Shopping for a Sewing Machine?
Shopping for a Sewing Machine
So, you’ve decided that you are going to take the plunge and buy yourself a sewing machine! Great move! You will have countless hours of sewing pleasure with it! Providing of course that you buy a good quality machine. What I’ve pictured in this post is from the sublime to the ridiculous (although very cute!).
Now, when I say good quality, I don’t mean it has to be the most expensive or be the fanciest! Top of the line sewing machines these days can cost almost as much as a car, or in my case, more than my car! I get a lot of people asking for advice on purchasing a machine. The options are many and can be very confusing to say the least! This post will answer some of the most common questions I receive.
Should I shop at a Big Box Store?
You will not find a good quality sewing machine in a big box store. These machines may be inexpensive but they are the lowest of the low end machines, even if they have what you think is a “good name” in sewing machines. If you purchase from a big box store you will not get any support whatsoever. If you have a problem they may replace the machine for you but no one there can help you with it.
Should I shop online?
Shopping online for a sewing machine is a wonderful option for those people that live in remote areas that don’t have a sewing machine retailer anywhere close. For people that live in an area that has some sewing machine retailers I would always recommend shopping there!
Why you should shop at a sewing machine retailer.
Think of sewing machine shopping as being like buying a car, you would visit various dealerships and test drive different models of cars before deciding which one is right for you.
When you go to a store that sells sewing machines you get to try before you buy! You can test “drive” all of the various machines and the staff will be able to educate you on the features of the machines. You can do your online research and then visit several retailers to try the different brands of sewing machines.
Along with the purchase of your sewing machine will come some free lessons on how to operate YOUR machine! They will not teach you how to sew, you need me for that! But they will show you all the features of your machine. They will also give you ongoing support for your machine! If you are having a problem you can take the machine in and they will go through it with you. Perhaps you are just threading it wrong.
I am a firm believer in shopping local! If we support our local retailers then they will be there for us in years to come.