Go to a reputable sewing machine dealer in your area and look for a refurbished machine.Tell them just what you told us,and they will be happy to accomodate you.Or look in the newspaper.I don't think i'd buy used from ebay,you don't know what you will get.It's better to be able to see ,and test it.JMO
Kathi

Also to add to Kathi's comments, new singers aren't the quality of the ones of prior to 1980.
Susan

You've been given good advice.Some of those older machines are real workhorses. My only suggestion is that if you buy an older machine , make sure it has the free arm feature as it is so handy. I'm not sure when it became a standard feature on many machines, but I have an old Singer from the mid 70's that sews really well but doesn't have the free arm feature.

I also recommend your local sewing machine dealer. The machine will be cleaned and serviced before you buy it.

The sales lady at my Pfaff dealer told me that they only sell the very best of the machines they get in trade in.

Remember, they want your repeat business. If they can make you happy with your used machine, when you are ready to upgrade to something fancier, you will come to see them.

They may even offer you some lessons on how to use the features of the used machine. Never hurts to ask.

CMC

Thank you all very much.

I had already made a quick call to one local dealer. I'll go by his place probably next week sometime. Over the phone he mentioned just one example of an older machine. I think he said it was a Singer 5107 (maybe 5707, I can't read my own writing) for sale for $75. For a new example he mentioned a Singer 1609 for $150. I'll have a chance to talk with him this week.

The Singer machines I was looking at on Ebay said they were new machines. I've never bought anything off Ebay, but, to my naive eye, it all seemed pretty legit. And it was a lot cheaper than the same machine at someplace like Target or Walmart.

So you all basically think that a nice old machine is the way to go? Somehow I had in mind that the old machines would require a more delicate hand than I have. I can imagine that the body might be tougher, but the mechanism, too? Would an older machine require me to do more maintenance on it?

I don't know what a free arm does, but somewhere along the way I saw that it was a good feature. The new Singer I mentioned has it. I'm off to see exactly what that is all about.

Thanks.

I'd appreciate any other thoughts you have.

Hay

Ebay is not a real good place to trust. Go to your local dealer.. go to a few and learn what you would like to have by the information you gather.

Now, me, personally... I would love to play with a Bernina. gvg

Another vote for an older machine from a local dealer. Be sure to mention what you will be using the machine for, your price range and yes get a free arm if you can. Free arms make it easy to get into small tight places to repair and sew things....eg. arm holes and pant legs. It is not necessary but you will love having the option that feature provides. Budster.

I purchase lots of stuff off ebay and always look to see if the person has any complaints. That is how you judge how honest they are.

Why don't you consider a Sears machine? With a Sears machine you can get an extended warranty. In my area, the going price to have a sewing machine cleaned, oiled and adjusted is about $75. with the tax. For me, I can have my machine serviced for three years at no charge beyond the extended warrantee price of $75. Since I make Linus quilts, I sew a machine to death and need it adjusted about every six months.

Good sewing. MonicaTX

Also check Estate Sales. I found a Singer in Cabinet with all books, and different feet. It was a wonderful one that did embrodery and even had all the thread you could have wanted.It was selling for 48.00 and the next day was still there. It would have sold for 25.00 at Noon. I am still kicking myself for not buying it.

I'll be seeing a dealer this week, and then I'll have a better understanding of all this. I can tell from the decriptions of what you can do with a freearm that it would be useful, but I could't figure out how the machine would be any different looking. Not that it really matters at this point.

(I'm wondering if all of you might have some sentimental attachments to your old machines. Understandably.)

I just want something that will be there and ready to run when I turn it on every couple of years. Trouble free hopefully. I don't want to be searching for parts for a fifty year old machine. And I don't want to have to get it serviced because it's been sitting for so long without being used. And while I'd like to buy it cheap, that's not the most important thing.

Like with the Sears deal, I might not use the machine for three years, so a three year warranty wouldn't really help me.

Here's a Brand new Singer 2639 on Ebay for a little more than a hundred dollars. The seller looks like he's reputable. I wouldn't consider buying a used one off Ebay with my limited knowledge. I think they come with a manufacturers 25 year warranty.

You are a great help to me.

Thanks.

Hay

I have to echo what everyone else has said. Don't buy a singer because the machines are not made as well as they used to be. You would be better off buying a used machine. A free arm machine has a piece of the bed that detaches when you want to sew things like sleeves which are hard to sew on a regular sewing machine bed. Colleen

I certainly agree with the others about purchasing a second hand machine from a dealer. I did purchase a Singer Featherweight from Ebay but I previously had one and I checked out every listing for 4 months before even bidding. There are a lot of sellers out there, particularly people who sell sewing machines that know nothing about them. I purchased the one I did as the seller had a cerificate of recent repair.

