Stumble Upon has motivated me once again! I came across McCalls Patterns official site and I couldn’t believe my eyes. I seriously need to start saving!!! If I ever get my sewing machine I am totally getting these patterns!!
I used to sew on my moms sewing machine. I’d make barbie clothes when I was little (I wasn’t as much of a tomboy as everyone thought! ha!), stuffed animals, pillows, and I even made some ridiculous pants for a party once. I was so bummed when her sewing machine finally shit the bed. That thing was older than me! It’s still upstairs collecting dust but I’m guessing that antique would cost more to fix than it would for me to get a new one.
The pics are kinda small… so if you click on them it’ll take you to the patterns page in a new window.
Geeze okay.. I’ll stop at six. I can’t believe how many amazing patterns there are now. It seems like the last time I went to look through tons of books at the craft store I could barely find one that I loved! My shopping woes would so be over if I mastered the art of sewing. Maybe by summer I’ll have saved up enough for a machine and a class! :D
If you are a sewing person and have any recommendations for a beginners first machine… please please please leave some suggestions and/or links in the comments!
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4 Comments so far
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hi there
firstly buy the best machine you can afford.
I have got a bernina and a brother. The best value for money is probaby a janome or a brother. Don’t buy a BERNETTE. They are cheap and have terrible tension.
Just because you are just starting out don’t buy a basic machine. That will frustrate you.
I LOVE SEWING CRAFT STUFF.
So have fun.
By Marion on 02.13.08 11:33 am | Permalink
I own a Janome Decor Excel Pro 5124, and I love it to death.
It has 24 stitches, does button holes and I’ve sewn everything on it from heavy denim to vinyl to organza on it with no problems. It even has a cheat sheet printed on the machine for the correct settings for every stitch.
Admittedly, it’s not the greatest machine ever, but you can find refurbished ones for about $250, which is a sweet deal. New ones run around $400 from what I’ve seen, but that’s still a good price for the features it offers.
By Katie on 02.13.08 5:50 pm | Permalink
I love my cheapo Brother from Wal Mart. I’ve been using it for a couple of years and it still works great. It’s important to keep your machine oiled and free of lint and replace the needles regularly.
I think this one is kinda like the one I have, except different, but for the same cost. I think it was $120 with taxes and everything and it works great. Now I just bought a Janome Sew Mini from Hancocks Fabrics for $56 with taxes.
http://hancockfabricstore.stores.yahoo.net/jasmisema.html
It’s a much simpler and lighter and smaller machine and I reckon its a lot less durable too, but I’m moving to Korea and sewing is like an addiction and I was going to try to just not sew for a couple of years, but the more I thought about it, the more I wanted to sew and so I’m bringing it in my luggage.
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=4764723
Ooh, here’s another hint, never buy patterns from Walmart because they never go on sale there and wait for the $1, $2, and $4 sales on patterns before buying. Each of the big pattern companies usually goes on sale at least one weekend a month at Hancocks or Jo Anns, so you wouldn’t be waiting too long.
Happy Sewing :)
By Sallie on 02.13.08 6:51 pm | Permalink
Ooh, and I almost forget. REmember to check Craigslist, if I weren’t limited by weight and size, I’d be really temped by the deals some people have posted for some quality machines.
By Sallie on 02.13.08 6:55 pm | Permalink
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