Show off your baby!!!

[pinoyblaze]

I'm going to start hunting down for a sewing machine in some thrift shops this weekend and I thought it'd be a neat idea to see what all of you are pack as sewing machines!!! So post up some pictures of your sewing machines and if you want (I'm just being bored here) tell us if it has a name and why.

I think I'll name mine Prick...for all the times I've pricked my finger hand sewing. :D It sound more British too ( No offense to any of my friendly British pals here on the forums)

I'll have my picture up soon this upcoming week!

[ladyjanewriter]

I would recommend NOT buying the American Denim. I goofed mine up and it no longer backstitches quite right. I backstitch, go forward, and then it goes KRUNNKK! and then the tension goes out of wack. And then I curse like a maniac.

http://www.allbrands.com/products/abp03692-1125.html

Soo, I'm handsewing right now. Heh. I'm gonna save some $$$ and get it to the shop and take a few lessons and find out WTH is going on!

[Coffee]

Well, this is mine.

http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k229/Caffeinatedguy/DSC00527.jpg


Older machines were generally made with more intensive use in mind.

[Jelfish]

Hey Coffee: What kind of guitar is that?

Jel

[Coffee]

It's a Stagg Top Fuel - a hot rodded version of their standard 335-copy.

[Jelfish]

Looks nice - I've never played on a Stagg before.


Anyway back to the OT, here's my machine:

http://www.chenkaili.com/other/sewingmachine.jpg

[ladyjanewriter]

^^^ Purty!!

Pinoyblaze - also be sure to check yard and garage sales! Lots of people inherit sewing machines, but don't sew themselves, so you might find a really good vintage sewing machine with METAL parts.

Prior to the Late 70's, sewing machines were built to last. They started putting crappy plastic-and-metal junky ones together on purpose - the old machines were just too good, and wouldn't die! No, seriously! The sewing machine companies wanted stuff to break on purpose, so people would buy new ones, instead of getting 'em fixed. Annoying. It's seriously stupid. I remember toasters used to last forever, too, when I was a kid.

And, if you don't get the manual, if you find the model number on the machine, you can look up the manual online.

[Coffee]

It's called "Planned Obsolescence." Companies make money when you buy something, it breaks, and then you buy another one.

Basically, it's just companies putting their profits above the wellbeing and trust of the customer.

Looks nice - I've never played on a Stagg before.

I love it to pieces, but mainly because it's the first guitar I properly bought. Out of the 5 I own, it's the only one I bought from a guitar shop. Cost me £150, reduced from £200.

Aside from that, it's made of plywood, and tends to feedback if you use it with too much distortion, but that's really only the bridge pup. If I can pull together some cash, I might swap out the pups.

[Jelfish]

Aside from that, it's made of plywood, and tends to feedback if you use it with too much distortion, but that's really only the bridge pup. If I can pull together some cash, I might swap out the pups.

I've heard that some people fill their pickups with wax (called "potting" I believe) to reduce feedback. Maybe you could try that if you're going to buy new ones anyway.

[Coffee]

I've heard that some people fill their pickups with wax (called "potting" I believe) to reduce feedback. Maybe you could try that if you're going to buy new ones anyway.

Well, pickups are generally potted in the factory to begin with. Microphonic feedback is caused by the pickup's coils becoming loose and vibrating in turn with the ambient noise, as opposed to just reacting to the vibration of the string.

A degree of microphonic-ness can be seen as somewhat desirable particularly for low-gain music such as Blues, Jazz and Country, where it is felt to add a feeling of warmth to the sound.

Wax potting fills the space between the coils which could lead to microphonic feedback, and puts a stop to it. Other options include supporting the pickup with foam rubber, and exchanging the height setting springs with surgical tubing.

Hollow body and semi-hollow guitars are much more susceptible to feedback, because the top of the guitar, to which the pickups are connected, floats more freely. Some ways to cut down on feedback caused by this are to create support posts within the cavities, fill the cavities with foam or other, or to patch the top, increasing its' rigidity.

But on the whole, I was thinking of moving the neck (generally non-microphonic) pup into the bridge position, and sticking a P94 into the neck position for a nice blues growl.

[Jelfish]

Oh I wasn't thinking that your guitar was hollow. It all makes sense now :)

[Coffee]

Semi-hollow. Like a Gibson 335, it's got a solid centre block, with two semi-hollow "wings" attached.

Anyway! SEWING MACHINES!

[Jelfish]

Semi-hollow. Like a Gibson 335, it's got a solid centre block, with two semi-hollow "wings" attached.

Anyway! SEWING MACHINES!
oh. So you're using the neck pickups for their (I'm assuming) higher resistance? Otherwise, it would seem to not make too much a difference to switch them.

Anyway, I've been thinking about getting a new electric guitar. I have an Ibanez RG 320 that I got in high school as a present. It's got nice whiny highs, but the overall sound isn't as fat/mellow as I'd like it to be for jazz/blues (it's really designed for .9 strings, which doesn't help). I sure like the sound of Gibsons, though my wallet doesn't, so I've been looking at some used or good replicas. We'll see..


ps. sorry for hijacking your thread, pinoyblaze. If you're still in the market for sewing machines, you may want to consider finding a sewing machine store. I became friends with the salesman (who's also a repairman) for my machine and he taught me how to use it properly and cleaned it out after I tortured it with improper tensioner usage and broken needles. He was even able to give me some tips on sewing, gave me a maintenance tutorial and showed me where the machine oil needs to go, etc. All in all, it's good to have someone specially trained to call with questions about your machine if you're not super experienced. You'll drastically shorten the learning curve that may come with a new machine and your machine will last longer. You won't get these benefits from buying a machine from Wal-Mart or Target.

[Coffee]

The bonus I found was that the sewing machine store I bought from was also a repair shop; and I'm sure at least a few of the older machines on discount were being sold to cover the cost of repair more than anything else. So I got a good bargain!


PS. guitar talk in the guitar talk thread :p

[sewittogether]

um i hope it works . i attached it.
Its about 2 yrs. old , and its name is pain in the ... um ... butt.

[sewittogether]

:) o my holy funny god .... i spent an hour trying to get this pic up!!! YES!! I CAN POST PICS NOW! I HAVE DISCOVERED THE SECRET!!!!! http://forum.threadbanger.com/C:\Documents and Settings\Danielle\My Documents\My Pictures\Drawstring Bag\Drawstring Bag 001.jpg

[sewittogether]

Omfg!!!!!! How The Heck Do You Get Pics Up?!?!?!?

[sewittogether]

o MI IM GOONA BE SICK HOW THE HECKEDY HECK HECK DO YOU GET A PIC UP!!!



DID THIS WORK?

[Coffee]

Okay, try converting it into a jpg or gif format - you can do this even in Paint, just open the file, then save as... and select jpg or gif. They're smaller formats.

Then, for convenience' sake, go to ImageShack (http://www.imageshack.us) and upload it there.

When it's uploaded, it'll give you the code to post in the forums.

[Rufus-kun]

I honestly suprised my mum when I claimed her sewing machine haha ^_^ at first she thought it was some subtle way of coming out of the closet :P

http://img175.imageshack.us/img175/4994/pict0057cu8.jpg

[pinoyblaze]

I honestly suprised my mum when I claimed her sewing machine haha ^_^ at first she thought it was some subtle way of coming out of the closet :P



haha don't worry, my mom thought the same thing. (of course, it was obvious already haha) :D

[ladyjanewriter]

Note to self: Give birth to adorable gay son with a love of fashion and sewing. Live Fabulously Ever After...

Hey, man, it worked for Issac Mizrahi's mom. And Carson Kressley's sis (he made her prom gown!).

Oh, OK, back on topic - I'm subscribing to anything on YouTube tagged with "sewing." It's helping me a lot, b/c some of the clips are sewing machine tutorials for beginners.

Oh! And I found out what I did wrong with the stretch fabric. My mom told me I should have pinned tissue paper to the sides I was sewing onto. Sew thru tissue paper and fabric, then rip away tissue paper when done. DUH. *slaps forehead!*

[MamaSasss]

Oh! And I found out what I did wrong with the stretch fabric. My mom told me I should have pinned tissue paper to the sides I was sewing onto. Sew thru tissue paper and fabric, then rip away tissue paper when done. DUH. *slaps forehead!*

I'm slapping my forehead right along with yas. Yer mom is brilliant!;)

[ladyjanewriter]

Well, Gramma did bridal alterations, and was a really advanced seamstress. I just didn't show much interest as a kid...and I kinda missed that memo! WHOOPS.:rolleyes:

My gramma wasn't the greatest teacher, though. I think she was too impatient, and I was too klutzy. I think learning now with help from the internet's the way to go.

OK, back to sewing machines!

[Coffee]

Ahem...

Well, I may be the only guy who wanted to make clothes for his action man (GI Joe)

[Jelfish]

Ahem...

Well, I may be the only guy who wanted to make clothes for his action man (GI Joe)
Hah! You know GI Joe coined the term "action figure" because parents thought it was wrong for boys to play with dolls.

But hey, Joe can't always be wearing those tired fatigues when he goes for a night out in town ;)

[pinoyblaze]

Hah! You know GI Joe coined the term "action figure" because parents thought it was wrong for boys to play with dolls.

But hey, Joe can't always be wearing those tired fatigues when he goes for a night out in town ;)

anyone here matching white suit with shiny candy red dress shoes? haha okay, maybe that's a little much, white dress shoes then :D

[WonderlandAlli]

a website image steal of the sewing machine I own http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v251/allisonmorgan/sewingmachine.jpg
It's really easy to use, though until I got used to the way you remove the white cover to replace the bobbin I was worried I'd break it.

[Coffee]

Does it have a free arm behind that bit chunk of plastic?

[Stefaknee]

Here it is.

http://i12.tinypic.com/4ubpemp.jpg

[Sara-ish]

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a364/Saraish_/sewingmachine.jpg

Beautiful, huh?
I'm lucky the room is painted that colour.

[ladyjanewriter]

^^^ Shut. Up. That is GORGEOUS. <3

[Sara-ish]

If that was to me, thanks :D.

I'm still getting the hang of these threads (I signed up 15 minutes ago).

[ladyjanewriter]

Yes, Sara-ish, That was to you, sorry. :)

And, Welcome to the forums! Everyone's pretty new here, so no huge worries about being a newbie. It's really great here so far. I've never been around at the start of a message board before, it's quite refreshing.

[Sara-ish]

Sounds exciting. I noticed that even the hard-core members have posted under 200 times. It's nice that this forum isn't swamped with members, that way you know some of the people.

[Coffee]

Sounds exciting. I noticed that even the hard-core members have posted under 200 times. It's nice that this forum isn't swamped with members, that way you know some of the people.

Apart from PB. He's craaaazy.

Of course, before that, I was the postmaster general, but still :p

[ladyjanewriter]

Apart from PB. He's craaaazy.

Of course, before that, I was the postmaster general, but still :p

^^^ This from a man who wrestled his sewing machine whilst wearing a mask. hehehehe. j/k

[Coffee]

^^^ This from a man who wrestled his sewing machine whilst wearing a mask. hehehehe. j/k

Yeah, at least that was my homemade ones. I have a professional quality one I save for special occasions.

[sarathelaundress]

That's the official model name! How can I go wrong?

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1332/999814942_7dc0f3e099.jpg

[suburbanjungle]

This beaut is my moms. I claimed it, but I have since realized it's circa the Stone Age... Singer "Touch & Sew - Deluxe Zig Zag".
I HATE BOBBINS ON THIS THING. =_=; [I think they're the way of the sewing machine giving me the finger..]
http://img204.imageshack.us/img204/415/21616864ub6.th.jpg (http://img204.imageshack.us/my.php?image=21616864ub6.jpg)
And another image! [Stupid thumbnail..]Both are set in the *lovely* basement..We're planning to cover the back wall with record covers, but we're lazy...so it's not done yet.
http://img154.imageshack.us/img154/9606/56732660ug3.th.jpg (http://img154.imageshack.us/my.php?image=56732660ug3.jpg)

[Julay]

Well, this is my baby. ^.^http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a89/j-oz/100_2085.jpg

It's my moms. She used it when she was a little girl and such. Pretty old, but pretty cool.

[adangerousmuse]

I am actually on my 3rd sewing machine!! my first was my mom's, a brother from the early 70's which is an amazing (and easy to use) machine, when I adopted it, she took it back. My 2nd machine was an old pfaff that I got at a yard sale, apparently they were really good when they were new, but I hate the thing... it spontaneously starts sewing backwards, which causes problems, to say the least. my most recent (and favorite) machine is an old bernina 830 record that I got at an estate auction. I can't sing enough praises of this machine, it does everything (and repair shops can still get parts for it) although it isn't computerized, it is enough machine for me, it is simple, and it works with most of the fascinating feet on the bernina website (I have to admit, I start projects just so I have an excuse to buy feet for this thing, it's an expensive hobby! I am looking forward to, someday, upgrading to the 930, which can do even more, and was their top of the line machine in the 80s.

[Miss_Gagarin]

I honestly suprised my mum when I claimed her sewing machine haha ^_^ at first she thought it was some subtle way of coming out of the closet :P




I'm amazed... I never knew Toyota was making sewing machines!!!:eek:

[pinoyblaze]

Apart from PB. He's craaaazy.

Of course, before that, I was the postmaster general, but still :p


Crazy huh?
Crazy does as crazy do :D


~~Imaginary dialog if Coffee and Pinoyblaze ever met in person.~~

PB: Two snaps!!! :D

*snap*

COFFEE: ....Uh Pino:confused:, that was only one snap...

PB: BLAH BLAH!!!! ;)I SAID TWO SNAPS!!!!

*snap*

COFFEE: :(..that was still...

PB: :mad:TWO SNAPS!!!

*SNAP*

COFFEE: :mad:rawr...Never mind (goes off to make more kick ass wrestling masks)

[pinoyblaze]

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a364/Saraish_/sewingmachine.jpg

Beautiful, huh?
I'm lucky the room is painted that colour.

OMG it's so pretty I just wanna touch it...an my life would be complete (isn't that how all things go theses days? har de har har)

:D

[lucyfa]

Hey this is mine- yes i sew on this!
I love it so much, it was my grandmas.

[stephy ann]

i <3 my kenmore!!!!http://i183.photobucket.com/albums/x119/missamerica7268/churchanddiyprojects014.jpg

[Dorion]

I just had to post to this thread because I know you folks would understand how horrifying this image is:

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1276/824205187_8362ff3308.jpg?v=0


That's my darling Nigel. Nigel went *pwing* and just stopped working one night -- in the middle of a project... at 2 am... on a Sunday... Opening him up and seeing what was what was my only option! It was terrifying. You can all rest assured, though. Not only did I get him working, he stopped making that weird whistly noise. Hurray!

[pinoyblaze]

yay! going out with a friend to look for my sewing machine!!! Finally!!! Woot! Wish me luck!

[Sacha]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v293/Lambish/IMG_2223.jpg

My parents bought me this.

And the case just for fun lol

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v293/Lambish/IMG_2224.jpg

[pinoyblaze]

mission unsucessful today, nothing that caught my eye. The hunt continues...:D

[ladyjanewriter]

I just had to post to this thread because I know you folks would understand how horrifying this image is:

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1276/824205187_8362ff3308.jpg?v=0


That's my darling Nigel. Nigel went *pwing* and just stopped working one night -- in the middle of a project... at 2 am... on a Sunday... Opening him up and seeing what was what was my only option! It was terrifying. You can all rest assured, though. Not only did I get him working, he stopped making that weird whistly noise. Hurray!

HE'S ALIVE! Good job. Oh, man, that was brave!!!:eek:

[ryanmoore]

my machine makes weird noises to
but then i just hit it really hard
and the noises stop


heres my baby
he/she doesn't have name yet....
any ideas???

this thing is so oldd
it was my mom's aunt wanda's
and ive looked all over for a year
doesnt exist!
crazy

http://i14.tinypic.com/4lzu0wi.jpg



-ryan-

[Maluro]

this is sort of "my baby"
its my mom's acctually but she doesn't use it anymore :p:)
is like of... the 80s i think and its german :)
it doesn't really have a name lol

http://img248.imageshack.us/img248/1502/img0115fq9.jpg

[ladyjanewriter]

Maluro - "Pfaff" sounds like the English word "half," but with a "PF" in front of it. Sort of. German has a lot of oddball pronunciations like that. Pfaff machines are very good! I hear nothing but great stuff about that company. They're very popular with quilters. You're so lucky!


