How to choose a sewing machine?

The sewing machine is an excellent assistant, even if you are not going to open a model house. It will help to save the family budget, because you do not have to go to the workshop for every trifle - you can change the zipper or cut the sheets yourself. How to choose a sewing machine for someone who just wants to learn how to sew? This will be discussed in the article.

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What is it for?

In the catalogs you can see a great variety of sewing machines. It seems that only the lazy person does not deal with them. A variety of design, functions, just a fantastic price range - how to find the one that will become indispensable in your home? On the design forget it immediately - in this case this is not even the second, but the tenth. But it is necessary to know what a certain "mechanical seamstress" can do.

But first, try to answer the question what are you going to do with it:

1. Perform simple work on simple in processing tissues - trim curtains and sheets, do minor repairs of clothes, etc.
2. Sew clothes and everything else from fine fabrics.
3. To master sewing any clothes.
4. Dream of creating author's models.
5. We decided to get carried away by handmade - making bags and shoes, embroidery or something else like that.

Having correctly set goals, it will be much easier for you to choose a sewing machine:

1. For simple work, the simplest machine is suitable - electromechanical or even mechanical. Strangely enough, it is also very good for work with thick materials - the antediluvian "Singer" from an antique store copes with leather and fur at times much better than the more modern models. So, if you suddenly fall into the inheritance from the great-grandmother such prehistoric miracle - do not hurry to refuse.
2. For clothes made from thin fabrics, an electromechanical machine with a minimal set of functions is sufficient. You need your assistant to know how to grind the parts, handle the seams - well, maybe even sew on the buttons. In this case, a large puncture force is not necessary, because you are not going to work with a drape or cloth.
3. But if you are determined to learn how to sew clothes from any materials well, or even intend to create author's models - you need an "assistant" with the maximum set of functions, because you will need different options for the line, and overlock, and much more.

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What to navigate?

How to choose a sewing machine for home use?- There are three points to which you should pay attention first:

• manufacturer;
• type;
• feature set.

Manufacturer

Sewing machines are produced by many companies. Among them there are those who have been working in the market for a very long time, and that's the first thing to look at their products.

For example, the German company Singer has made happy with its products already many and many generations of handicrafts lovers. In addition to products of this brand, you can meet in stores and others, from no less deserved companies:

• Bernina;
• Janome;
• Pfaff;
• Brother,
• Husqvarna.

Important! Recently, other manufacturers are actively working in the market, including ones that have not proven themselves yet. Their products are much cheaper than a branded one, and it may very well be that you are lucky and you really buy a good reliable machine for a pittance. But in any case, you will buy a "cat in a sack," the risk that your purchase will fail in a week is very great.

Products from well-known manufacturers are preferred for several reasons:

• is easy to get parts;
• accessories are available in almost any clothing store;
• every solid company has a whole network of salons and service centers;
• recognized leaders of the sewing market take care of their good name and comply with the warranty obligations.

Important! If you decide to save money, you may find yourself in an unpleasant situation - for example, if the paws or shuttles for your unit turn out to be non-standard.

What type is it?

All before sewing machines are divided into two categories:

• industrial;
• household.

They have several significant differences:

1. Domestic - universal, they perform all operations quite qualitatively.
2. Industrial - specialized, do one or two operations, but it's flawless.

Important! Household devices work much quieter than those designed for production. In addition, they are cheaper, and significantly.

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Sewing machine for the house

Household machines, in turn, are divided into several types:

• mechanical;
• electromechanical;
• with program control;
• sewing and embroidery;
• embroidery,
• overlock;
• stitching;
• rug.

Mechanical

A mechanical machine can be found now only in the apartment of some amateur needlework with a long history, and even in an antique or commission shop. This is a simple and reliable unit, which practically does not fail.

Important!"Singer" or "Podolsk" with a manual or a foot drive, issued fifty and even a hundred years ago, still work, and many are able. The stitch length is adjustable, there are several types of stitching, some of them can also be embroidered, and the feet, needles or shuttles are standard.

Electromechanical

The most popular type. From mechanical they differ only by the presence of an electric drive. This makes it possible for the seamstress not to think every minute about coordinating the movements of the arms and legs - one can concentrate on the line.

These machines are very reliable, because there is nothing to break them especially - the whole inner part is a set of gears, shafts and levers, which, if necessary, can be replaced. Such "mechanical seamstresses" are rather cheap. It is very important that repairs are also inexpensive.

Important! The main disadvantage is a small number of functions compared to the computer ones. It is an ideal sewing machine for beginners.

With software control

Inside such machines are not only shafts and levers, but also a computer board. This is a kind of brain device that allows you to use very intricate lines.

Important! The number of functions depends on the amount of memory.

In addition to the stitch configuration:

1. you will find different types of loops - up to fifteen. You can also make figured chains from different elements, like stars and leaves.
2. Even the overlock is not simple, but "with focusses" - gives up to a dozen kinds of stitching, not to mention the fact that such delicate and difficult material in processing as knitwear can be sewn in dozens of different ways.

