| Buying Your First Sewing Machine | | | | What functions should it have? Find one that has |
| | | | some basic stitches and button hole capabilities. Basic |
| The first item you need to start sewing is a sewing | | | | stitches include straight stitch, zig zag stitch, hem stitch. |
| machine! Here are a few tips on finding the perfect | | | | etc. All machines have tension control and stitch length |
| starter machine for you: | | | | dials which you can find out more about in your sewing |
| Begin simple - You do not need all the bells and | | | | machine's instruction manual. Remember, the simpler |
| whistles on your first machine. You won't want to | | | | the machine, the simpler the instruction manual, and the |
| have to sit down and read a 500 page manual just to | | | | faster you will be off and sewing!! Some machines will |
| learn how to thread the machine before you can even | | | | have a lot of stitches which look fun but can be |
| sew a stitch! I personally love the Brother brand of | | | | overwhelming to a beginner. These machines are |
| machines. They make a great starter model - the LS | | | | great for more advanced seamstresses, but I would |
| 2125i, for example. I have had better luck with Brother | | | | stick to a simple machine to begin with. All the projects |
| than with the comparable Singer model. The Singer | | | | on my blog are made with my $89 machine from |
| model seemed to jam a lot and produced uneven | | | | Wal-Mart! |
| stitches. Maybe I just had a lemon but when I bought | | | | Read the instruction booklet - If you took my advice |
| another Brother machine I was very happy with the | | | | and bought a basic machine, leafing through the |
| quality for the price (only $89!!) | | | | instruction booklet should take 15 minutes. It will give |
| Where should I get my first sewing machine? My | | | | you instructions on how to thread the needle, wind the |
| suggestion is to go to Wal-Mart or Target. You can | | | | bobbin, and perform all other functions of the machine. |
| find a great machine under $99. You are welcome to | | | | For instance, if you want to try a zig zag stitch, go to |
| go to a fabric store but you will probably pay much | | | | the page that says "zig zag stitch" and it will tell you |
| more. Wal-Mart usually has a great craft section that | | | | the recommended thread tension and stitch length |
| also carries simple sewing supplies. | | | | settings for best results. |