Silvercrest Sewing machine in Lidl next week

sasser

http://www.lidl.ie/IE/home.nsf/pages/c.o.20100329.p.Productname

artyeva

i saw this this morning - has anyone already got one? is it worth the money?

i'm looking at brother machines at the moment but this is so much cheaper, would i be better saving a bit longer for a brand name? i wouldn't be using it for denim or anything but would prefer a string yoke that will go through 6-8 layers of cotton, has a free arm, 1 step button hole and a zipper foot

Tiriel

Did anyone pick up one of these?

artyeva

i did!!

tested it a little bit so far. it's build quality does feel a little plasticky compared to my sister's ancient singer that i'd been using up to now, but then hey, it is made of plastic :rolleyes:

comes with a zipper foot, buttonhole foot, button foot, blind hem foot and an embroidery plate, 3 bobbins, stitch ripper/brush, a small vial of oil, and a few other bits and pieces. there is also a dust cover but it's fairly flimsy.

it did take me a few experiments to get the tension right, and for some of the stitches the instructions are telling me to turn a particular dial to the S1 position - but as yet i haven't found that - i suspect the instructin manual is one of those ''all models'' ones.... :mad:

anyway, it'll be put through it's paces over the next few weeks so if it blows up or disintegrates in the mean time i'll come back here and let yez know... but on the whole €70 for a machine that i can finally do buttonholes and overlocking with is a steal in my book. it comes with a 3 year guarantee so for €70 if it lasts that long i'll be happy!!;)

Tiriel

I can't sew but I'd love to learn, so I was thinking of getting one to learn on!! Do you think it'd suit? To be honest it'd suit my budget too!!

artyeva wrote: »

i did!!

tested it a little bit so far. it's build quality does feel a little plasticky compared to my sister's ancient singer that i'd been using up to now, but then hey, it is made of plastic :rolleyes:

comes with a zipper foot, buttonhole foot, button foot, blind hem foot and an embroidery plate, 3 bobbins, stitch ripper/brush, a small vial of oil, and a few other bits and pieces. there is also a dust cover but it's fairly flimsy.

it did take me a few experiments to get the tension right, and for some of the stitches the instructions are telling me to turn a particular dial to the S1 position - but as yet i haven't found that - i suspect the instructin manual is one of those ''all models'' ones.... :mad:

anyway, it'll be put through it's paces over the next few weeks so if it blows up or disintegrates in the mean time i'll come back here and let yez know... but on the whole €70 for a machine that i can finally do buttonholes and overlocking with is a steal in my book. it comes with a 3 year guarantee so for €70 if it lasts that long i'll be happy!!;)

artyeva

if it's in your budget then go for it.

i mean the instructions - for all that are there - are easy to follow. as for learning to sew there are a slew of online text-with-fotos and video tutorials you could have a look at if you're thinking of making something in particular with your machine.

i'm not sure if any one sewing machine is easier to learn on than the others. it's a bit like a digital slr camera really - you can leave it on auto till you get the hang of it and then explore the more advanced features. likewise machine sewing - if you can thread a machine, adjust the tension and stitch length, and guide the fabric in such a way that you're sewing reasonably straight then there's a myriad of things you can make. when you're comfortable and more adventurous you can start faffing about with different stitches and putting zips and buttons on things!!

what kind of things are you thinking of making anyway?

Tiriel

Thanks artyeva!

I'd love to be able to alter clothes, picking things up in second hand shops and give them a second lease of life. I've often spotted things I'd love to alter but I guess I wouldn't know how to begin really!

Also, simple things like fixing hems on trousers!

artyeva

cool!! ok - here's my advice - by all means get the machine. you will find loads of use for it - it even has a blind hem foot and a free arm so in theory you'd be able to re-hem those trousers

but don't think that a machine will be able to do everything for you - there's loads of things you'll need to do by hand as well. and some things are just EASIER by hand. like if i was hemming a pair of trousers just for myself i'd hand sew 'em. much easier.

one thing i used to do when i was starting out sewing was to get an old top i wanted to replicate, and use it as a pattern to re-make with new fabric. it gives you a good base in how the shape of a piece of fabric will hang in 3D. you can see how each piece is sewn together so you get used to what order to do each step, etc..

best of luck with your new machine!!
[and your new wardrobe of funky individual customised clothes ]

irishlostboy

artyeva wrote: »

- there's loads of things you'll need to do by hand as well.

i dont really think there is anything you cant sew by hand. i love sewing by hand. you can make things far stronger by locking stitches in neat ways. all my sewing would be for outdoor equipment. making and fixing.
i would have no idea about how machine sewing would work, but if i were to get looking in that direction i would prefer to get my hands on a manual one. can they still be bought? if so, any idea where?

artyeva

irishlostboy wrote: »

i would prefer to get my hands on a manual one. can they still be bought? if so, any idea where?

do you mean something like this?

they sometimes come up on gumtree and buy and sell as well. and you could also keep an eye out on adverts. i don't think i'd feel comfortable buying something like that before testing it in person though, using the kind of fabrics you're going to be sewing with it.

out of complete nosey interest - what kinds of stuff would you be doing with it? sails or something?

irishlostboy

ya, something like that. they look the biz. would only be looking at getting a machine for light stuff. the heavier sewing could't really be done with normal machines i would guess.

artyeva wrote: »

out of complete nosey interest - what kinds of stuff would you be doing with it? sails or something?

well today i had to shorten some straps on a buoyancy aid. that was sewing through a few layers of nylon and two layers of webbing strap. used a needle and a plyers. broke one needle, bent the other.
before that i had to re-attach the rand to a spraydeck. thats a 1/2 inch braided elastic bungee cord onto neoprene. i used a thing called a speedy stitcher http://www.speedystitcher.com/ for that, then sealed it up with neoprene glue. i have made and modified load bearing rigs and bags, camping tarps. made leather knife sheaths from veg tan leather. that was so thick i had to use a drill to make the holes. worked out great though. one for my field blade (short heavy duty machette) and my general purpose blade (small fixed blade knife) i have a big bag of cordura, nylon, cotton and canvas as well as a load of velcro, webbing, elastic, zips and kevlar thread sitting beside me awaiting the next project. think i will make myself a new pair of pants next. should be interesting.

Stevolende

Did these turn out to be worthwhile? Been wanting to get hold of a sewing machine, know I missed these at the time. Think they may have reappeared.

artyeva

hey stevolende, yes it did turn out to be worthwhile, but as i said before it's plastic. if you're looking to sew anything *really* heavy duty or on an industrial scale you'd be better off spending more on a brand name.

personally though i've made curtains, bags, loads of clothes alterations, cushion and chair covers and other bits and pieces over the last 2 years and i'm happy with it but then the heaviest material i've used was only 4 layers of upholstery fabric.

oh, and the needles and bobbins that come with it are crappy so invest in some better ones.

mamakitten

I have one too and its excellent, well worth the money. I have quilted, sewn clothes, cushions, throws etc on it and no problems at all. Its probably not as sturdy as a Singer or something but hey its only €70

Phoebas

This (or some other Silvercrest sewing machine) is up again in Lidl from Monday.

http://www.lidl.ie/cps/rde/SID-0E97EE21-843123A9/www_lidl_ie/hs.xsl/Offers.htm?action=showDetail&id=921

Can anyone say is this is a good machine / good price (its €89.99)?

looksee

artyeva wrote: »

but then the heaviest material i've used was only 4 layers of upholstery fabric.

'Only four layers of upholstery fabric' that's pretty good and as much as you would expect of a machine at that price!