Update! My sewing machine and I are getting along now.

I've decided to name her. This is Gamma. My Gramma used to do bridal alterations and a lot of sewing from her home, until her eyesight went terribly bad and she went legally blind. One of my younger cousins just couldn't say "Gramma" as a 3 year old, so she called my Gramma "Gamma." I'd call it by my Gramma's first name, but she HATED her name. I think Gamma just fits for some strange reason.


http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1092/1088489881_1af1245f38.jpg




It's a Simplicity American Denim. Turns out I was just putting the whole bobbin mechanism in totally wrong. So I had to spend at least a half an hour fiddling with the stupid thing to get it right. I got it new from Amazon.com quite a number of years ago (they had a special gold box deal, I think.) It came with an offer to fill out a form to get 3 free Simplicity patterns. The case is plastic, but the "guts" of the machine is metal, which is good!

Oh, and the toy squirrel on top is named Squirrel. I made her little scarf, bag, and hat years ago from scrap fleece.

[saintlike_ontheoutside]

^^ lol at the squirrel, but is handsewing just as good as a machine but just slower or does a machine do it stronger

[Jelfish]

Machine is a lot faster. It also works with 2 threads instead of one.

If you're really patient and can do a mean running stitch, then you can survive most DIY projects with hand stitching.

[ladyjanewriter]

ryanmoore - I swear that looks a LOT like the Kenmores we had in my Home Ec class in middle school, back in 1982? (OMG. 1982. Holy crap.)

I think it's a student machine? I'm wondering if it is, b/c it only has 6 stitches and isn't super pimped-up.

I know that sometimes sewing machine companies used to have special dealies for home ec teachers, where you could get a bunch of machines for a better price...I think? I don't even know if they do that anymore. Hmm.

Is there some sort of ID number on it? Maybe people refer to it by the ID number.

[ladyjanewriter]

Oh - good question!

I did sew an entire skirt by hand...and that's what made me realize I reaaaally needed to figure out my machine. My right shoulder was killing me! (I'm right-handed). And it took me 3 weeks with a lot of breaks, starting, stopping, etc. I'm actually pretty good at hand-sewing though.

I think - IMO - hand-sewing is just fine for small projects. Sometimes it's not worth me clearing a space and dragging out a machine for small stuff. I've been sewing little baby toys by hand - it's a nice way to keep busy in the laundromat while I'm waiting for my stuff to wash/dry.

[ladyjanewriter]

OK, sorry for being a Post Ho! I get obsessed with stuff and wind up searching google.

ryanmoore - Yep, It looks like the Ultra Stitch came with either 6, 8, or 12 built in stitches, plus buttonhole. I found the diagram for threading the machine on sewusa.com

http://www.sewusa.com/Threading_Diagrams/Threading_Pages/Kenmore_Sewing_Machine_Threading/kenmore_ultra_stitch_6_8_12_threading_diagram.htm

I think if you search without the dash between "ultra" and "stitch," stuff comes up. I saw a few Ebay and Ebay Canada hits, too.

[pinoyblaze]

haha cool that u got it working again ladyjane, funny how determination makes a world of difference :P

[ladyjanewriter]

Thanks! The trick was to take the whole thing apart, and put it back together slowly piece by piece. And I would put one part in, then turn the flywheel to see if it allowed the point of the needle to go in properly. If it went "clunk" against metal, I had to fiddle with it. And to mentally ask the ThreadBangers and Gramma for help. Oh! It also helped that I was kneeling on the floor, so the stupid thing was eye-level. Mine's a side-loader bobbin, and I'm used to a drop-in bobbin. I think sitting on a chair meant I couldn't exactly see where I'd put it together wrong.

Since the needle was used, and I probably bent the very tip, I made sure to switch to a new needle before sewing - tadaaah!

The manual for my machine is AWFUL. The pics are all grayscale, small, and really grainy. I think I give up on the manual for some things, and will just have to fiddle around and logic it out.

[lizzaerie]

http://www.singerco.com/library//Machine/CG590.jpg

i jsut got it abotu two months ago, and i love it to death. i used to have an old one that the brand name isnt even around any more, and my moms coworker gave it to me for free. once i got this one i sold my old one to a close friend for $50. haha
this definately is my baby.

[Jelfish]

^^ That is a sleek looking machine

[Miss_Gagarin]

Here is mine!

I used to have an old Brother machine that makes their rep lies (it couldn't do anything right despite a professionnal tune-up) so my mom offered me this baby for my b-day 3 years ago! It's a Singer 140Q featherlight. I've googled it and it says that it's very popular among quilters. Well, I have 20-something stitches (I easily half of them) and a bunch of different presser feet. And it is lightweight, so I can carry it around pretty much! On the down side, I think it's not full metal inside, so I'm afraid it won't last until I can give it to my grandchildren. Oh! and the price lowered a lot since I got it : you can find it for 150$ on several sites!!!

