Sewing machine advice

logistic

Ive been hinted to that the other half is looking for her own sewing machine. She been using my mothers for the last while. Im completely clueless and in need of some advice.

What do people think of the following list. Ive only listed Brother and Singer as there the only two well know makes i know of!

Brother

Singer

Which would you buy or your top 2?
I see theres a singer shop at 19B Talbot Street & 92a Upper Drumconara Rd. Are they worth going to, any other recommendations or shops to purchase from would be a huge help.

DEEMAR

I bought a Singer 'Confidence' machine about 3 years ago, its a lovely machine and I would highly recommend it. I think you can't go wrong with a Singer, they seem to last a lifetime. I don't know anything about Brother machines. Very often Aldi or Lidl sell sewing machines, which I've heard are quite good also. Another factor in favour of the Singer is that they have shops countrywide, so spare parts/repairs are accessible.

ArtOfEscape

I'd definitely add Bernina to that list - I bought a Bernina machine two years ago on the lower end of the price spectrum and have had a great experience with it so far. I bought it at the Bernina Electronic Machine Centre on Parnell St, the service is wonderful and they deal in both new and second-hand machines. Sometimes the older machines can be sturdier and better quality, particularly if they have metal parts instead of plastic.

It would be lovely to surprise your beloved with a machine, but you might like to consider asking what she's looking for in a machine and what features she considers essential / non-essential. She may not need 100 decorative stitches, automatic tension or an electronic display, but she might think the one-step buttonhole is indispensible or need a machine powerful enough to tackle many layers of thick fabric, depending on what she sews. Everyone needs something different from their machine

Of the two you've listed, Singer would get my vote, though I haven't had direct experience with either brand. I think the reputation of Brother machines has declined somewhat in the last few years. You might be able to find reviews for machines on sites like patternreview.com, but again, the reviewers may have different expectations from their machines than your other half.

Good luck!

frenchmartini

and add Pfaff to your list too.
there is a wonderful shop in Cavan town who we travelled to to buy mine because he matched the sterling price.

his phone service is excellent too (he posts out accessories and bits and bobs as needed)

beware the Aldi/Lidl models, they can be a bit hit and miss.

Millypenny

I'd second the Pfaff recommendation too - they're very good machines.

John O'Donnell in Singer Sewing Waterford is very good - he sells a range of sewing machine brands i.e. Singer, Pfaff, Janome, Juki, Husqvarna Viking, etc. He also services the machines as well.
His telephone number is 051 874571. You could always ring him up for advice on machines, he'd be able to recommend a machine for your wife.

He also has a website that you can check out
http://www.sewingmachinesireland.com/

Rosy Posy

I have a Bernina that is as old as I am and it has never let me down. Having had both new and second hand machines I think that the older machines are definitely more reliable. Two things that you should be looking for are metal parts and weight. The heavier the machine the better it will sew (less likely to move around when sewing fast). Also find out what your oh wants to sew. If its just basic clothes then you can get away with dual function straight stitch and zig zag. If she wants to get more fancy you can get all sorts of other stitches as well but tbh I sew a fair bit and almost never use these. Also you'd want to make sure you get a zipper foot, at least, but possibly other feet for different functions.

Randomperson52

I went to the Singer Sewing Center Shop in Waterford and i found them very good, John was really nice .There website is www.sewingmachinesireland.com
As for the Singer Shop in Talbot St., i was very disappointed with them and plus on the website for the Singer Shop In Talbot St. It has a Trojan Horse on it!!!!