Sew Mama Sew, seit langem in meiner Blogroll, fragt nach unseren Nähmaschinen. Da dieser Eintrag auf der englischsprachigen Seite verlinkt sein wird, schreibe ich nun meinen ersten Eintrag auf Englisch. