
Yes, you will pay more buying a machine this way. But trying to teach yourself to sew using a poorly maintained or poorly manufactured machine is an exercise in frustration.
It has extender table, drop off bed, 18 different stitches, self threading ( though i fibd it easier to manually thread), etc.
Yes, im a male who sews as mother made sure sure i knew how to sew to mend and make things. 10 years ago i made 4 quilts for us and inlaws for Christmas.
Plus, with MS. Mother lost her ability to do her sewing, a thing she loved, so i had to help out, eventually doing all the sewing if her crafts as she lost her abilities. It made her happy.
I have drapes to rehem this summer for our bonus/sun room. They were on sale for 8dollars a panel and are to long, but i can hem them for the windows sizes. Thats a big project, 9 panels to do. And pleat for traverse rod.
So a decent sewing machine can be had for $100 or less without going into debt on a $5k machine that does everything but the kitchen dishes.
Best of luck looking for your machine...
Ps...i cant wait to inherit mothers old all metal sewing machine, complete with desk cabinet. That sucker would sew through 10-12 layers of heavy weight material ( like denim), as long as the needle holds up!!!
I still use my old Singer machine that was made in the 1970s. I think it is a Touch 'n Sew, but I'd have to check that. No fancy electronics, has the drop-arm that makes it easy to work on hemming pants and sleeves, does everything I need it to do. I got it for cheap at an auction. The repair guy I took it to told me *he* would have bought it, too, because it was an older "workhorse" machine that will go forever. He oiled it and tuned it up, and sure enough, it's a workhorse.
I still use my old Singer machine that was made in the 1970s. I think it is a Touch 'n Sew, but I'd have to check that. No fancy electronics, has the drop-arm that makes it easy to work on hemming pants and sleeves, does everything I need it to do. I got it for cheap at an auction. The repair guy I took it to told me *he* would have bought it, too, because it was an older "workhorse" machine that will go forever. He oiled it and tuned it up, and sure enough, it's a workhorse.
My mothers is from the 60s, comes with 24 cams for fancy stitching and is a real workhorse too. As i said in my previous post, it will sew through 10 layers of denim if the needle holds up.
It has a desk setup. Meaning the machine goes down into the desk for a flat desk top, or up for sewing.
It doesnt have a drop bed, though.
I already asked my father for it, but even though he doesn't sew, hes not ready to part with it. Besides in my starter home i dont exactly have room, itd have to go in the basement. So ill be content to wait til he passes, as if we do summers here, we will use his house, a ranch twice the sizeof our ranch. If we sell out up here for warmer south we will buy a nice big house down there.
Do not buy a new machine. There are so many wonderful old machines out there. I have a Singer FashionMate that has the most wonderful stitches. (I also have six treadles. I love my treadles!)
I had a Viking with the free arm. I never used it. And it was new enough that it wasn't all metal. If you're patching pants, all you really need is a simple zigzag. I picked up a Wards Signature for my stepson's wife for $25. All metal and heavy, it just needed a good oiling. The pool of people that sew is shrinking and there's a lot of great machines available cheap.
An older metal machine in good working order will allow you to learn to sew a lot easier than the new machines. They are better built and you won't be fighting the machine to get the project done.
I have no idea how many sewing machines I've had over the years, I get them from yard sales, estate sales, the dump, people give them to me, they just magically appear from who knows where. Most times I'll sort them out and then move them on to a new home, but a variety of them stay here as well.
For the longest time, my go to machine was a 70's vintage Kenmore machine. That sewed sail covers, boat interiors, car interiors, all kinds of heavy duty work. I still have it, it still works, but it's now been replaced by a Singer 440A from the 50's. The 50's machine is all metal with direct drive. No belts to wear out, no plastic parts to wear out and break.
The 50's machine has a whole new level of resiliency when working with it. It covers for little mistakes I make, it allows me to try more intricate things because I'm not having to fight the machine.
This is a $20 sewing machine from a yard sale. It's a 1950's Singer 401A:
The machine needed oiling - lots of oiling and one cam needed some adjustment, but not much. The cabinet was just too 'ick' to deal with, though. It was wobbly, missing a lot of it's veneer and not sturdy. It got replaced with a $10 cabinet from yet another yard sale:
So this is essentially a $30 sewing machine:
This one was refurbished in late summer 2018. About a month ago at our local dump, I found this in one of the bins:
Same exact machine except in a portable case. Of course, it's solid metal and weighs about 30#, but it's really nice having a portable matching machine.
These two are part of the Singer "Slant-O-Matic" line. The needle slants forward and it's really easy to thread the needle. There is another model, the Singer 404 which would also be a good machine. It's similar to this one, solid metal direct drive and all, but it doesn't have the big button in the middle of it that selects the various stitches. There is also a "Rocketeer" which is a nifty machine. It's also part of the "Slant-O-Matics", but more stylish.
When you get an old vintage machine, sometimes they will come with a box of old attachments. When you find a box of them at a thrift store and if they will fit on your machine, grab them, they're really useful.
That presser foot makes a 1/8" wide rolled hem. About as fast as you can fit the fabric through the foot, it will roll and stitch it. That would pretty much be impossible to do without the foot.
Having a sewing machine can be useful, if you use it. Find a reliable shop, and take your old machine in for service. Since you know it has rust, it might be not be cost effective to have it repaired and serviced. But then you’ll know.
The repair shop will have used machines for sale. Many sewing machines have manuals posted online. Some older machines might even have their original manuals. Consider buying a used machine from a shop. Ask about the ability to sew over thick cloth and seams.
One trick to sewing over thick seams is to use a hammer to hammer the seams flatter before sewing, and there is a plastic thing you can place under the needle to help with sewing over thick seams.
So, information is out there for you. Google for guidance.
But first, find out if your machine is worth fixing. Then go from there.
A used Brother or Babylock would be fine.
I do slightly disagree that mechanical machines are best. They would be less expensive to maintain. But electronic machines work well, if my Babylock is any indication. But for basic sewing and mending, a mechanical machine is fine. An older Pfaff would probably work well for you.
The low-end sewing machine models from Brother are quite good. They have a good range of stitches and features. I purchased mine from Walmart for $75 a year ago and taught myself to do alterations with it. The only thing it may not be good for is very heavy fabrics. Otherwise, it is quite versatile. I would avoid buying a used sewing machine as they often need adjustments or maintenance.
The first machine I used was an old White, back in the 1950s. It was a good solid machine but it predated free arm machines. My personal favorite was a Viking 6440, which I bought new in 1976 and which paid for itself with all the clothing - from undies to winter outerwear - that I made for the whole family. I lost it in a house fire and never found another one to match it, not even on ebay. Now it no longer matters, because I'd need 3 hands to thread the needle; one to hold the thread, one to hold a magnifying glass, and one to hold the threader through the eye of the needle. What sewing I still do is all by hand.
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