[ryanmoore]

OK, sorry for being a Post Ho! I get obsessed with stuff and wind up searching google.

ryanmoore - Yep, It looks like the Ultra Stitch came with either 6, 8, or 12 built in stitches, plus buttonhole. I found the diagram for threading the machine on sewusa.com

http://www.sewusa.com/Threading_Diagrams/Threading_Pages/Kenmore_Sewing_Machine_Threading/kenmore_ultra_stitch_6_8_12_threading_diagram.htm

I think if you search without the dash between "ultra" and "stitch," stuff comes up. I saw a few Ebay and Ebay Canada hits, too.

tha diagram is the one in my manual
ive had to refer to it quite a few times
cuz im retarded
i dont see why it couldnt be from 1982
it was my moms aunts machine
she said it could be from then
because it was
MY moms grandmas, brothers, wifes machine
and my moms grandma was 100 but she died a few years back
so its probably older than that
anyways
if i ever have any problems
ill know exactly who to go to !!!!!! ( you)
teehee

[ladyjanewriter]

Not to me! No no no no no don't ask mee!

Do you know how bad I sucked at Home Ec? (Answer: Very Badly!) The funny thing is, I did OK with the simple metal shop projects.

[ryanmoore]

Not to me! No no no no no don't ask mee!

Do you know how bad I sucked at Home Ec? (Answer: Very Badly!) The funny thing is, I did OK with the simple metal shop projects.


well the thing is
thats when i realized i was awesome at sewing
during home ec ( we call it teen living now)
i was better than everyone else
my projects always turned out better
than everyone elses
*pats self on back*

but i love my machine!
even though i want to throw it into a volcano
sometimes!

anyways .................................................. .....................

[saintlike_ontheoutside]

i really want a sewing machine

[MamaSasss]

Here's Bertha. I had to dress her up a little.
http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j76/joyful_morgana/Drawings%20and%20Paintings/ArtsandCrafts098.jpg

[ladyjanewriter]

Hee! I like the sticker. Is that a pirate sword necklace? AWESOME.

(hee - your yarn stash is stacked up like part of my fabric stash...)

[MamaSasss]

Hee! I like the sticker. Is that a pirate sword necklace? AWESOME.

(hee - your yarn stash is stacked up like part of my fabric stash...)

Pirate sword? I think you're seeing the clasp to the sewing machine case there. :p

[ladyjanewriter]

Pirate sword? I think you're seeing the clasp to the sewing machine case there. :p

I. Need. More. Caffiene. *headslap* Durr! heheheheee. Oh, man.

[bjababy]

My Parents are probably gonna get me this one for my bday next month. I've never had my own sewing machine but i used one at school every other day and i hated it but thats because when i thought something looked right my teacher made me redo it like a million times. But not i really want one because i just love diy and actually threadbanger has given me a reason to be interested. Hm and as for a name if i get it i will name it.....simple like it says on the side lol ( i may not get that exact one but something reallllllly close lol) i figure id go cheap on my first one and when i get into it go more expensive for higher quality (or until i find someone dumb enough to sell a good one at a yardsale or garage sale etc)http://i.walmart.com/i/p/00/03/74/31/88/0003743188106_500X500.jpg

[erinairout]

http://i13.tinypic.com/4t8zy9j.jpg
It's been in my family forever, and it sometimes just decides not to work.
Haha.
I don't mind though, it was free :)

[gohashmeer]

rawr no fair... i have no machineee!!!!!!!!!
i have to hand sew
and it takes FOREVerrrrr
does anyone know where to get a cheap sewing machine??
no ebay or any internet stuff
like maybe you know a friend that has a sewing machine (that works) that they don't want?

[ladyjanewriter]

Hi, gohashmeer - Yay, you figured out the posting thing. Welcome to ThreadBanger!

Gosh, I thought there was a sewing machine tips thread somewhere...I can't find it right now? Hm... If I can locate it, I'll put the link in this post.

Duh, found it - Sewing Machine Purchase Tips Thread:

http://forum.threadbanger.com/showthread.php?t=646

[diana bobar]

bjababy that is a great present to recieve! I'd love to get that for Christmas this year too! Now, I am using a Romanian ols sewing machine (from the communist era, it still works so that's good) called Ileana:)
However, when I go back to University this fall (I'm at my parents for the summer) I can't take it with me cause it's big and very heavy, it has like it's own table attached to it.
Anyway, can't wait to have a cuter, more professional sewing machine too!

[sthephannye]

i dont have a pic of mine at the moment but
i will take one 2morrow 1st thing and post it =].

[Neff]

mine, that is finally back from the repair shop (I began posting here when I first put it in to get fixed, if that tells you how long it took to get the machine back)

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y143/dgqfan/MyPicture-3.jpg

[ladyjanewriter]

mine, that is finally back from the repair shop (I began posting here when I first put it in to get fixed, if that tells you how long it took to get the machine back)

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y143/dgqfan/MyPicture-3.jpg

Oh, cool! It's a "ETIHW" machine! ;)

[Neff]

Going way back for this one....

Note to self: Give birth to adorable gay son with a love of fashion and sewing. Live Fabulously Ever After...
He doesn't need to be gay. I like fashion and sewing more than my wife, but I think it was because my whole time growing up it was my father who did all the sewing in the house.

He wanted to be a fashion designer, but his father told him that he would not allow it, so he went in to architecture instead, does store planning for Macy's, and does all his sewing as a hobby.

So just raise your son around a man that sews and you should be fine. ;)

[Neff]

Oh, cool! It's a "ETIHW" machine! ;)

Yeah, I didn't notice that the built-in camera on my computer would flip the wording.

[ladyjanewriter]

Going way back for this one....


He doesn't need to be gay. I like fashion and sewing more than my wife, but I think it was because my whole time growing up it was my father who did all the sewing in the house.

He wanted to be a fashion designer, but his father told him that he would not allow it, so he went in to architecture instead, does store planning for Macy's, and does all his sewing as a hobby.

So just raise your son around a man that sews and you should be fine. ;)

That's so cool that your dad still kept up with it as a hobby!