The first sewing machine I purchased in the 1970's was 10 year old Elna supreme and it had an open arm so most things after that age probably do. I would not recommend a second hand Elna if you are not an experienced sewer. They tend be very one person specific. I have the singer featherweight, a newer Elna and a Janome. I love the Janome. They make small portable, and comparatively inexpensive machines that you should be able to get if someone has traded up.

You probably don't need a lot of bells and whistles but as you want to applique you should be looking for a machine that has at least a ziz zag stitch (button hole width) and either overhand or hemming stitch.

Have fun.

Test drive a few machines before you decide for sure. Go to more than one dealer and compare features and prices. You can take your time and consider what you want your machine to do and go from there. Good luck and let us know your final choice. Budster

Thanks, everyone. It all helps me.

Hay

Hay,
I somehow don't think you are quite hearing what the other posters have been saying to you. Older machines that have been serviced by a dealer are so much more sturdy than most $100 brand new machines. The older machines do not require babying and they are not made of plastic as are the new machines that you keep referring to.

A new Singer machine is absolutely NOT made with the same quality and durability as an older model Singer. And when sewing on appliques, you need a machine with zig-zag capability.

Even if you bought a $50 older machine at a thrift store and had it tuned up for $50-75, you would still have yourself a better quality machine that you could pull out and use now and then. You wouldn't have to search for parts if you bought a used machine at a dealer - they would have obtained all the parts needed to get it back in working order.

Just a word to the wise.

I went to a dealer yesterday afternoon and spent a little time talking to him. I'm sorta back at square one, now.

He didn't have a big showroom full of machines. And he was my best chance because he is really the only dealer that wouldn't require some trouble to go see.

He only had one old Singer (When you all say old, I'm thinking it would be one of those black heavy ones).It was a vintage 1953 model 15 for $90. It only had one stitch, backward and forward and a flat bed (I'm learning the lingo, I think.)It was a pretty machine and he was in total agreement that these old ones would "outlast all of us".

Mostly what he had for second hand was not really old, like a couple/three years, he said. He says that he buys the machines from someone by the pallet and they are the machines that people have returned to Sears for whatever reason. Most of the time, he finds something like a bobbin put in wrong or whatever and it's like brand new. And the price to me is about half of what if would have sold for new a couple years ago. And, no, these are not built like the model 15 Singer.

I think I remember that all (most?) had several stitches, free arms and were priced from about $65 to $175. Like a model 15218400 for $110.

What to do, what to do?

If I were patient, and had lots of time, I could find something nice. But two strikes for me there.

What to do?

I really do hear all of you about old, nice machines. Apart from their lasting forever, they would most likely, I gather, be easier to work with. Now, where do I get one? I'm not going to give up yet, but that seems to be a problem.

And the other side of me is saying that for about $130 I could buy a new Sears model marked down from about $250. I wouldn't be running around. I could have it in two days....

What to do? What to do?

Thanks,

Hay

Here's the features of the Sears model I've linked to above.

Euro-Pro LCD Screen Sewing Machine with 35 Stitches, 1-Step Automatic Buttonhole

* Solid metal construction features 35 built-in stitches & 80 stitch functions
* One-Step Automatic Buttonhole & Automatic Needle Threader
* Stitch width/length adjustments
* One motion threading & foot pressure regulator
* Converts from flat bed to free-arm
* Accessory storage compartment
* Built-in handle for easy carrying
* Accessories include Seam Ripper/Brush, Oiler, Set of Needles, Quilting Guide, and more
* Comes with bonus hard cover and 12 creative feet (a $60 value)

Hay

Did you read the reviews of that Sear's machine? Are you willing to settle for something that was rated only 3 stars out of 5?

Does the dealer you went to see guarantee the second hand machines that he had? If he does, what do you have to lose by asking to "test drive" some of the second hand machines? By trying the machines in his shop, you at least have a chance to see if they sew smoothly and can have him show you how to use the machine, change needles, ask about oil needs, etc. That's more info than you will get from the 3-star Sear's purchase.

I didn't look at any ratings. I just went to the Sears page and that was one that was listed. I'l go look at it a little more carefully.

I can appreciate that the dealer might give me a lot more help and guidance than the Sears website. He was very talkative and told me a lot of helpful things.

I'm still looking around. I checked out a thrift store today and it was closing time, so I didn't really see it, but the lady said that they had an antique one back there for sale. I'll check it out during their hours sometime. Never know. This would be a pretty good area to find a good machine at a cheap price at a tag sale or a fund raising annual tag sale or something like that.

And I'm going to call around and see if I can get any leads. Check out some ads and that sort of thing.

I'm curious, when you all say that a nice old sturdy Singer would be nice, does that mean that it's going to look like the black, heavy metal ones I identify with nice old Singer. To be a nice, sturdy, old one, does that mean it will have this type of case or could it be plastic looking like the new ones I've been seeing?

Thanks.

Hay

Not necessarily black, heavy metal - unless you are into that - LOL! The Singers made before 1980 are more sturdy than the ones now made under the Singer label that come from Japan or China or wherever they are being made these days.

