Krista

The purpose of this site is to collect reviews and anecdotes from smart, crafty, trustworthy people who've used old sewing machines. That way, people who are looking to buy reasonably priced, reliable, simple sewing machines will have a one-stop shop for research.

I took up sewing very casually a few years ago on a really cheap Singer I bought at Target. I decided to upgrade recently -- I wanted a sewing machine that didn't seize up with thread jams on a regular basis, but I didn't need anything beyond basic features and stitches. I definitely didn't want to deal with software (I suffer enough with my computer), and I didn't want to pay for extra frustration. After some cursory web research, I decided that I should look for a used machine.

According to the internet's brand of coventional wisdom, Berninas are the best. So, I figured, I'd look for an old Bernina on eBay -- ha ha! The 830 Records were selling in December for as much as $700! Husqvarna Viking also has a good rep, so I scoped out the popular 6000-series machines, which came in snazzy colors and had cool-looking accessories... still pricey, and in my obsessive eBay lurking I learned that they often have problems -- they were built with some special lubricant that was meant to keep them from ever needing oiling, but which at this advanced age was instead making some of them freeze up.

I decided to widen my search, and started discovering the beautiful, sturdy-looking machines made in Japan for American companies in the sixties and seventies -- the eBay sellers inevitably touted their all-metal construction and strong motors, but I was -- I admit it -- really taken in by their looks. I bought a White model 614 for a little more than $100, and I've been as pleased as punch.

But the whole experience got me thinking, and the result of that thinking is this website -- I propose to create an accessible resource for other beginning sewers (we are legion, it seems) looking for cheap, reliable, basic sewing machines. I'm going to post reviews of sewing machines by well-known crafty folks, and, eventually, by non-well-known crafty folks, so that anybody surfing eBay or Craigslist or browsing garage sales or thrift stores might have a point of reference when deciding how much a particular used sewing machine is worth to him or her.

If you'd like to review your sewing machine for this site, please email me a brief note about yourself and your hardware and I'll send you a form!