I know my bf learned embroidery stitches in home ec. He's better than me. :rolleyes: Oh, he arranges flowers better than me. drat.

[Coffee]

Woah...

That one's backwards!

[Neff]

Woah...

That one's backwards!

Well, I am left handed, so most things I do are "backwards"

[pinoyblaze]

Wecome back Neff!! We haven't seen you on here for a while!!!

[Coffee]

Well, I am left handed, so most things I do are "backwards"

Can't say I've ever seen a backwards sewing machine, though.

[Yurena]

i might be the last one here but i just had to show my babies off. (even though i don't know how to use them^^)

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a318/fear23/S7300521.jpg

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a318/fear23/S7300519.jpg

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a318/fear23/S7300520.jpg

[phoenix_fire]

okay I know this thread is really old but I wanted to show off my babies anyways

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3184/2330775684_11e83982a6.jpg?v=0

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3269/2329949337_07d02db373.jpg?v=0

I have another, older sewing machine but it's in storage right now :(

[nepherym]

http://a199.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/2/l_a05d225e38a7ed7f465d6a40afa60f8e.jpg

Just a simple 2-stitch Kenmore at this time, but it chews through anything I throw at it. From charmuse to vinyl, I've only had to oil it in the last 7 years I've had it. I preferred this machine over the Singer I got for graduation (timing ALWAYS went out on every renfair project).

[klc1168]

I have two babies... One is the grumpy old man and the other is shiny and new and I love it to pieces. Both are Singers.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b43/klc1168/momsprojects077.jpg
The grumpy old man- singer fashion mate circa 1970ish. My mom inherited him from great aunt Frankie and he has always been cantankerous. He has been banished to the closet and I pull him out for really heavy things. He's strong as an ox but he has tension issues.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b43/klc1168/momsprojects078.jpg
This baby is my pride and joy. I love this machine. I haven't named it and I don't normally name things. But she is shiny and new and works like a dream. My only complaint is that the work light isn't as bright as I'd like. But that is super minor.
Sorry my pix are so big. I was too lazy to resize them.

[Needles Hurt]

i named mine ouch for obvious reasons

[Cristophine]

i might be the last one here but i just had to show my babies off. (even though i don't know how to use them^^)

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a318/fear23/S7300521.jpg



I have the exact same machine XD I named mine Mateo, just 'cause but I call him Teo for short.

Here's a photo of him in his previous home (the basement), taken when I had recently gotten him (a gift from my mom because the old one -that was once hers- died). This was also before my dad kicked me out of the basement to make his entertainment center. :(
He lives in my room now, except during convention season (aka right now) when he moves back to the basement due to more room and a much larger tv (better to entertain the friends whose costumes I am making) much to my father's displeasure :D

http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i319/cristophine/mysewingstation.jpg

[Needles Hurt]

I have the exact same machine XD I named mine Mateo, just 'cause but I call him Teo for short.

Here's a photo of him in his previous home (the basement), taken when I had recently gotten him (a gift from my mom because the old one -that was once hers- died). This was also before my dad kicked me out of the basement to make his entertainment center. :(
He lives in my room now, except during convention season (aka right now) when he moves back to the basement due to more room and a much larger tv (better to entertain the friends whose costumes I am making) much to my father's displeasure :D

http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i319/cristophine/mysewingstation.jpg

cute dog!

[iamtyping]

Two pics of my baby in her new house. She was my Grandmother's I believe. I'm not sure of her year, but she doesn't work right now.

http://a895.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/54/l_d34c04092f0ae74c0ef6ef3e8768ba16.jpg

She used to live in the basement, but boyfriend and I picked her up and cleaned her (even had to vaccuum off spider eggs). She doesn't work so she hangs upside-down in her desk. She folds up. My brother sits on top of her and I sew with him. He's not much of a looker, but he's cheap and a good learner machine.

http://a572.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/69/l_9697264431a7264f6b5596c1b9d88053.jpg

She's AMAZING. That's all you need to know. ^^ And that little box up in the corner? My bf made that for me, it was full of hershey's kisses so I could have a "kiss" from him on bad days. ^^ The "bad day box" He's amazing too.


Edit: Okay, she SEEMS to be from 1950-ish, by looking at her handbook. I'll take a few pictures of that, too. I'd really like to know what year and stuff she is, and see if she can be fixed. I'd love to sew with her. *pets the White*

[KellesBelles]

I don't have pictures of my babies yet, because their soon-to-be "new" home isn't ready yet.

One of them is a machine I will never ever get rid of because it's very special to me. It's a very old Singer machine (she still works, and is in a beautiful cabinet) that was given to me as a graduation present from my Mimmy who just died this past December. I found out later that it originally belonged to my great-grandmother. She doesn't do anything special, just the straight stitch...that's why I had to get another machine to do all the extra stuff. I found a blog with a picture that is pretty close to my machine and cabinet (http://sewdelish.blogspot.com/2007/12/cleaning-old-sewing-machines.html).

http://www.westline.lv/photos/Husqvarna_Huskystar_E10_b.jpg
My new baby is a Huskystar E10, but I'm hoping to save a little extra before my birthday and upgrade to the next step up (that's the great thing about where I got her, within a year of getting a machine there if I want to upgrade I can bring her back and just pay the price difference).

*sorry for the big picture, I don't have any taken of mine right now and this was the best picture I could find right away.

[CrAzYhOuSe]

So here are my machines, all have different purposes but hold the same place in my heart...lol.