Important! Of course, the "smart" assistant will cost more than her electromechanical sister. The difference is about three times. Before you go to pay for such a valuable acquisition, think - do you really need all this abundance of opportunities? In fact, you will use a few simple lines, overlock and knitted, and you probably will not want to sew the hinges in all fifteen ways.

An essential plus of this machine is the speed of work and a perfectly tuned mechanism. If you are going to create author models with a lot of folds, frills, and you will work all day - you need just such an assembly.

Important! Computer "seamstress" - the creation is rather capricious and requires, in which case, quite expensive repairs.

And seamstress, and embroideress

Despite the name, embroidery and sewing-embroidery machines are able not only to decorate clothes and underwear. They are almost universal - in any case, stitching details and making a decorative line on them is exactly possible. Just their main goal is embroidery, not sewing. Such machines are also in the factory, but there they are firmly set on embroidery.

Inexpensive cars of this type are not particularly reliable, in addition, they are very fastidious and require precise actions. Of this pair, the embroidery is more reliable - of course, to fulfill its basic tasks. Sewing and embroidery is not a very successful hybrid, which copes with sewing worse than an electromechanical and mechanical machine, and in embroidery is inferior to the embroidery.

Plain or stitched

These are highly specialized household machines, but a few words need to be said about them. They carry a flat elastic seam on knitwear. The device copes well with the bending of a knitted dress or a T-shirt, but it's no good for anything. The same function is performed by the carrot.

Important! Acquire such a device makes sense only if you are going to seriously engage in knitwear. But even then, other options are possible - for example, a special knitting needle on another device.

Overlocker

This device is designed for the processing of seams. It is not necessary to buy separately - it is included in the complete set of many models and machines with software control.

But there you have a reliable mechanical or electromechanical machine, the overlock will not hurt you. In addition, the seam he gives is of a higher quality than what can be obtained on a device with software control.

Important! This is not the best sewing machine for the house, but necessary for everyone who sews a lot.

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Soberly evaluate the capabilities of

It is hardly worthwhile to focus only on the number of lines and types of loops. When selecting, pay attention to the following points:

• type of fabric;
• stitch length;
• type of shuttle;
• is a kind of loop.

Fabric type

There are universal units that work equally well with gentle silk, and with easy-to-process cotton, and with cloth. But on sale you can find machines designed for materials of a certain thickness:

• For simple work, a universal machine is good.
• But if you are going to sew ball gowns more often - a device for light fabrics is more suitable, this task performs better than universal one.

Stitch length

Note the maximum stitch length and zigzag width. The first can be 5 mm, the second - 7 mm. This is an ideal option.

Let's talk about shuttles

Shuttles in household machines are of two types:

1. vertical;
2. horizontal.

Important! The bobbin cap is removed from the vertical shuttle. Horizontal bobbins have no bobbin case. Old cars often meet the first option, in modern - the second.

Loops

Which loop does the selected unit give you? The hinging of the hinges is:

• automatic;
• semi-automatic.

What's the difference:

1. In the first case, you will be able to make seven kinds of loops, and besides, the loop turns out clearly under the size of a button - an intelligent device remembers the size and can repeat the operation.
2. With a semi-automatic trim, you need to control the size, which is the marking on the presser foot. The loop is made in a more complicated way than in the first case - for four steps.

Pleasant additions to

There are several functions that make handcraft a pleasant process, although they are not required. It is:

• built-in needle threader;
• foot, adapted for double needle;
• needle positioning device;
• the possibility of working without a pedal;
• possibility of operation without external speed control.

Important! These additional functions are especially important for those who are going to be engaged in sewing in earnest.

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Briefly about the accessories

The cheapest option in any case will be the basic equipment. But is it always convenient? The foot, the needle and the thread are no less important for the final result than the machine itself. See if there is a table of ratios of the thickness of needles and threads for different materials.

If you are going to work with knitwear, jeans fabric or leather, special needles will be a nice addition to the basic equipment. Of course, they can be bought separately.

Pay attention to the paws - there can be several of them, but there are a lot of them. The basic equipment does not include, for example, Teflon paws, and they are very convenient.

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What else should I check?

Which sewing machine is better?- The one who does what is required of her, and does not break. Having disassembled with functions and complete set, pay attention to:

• material of details and the case;
• force of puncture;
• sewing speed;
• presser foot pressure on fabric;

Useful advices:

1. "Inside" cheap cars are very often made of plastic. It is very unreliable, the plastic is fragile and does not withstand all loads. Metal parts are much preferable, so do not hesitate to pester the consultant's questions.
2. Check the power. This is especially important if you are going to work with dense materials. In good machines there is a mechanism for controlling the puncture force.
3. Try, with what force it is necessary to press on a pedal that the machine sewed quickly. The presser foot pressure is important, so that the foot rises high.

Now you know everything you need to choose a sewing machine for your home use. We hope you were able to distinguish a really high-quality and reliable model and did not succumb to the tricks of the manufacturers, but took exactly the model whose set of functions corresponds to your real needs.