When you are looking at older, used machines, look for names like Pfaff and Kenmore also as they are good quality too.

I agree with the above poster....Singers do not have to be black to be good....but it does seem the older black ones are the workhorses we all love. You have to remember what you are wanting to use the machine for in the long run and don't let them sell you something that can do lots of things you will never use...I admire that you are getting "with the program" and I am sure once you check around you will find your machine. My MIL has a l948 Kenmore that only goes forward and back but will sew through just about anything you can throw at it......and makes a perfect stitch every time. FIL bought her a new Singer in the 80's and she had nothing but trouble from the word go. It did things she couldn't understand and she hated it, one of the SIL's ended up with it and traded it in promptly. You just never know. Good luck and keep searching.

Thanks.

I thought Kenmore and Sears were the same. The dealer I went to see told me that if you open up a recent Sears machine, it's all familiar looking Janome(spelling?) parts that he sees.

I went back and looked at the reviews of the Sears machine on sale. There were just three reviews and only one was really bad. But I really do hear you about things on sale. As often as not, it's not a good buy just for the reasons you're saying.

I really don't want a lot of bells and whistles. In fact, I'd prefer not to have them because it is just something more to go wrong. But, given the choices, I do think I'd like a free arm and more than just a single stitch going back and forth.

I'm still looking and asking. You've convinced me about what to look for. I just don't know where to look.

Hay

If you want to do garment sewing, you don't need the top of the line machine, but a machine with a nice assortment of about a dozen stitches will allow you sew just about anything.

Below is a link to an article at Threads Magazine. You can download a PDF that compares a number of basic machines. Although this list may be out of date (new models have come on the market), it gives you a good idea of the types of features that you might want to look for.

A machine with straight stitch, zig-zag, 3-stitch zig-zag, hem stitches, triple strength knit stitches (straight and overlock) and a button hole stitch will give you a lot of versatility.

As an example, here's a Janome at AllBrands that has the bare minimum basic features I would consider:

http://www.allbrands.com/products/abp08019-0847.html#Click%20for%20More%20Images

Note that this machine has a metal body, so it won't be very light-weight; other machines have plastic bodies, which make them lighter and more portable.

Some other features to consider are: adjustable needle position (left, middle, right) and automatic needle down, which this particular Janome does not seem to have; it's very basic.

Testing the machine yourself is a good idea, to find out if there are features that you don't like. For instance, do you have to hold down the reverse button to lock stitches? If so, where is that button located? Is it in an inconvenient place? Only you can determine that for yourself by testing.

Hope this gives you some more ideas of what to look for.

CMC
Also, check http://sewing.patternreview.com/ for a large assortment of sewing machine reviews.

Here is a link that might be useful: Threads magazine - How to Buy a Sewing Machine

Thank you, CMC. Looking at the picture of the Janome, to my eye the outside case looks a lot like the Sear's ones that the dealer had. And he said that the insides of the Sears looked like Janome parts.

Still looking.

In the reviews so many of the machines cost way more than I could imagine spending on a machine. $800, $1200. Prices like that.

Thanks everyone for your very useful suggestions. I've learned some things about the machines and I'm way ahead of where I was before I came to you.

Hay

Thanks for your two cents. Another 798.98 and I'll buy my dream machine.

I have another question. Right now, my sewing projects revolve around putting silly things on my many colorful tee shirts I'm fond of wearing. I've been buying little appliques to do it, but there are things I'd like to do that aren't appliques. I'd like to do embroidery if it weren't too terribly hard or time consuming. So I liked it when I saw that you could do free machine embroidery with the last machine that was linked up above. I can see it would take some practice and skill, but that would be a nice feature.

Still haven't gotten to my question, though. With and without a machine, how would you sew on some lettering made from fabric to a tee shirt? Easy and it doesn't have to look all that professional. I have some felt pieces and some fabric pieces that I thought I'd just cut out letters and then do a zig-zag type of stitching around the edges. Are there any quicker, easier ways you might know. The felt doesn't seem like it would have an unraveling problem, but regular fabric would. And it would take forever to do it by hand. And then it's not worth it.

I've thought about getting my little projects all in order and then taking them into a tailor (because I can't spell seamstess (?)) and get them to do it all in a flash until I can finally get a machine.

Thanks
Hay

If you are using regular fabric for the letters, I would wash the fabric, iron it flat, then use a good iron on interfacing BEFORE cutting out the letters. The fusing will help keep the letters from fraying. Then sew them onto your T-shirt. Some fusible interfacing will also shrink so it is a good idea to dip it in cold water and hang to dry before your fuse if you are doing a really good project. I'm not sure it would be worth the effort on a T-shirt.

Thank you!

I think I can see the idea and how it would help. One time recently I saw a commercially made shirt that to my casual glance just looked like letters cut out of fabric and then stitched to the fabric in a way that it would have had to to have a fraying problem. So maybe it was something like this. Interesting. I'll check it out.

Hay