This is my brother 4000d she's a beauty. She threads and cuts herself and I love her for that, saves so much time. She is also an embroidery machine.
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a254/FuzzyKritters/IMG_2195.jpg
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a254/FuzzyKritters/IMG_2198.jpg

This is my serger, we have a love hate relationship when it comes to thread changes. But 99% of the time she is great and does a super job.
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a254/FuzzyKritters/IMG_2197.jpg

And the last 2 are my heavy duty machines. I make dog harnesses and sew leather and canvas with them.
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a254/FuzzyKritters/IMG_2199.jpg
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a254/FuzzyKritters/IMG_2200.jpg
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a254/FuzzyKritters/IMG_2201.jpg

I am also trying to add a PFAFF industrial to my collection, we shall see. How many machines before you have to be committed for insanity?? LOL

[qapla47]

I too have a brother. An Innovis 40. It's a great machine. It runs through all of its stitches perfectly at top speed. And has a nifty start/stop feature where you can disconnect the pedal, tell it to go, and just sew. Great for really long things like sculptures or drapes. Though letting it go full speed while it's button holing, is a little scary....

http://www.brother-usa.com/usaimages/ModelImages/Large/NS40.jpg

[iamtyping]

Though letting it go full speed while it's button holing, is a little scary....



One would imagine so! :D Just imagining the facial expression the first time you did that. ^^

[qapla47]

One would imagine so! :D Just imagining the facial expression the first time you did that. ^^
I believe it was a look of pure terror! The needle looked like it was liquid and bending back and forth. But it worked. I just put a hand between my face and the needle, lest it should shatter, and held my breath. Came out well though!

[iamtyping]

I believe it was a look of pure terror! The needle looked like it was liquid and bending back and forth. But it worked. I just put a hand between my face and the needle, lest it should shatter, and held my breath. Came out well though!

Glad yours came out well, ^^ almost same story here, mine just didn't come out well... maybe for a newbie, but still not too great.

[multicrafty]

I love looking at everyone else's sewing machines. I also love the fact that almost all of them are old. For some reason, I think an old machine works just as fine as a new one. Plus, I don't need fancy shmancy stitching, just a simple straight stitch and a zig zag stitch is all I need (and occasionally a buttonhole or two).

I had a Brother machine that I got at wally world for 70 sum bucks. It was cheap and half the time never worked. I finally got frustrated with it one day (and hubby got tired of me complaining about it) so I purchased one off of Ebay. I know I know, I didn't test it out before hand, nor did I do any research, but my sewing machine has been my best friend ever since I've received it. I only had one problem with it but that was because I didn't put it back together correctly after cleaning it. (knocks on wood) My sewing machine and I love each other and my youngest babe named it Charlie (first machine was named Lola, for those of you who have kids you know what I'm talking about).

So without further ado, meet Charlie!

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1210/732398589_e708795d9f.jpg
Pic was from our old house when I first got it.

Funny thing about Charlie is that it cost less than my crappy Brother and works way better. (Brother was thrown in the garbage when we moved and someone came and dug it out of the garbage).

[CSRDesigns]

Heres my baby I got off of freecycle :) I love free things :)
http://tn3-2.deviantart.com/fs26/300W/i/2008/185/7/2/sewing_9_by_CSRDesigns.jpg
http://tn3-1.deviantart.com/fs26/300W/i/2008/185/d/f/sewing_6_by_CSRDesigns.jpg
http://tn3-2.deviantart.com/fs25/300W/i/2008/185/c/f/sewing_7_by_CSRDesigns.jpg
I painted that fly and text on there freehand :)

[Woeisme524]

I have twooooo!

http://photos-h.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sf2p/v289/22/16/1683570005/n1683570005_9495_5049.jpg
I named this one Beatrice, she is a Singer (The model # I forgot) I restored her myself!

http://photos-g.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sf2p/v289/22/16/1683570005/n1683570005_9494_3727.jpg
And this one is Cecil, and i got him as a high school grad present just two weeks ago.

[ifrenchfry]

i wish i had a sewing machine

[CSRDesigns]

i wish i had a sewing machine

You should try going to freecycle.org and get into your local chapter to see if you can get one for free. Thats what I did, and thats how I got mine. Plus you can find a bunch of other cool stuff on there.

[Camine]

http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m162/Do_Scars_ever_heal/Newcamera014.jpg

Ahh, my dear Kenny. Many a night I have spent awake with you till all hours of the night. He was my mother's, until I found him, kidnapped him, and fixed him.

[Pokat]

I'm so glad this thread is moving along again. It should almost be sticked because I just love seeing folks machines. CSR I love the fly and text you did to yours. Totally gives character:p.

This is my baby that my was given to me 2nd hand. I love it so much. It's a Singer 242. It came with no feet though, so looking for those are a little bit of a headache. I think it was purchased in the 80s, or maybe late 70s.

http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w170/Hunnybobunny/Sewingmachinepic2.jpg

[LadyScissorsHand]

This is my old Singer sewing machine. :)
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3154/2636028028_e310f7e147.jpg

The sewing machine is certainly not anything hi-tech with CG chips installed,
but I am still very pleased with the embroidery/multi-stitching function. Here's the close-up-:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3103/2635203517_07b4eab5c0.jpg



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I also have a very aged Singer serger.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3127/2636030982_08fe1261f9.jpg

It gives me headaches when I need to place all 4 threads correctly.
That's why I put a slogan (Tim Gunn's famous line) "Carry On!" just to cheer me up. :p

[ScheMerel]

my pretties: a Lewenstein Memorycraft 3000 and a Elna 544DE serger

[kimcoombs217]

I have the exact same machine XD I named mine Mateo, just 'cause but I call him Teo for short.

