I would like to find a machine for her that:
2. Zigzags
3. Blind hems
4. Has an automatic buttonholer that is easy to use *
5. Has a feed-dog that drops so the machine can sew on buttons
6. Is portable
7. Is fast, but also sews well at a very slow speed
8. Uses standard, low-shank feet
9. Has a straight-stitch plate to prevent fabric from jamming down in the race.
10. Has screw-on feet – When sewing at high-speeds it is better to have everything screwed on tight – I don’t trust the snap-on feet I’ve used them and I don’t like them very much.
11. Can wind a bobbin as it sews
12. Has a straight stitch plate.
13. Can be set so that when one stops sewing the needle is either down in the fabric, or up out of the fabric*
14. A knee pedal that lifts the presser foot would be nice*
Here are the machines that I own and use:
I also own two portable lockstitch sewing machines. One is a 2000 Hobby lockstitch zigzag (right) that I bought probably 30 years ago. I use it in the classroom to demonstrate how to use the zigzag. This machine is slow. I’ve never liked it much, but it is useful to have when teaching.

My second portable (left) is a featherweight lockstitch that was manufactured in 1941. This fabulous little machine is available on E-bay. But it doesn’t overcast, make machine overcast buttonholes, or sew on buttons. Attachments can be bought to allow it to do that, but they don’t really work all that well. So this machine is off the list for my student.
Laurel
Utube
https://cfashionedu.com/
https://twitter.com/LaurelHoffmann1
https://www.facebook.com/CFashionEdu
https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurelhoffmann/
RSS Feed: https://cfashionedu.com/blog/feed/
https://www.ravelry.com/projects/LaurelHoffmann
https://www.thumbtack.com/pa/philadelphia/drawing-lessons/fashion-drafting-sewing-books-classes
215 884 7065
Laurel@CFashionEdu.com
Search
Recent Posts
- 141: Commercial Home Sewing Patterns Problems February 25, 2021
- 140: Contemporary Fashion Education program February 18, 2021
- 139: Problems with Fashion Education February 11, 2021
- 138: How to Start a Fashion Line January 15, 2021
- 137: Why Home Sewing Patterns Don’t Fit December 11, 2020
- 136: How to Use Directional Sewing November 22, 2020
No Comments
Awww… would have loved to have read this while I was hunting for a new sewing machine. I'm a few weeks too late! I settled on a Bernina 1080. Pretty good so far, except not as many stretch stitches as I would like (The lightening bolt zig zag is a great stretch stitch for seams, which the Bernina does not have). Fabric often gets caught in the plate.