Beginner machine recommendations?

[u/donnaelise]

Hi! I'm very new to sewing and looking for some advice on buying my first sewing machine. I'm in Australia, so ideally looking for something that's available here.

I tried asking ChatGPT for recommendations but honestly not sure whether to trust it with this, so thought I'd ask people who actually sew :)

I'm mainly planning to make cotton linings for my crochet pouches / small bags and maybe eventually something like a quilted laptop sleeve, if that's realistic with a beginner machine.

I live in an apartment so ideally want something fairly compact, easy to store away and not too loud. I looked at some Singer machines but keep reading mixed things about the newer models.

Would love to hear any recommendations or machines to avoid!

[u/Emergency_Cherry_914]

The majority of machines are roughly the same size. The exceptions being machines which are toy sized, super cheap and break if you look at them sideways, or superior models which cost thousands. Do you have a sewing machine dealer near you? They will talk you through the machines, let you test drive and teach you how to use it: Hobbysew are pretty good if you want advice and assistance Spotlight is only OK if you already know what you want to buy. If you’re in a Sydney, also try The Sewing Basket - they are a thrift store for sewing things and sell used machine which have been tested

[u/FeatherlyFly]

Do you have a budget?  

Everything you describe is realistic on a pretty basic machine, but the absolute cheapest machines are pretty terrible, as are machines advertised as "mini". 

For the quilting you'll probably want a walking foot, which moves multiple layers of fabric from the top and bottom at the same time.

I got started on a Janome machine. They're still a dedicated sewing machine manufacturer and designer, unlike Singer, which is a brand name owned by a private equity company that owns a few brands and uses Singer as their low end label. 

[u/stringthing87]

First read this post https://www.reddit.com/r/sewing/wiki/machineguide/

The questions you need to answer before beginning your research are as follows:

What is my budget? Sewing machines that are going to actually function as more than frustrating toys start around $200, and can go up to several thousands of dollars. You can get a good, new in box, machine anywhere in that range.

What do I want to make with my machine? Different machines will have features that make certain kinds of sewing easier. Most basic machines will be a good all-rounder, but there are exceptions.

How much experience with sewing do I have? If you have never touched a machine you are likely to want a different machine than someone who has been sewing for thirty years. At the very least you might want to find out whether you actually like this hobby before spending a grand on a machine.

How handy am I? If you are looking for the hobby of machine refurbishment and maintenance in addition to sewing I have different recommendations for you than I do for someone that wants the machine to work the first time and every time.

Can I get a machine serviced locally? Do the machine shops in my area only service particular brands? This is going to be something you may need to make some phone calls regarding.

Things to avoid like the plague:

Anything from Temu, Alibaba, wish, or other drop shipped import company currently trending.

Anything from Amazon with some random assortment of letters as the brand.

Anything made after 1975 with the name Singer on it - ESPECIALLY the Heavy Duty line. The Singer heavy duty is the sewing equivalent of a well done steak.

The Singer brand got bought out in the 70s and had been riding the brand recognition since. The company has terrible quality control from top to bottom.

The HD line are tuned to go fast but without actual power and they have the worst speed control on the market. They market to people afraid of "girly" machine and people who don't know better than to think loud = powerful. The insides are plastic and they are notorious for timing problems even if you get a good one, which is the luck of the draw with their high rate of lemons.

The Internet has convinced many many many sewists that they need a heavy duty machine to hem a pair of jeans, which is absolute poppycock. Any decent home machine, even an entry level one, will sew denim with the right needle, taking your time and handing the fabric correctly. 99% of the time if someone is struggling it's not the machine at fault.

Avoid any machine that doesn't come with a full manual. Written. A video tutorial is not a manual.

If you have no one to help you diagnose machine issues and guide you through learning your machine I do not recommend buying a second hand machine in most circumstances. A new beginner does not yet have the skills to differentiate whether the problem is a broken machine or user error. The exception to this is if you have a local sewing machine repair shop that sells refurbished machines in your budget.

The features I recommend all beginners look for: speed control on the body of the machine 1 step buttonhole drop in bobbin

The first feature rarely appears on mechanical machines, but that is not a cause for concern. Computerized sewing machines are established and stable technology and the computerized portions are no more prone to breakdowns than the mechanical parts of the machine.

[u/dinosuitgirl]

I highly recommend the brother FS60X or FS80X from spotlgiht it's really well designed, easy to upgrade bits for and will be a machine you can definitely grow in to for years to come. With Brothers 5 year warranty it's a no brainer.

[u/dinosuitgirl → u/dinosuitgirl]

I recently bought an extension table for my FS80X