Here's a photo of him in his previous home (the basement), taken when I had recently gotten him (a gift from my mom because the old one -that was once hers- died). This was also before my dad kicked me out of the basement to make his entertainment center. :(
He lives in my room now, except during convention season (aka right now) when he moves back to the basement due to more room and a much larger tv (better to entertain the friends whose costumes I am making) much to my father's displeasure :D

http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i319/cristophine/mysewingstation.jpg
oh my god, my parents used to have 2 of those recliners, the first one they got just before i arrived and the other one a few months later because they were always fighting over who got to "rock me" we just recently got rid of them.

well anyways here's my mom's machine
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v329/kimcoombs217/001-1.jpg
i use it more than she does, and i go through so much black and white thread the i only buy it in the cone thread, and then i just put it in a coffee mug to hold it in place.

[RestlessLovely]

So sorry that I'm posting in an old thread, but I finally got a machine!

I've been given my grandmother's old (1946) Singer. It's currently in the shop being fixed up and put back in working order; I'll get it back in about a week. I'm so excited to get to use it! It's going to be rewired to use a modern foot pedal, since the original knee pedal was lost long ago, so it'll be an interesting combination of technologies. :D
http://picasaweb.google.com/luckyckljw/MySinger?authkey=9explkusWI4#5252037962940365890

[caitlyn]

http://www.singerco.com/products/product_detail.html?product_id=1337

i absolutely love my machine.
it doesn't have a name yet though. =[ i can't think of a good one.
but yeah. it's my first machine and it works well, so i adore it. =]

[B!0H@Z@Rd]

This is my little one. Got her two or three months ago, she's my first sewing machine and we've already tackled dozens of projects :)

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d75/morbidsoul2886/Sewingmachine1.jpg

It's a Singer 66 Stitch Electric Sewing Machine
Features:
-Automatic needle threader
-Automatic bobbin winder
-Top drop-in bobbin
-Five fully automatic buttonholes
-Push-button stitch selection...

[saphira]

^^^ Purty!!

Pinoyblaze - also be sure to check yard and garage sales! Lots of people inherit sewing machines, but don't sew themselves, so you might find a really good vintage sewing machine with METAL parts.

Prior to the Late 70's, sewing machines were built to last. They started putting crappy plastic-and-metal junky ones together on purpose - the old machines were just too good, and wouldn't die! No, seriously! The sewing machine companies wanted stuff to break on purpose, so people would buy new ones, instead of getting 'em fixed. Annoying. It's seriously stupid. I remember toasters used to last forever, too, when I was a kid.

And, if you don't get the manual, if you find the model number on the machine, you can look up the manual online.
Yeap,my granny still has that Singer sewing machine she bought in the 50's,and it actually still works-I made an entire patcwork blanket with it a week ago.I prefer the older ones cause they don't have all these stupid little plastic parts and bits,nor any LCD screens and embroidery cards and a gazillion different stitches and other stuff that you find yourself impossible to understand,nor do you have to spend five hours reading the manual and making adjustments.Plus they are metal,heavy and strong,they're built to last.And cheaper too!!

[Zanooka]

This is my new baby, I got her for my birthday from my family! She's been a great creative companion!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v287/yellowdragoneye/41QGA0V0XEL_SS260_.jpg
This is my old sewing machine.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v287/yellowdragoneye/sewing2.jpg
Last year I was in the middle of a move and most of my belonging were stored in my mother's garage. Her cat decided to sent mark and in fact just use most of my stuff as his litter box. So when I use this machine..it smells like old cat piss >.> I wanna give it away but I feel bad..

[AwayFromTheLight]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v215/HeidiLynne/222022.jpg
This is technically not even my baby, it's my boyfriend's mom's, but I love her anyway. And call her Emma. I think my next big project is going to be refinishing the table she sits on.

[Candied_Angel]

I don't have a picture of my
sewing machine.
But it's my grandmother's
who's had it since
the mid-60s when
she immigrated to the U.S.
from Trinidad&Tobago.

It's a Singer machine that
doesn't really have
anything special like
reverse stitching. [Mainly
a zigzag stitch and buttonhole
feature.]

I've made a lot of stuff
on it and it refuses
to die which is a VERY good thing.
[I'm hard on machines just
like my grandmother apparently.]

It's name is Widget too.
[It was named to match my
blue elephant plushie Gidget]

[Vikki32]

I have an old sewing machine but it's attatched to a table and I can't fit it anywhere. I haven't even tried to use it. I'm getting a simple one in about a week or so! I'm pretty excited :)

[kisbi]

http://i395.photobucket.com/albums/pp36/kisbi/DIY001.jpgMy machine... it's a 1958 Singer 808... I finally got it to work!! sometimes...

[i_rok_93]

I dont have a pic of mine but i names it AGH!!! U stupid piece of junk!!!! ecause thats what i end up calling it most of the time and its some wierd brand that my parents got for cheap....

[Erika Stellar]

i would take a picture of it, but my camera died :/
it's name is miso horney, just because i found it
hilarious. It's also got a whooolleee bunch of sparkley
dino and spaceship stickers OH AND INDY JONES!

=] i love it to pieces.

[mockingbird]

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a215/_oceanna/April2008004.jpg

This is the only picture I have handy- but it's fine since there is usually a child crawling on me or in and around my desk area when I am at the sewing machine so this is an accurate representation of my machine. Her name is gnome because I like to say- "Oh gnome you dint." when I break a needle or my bobbin runs out. o_O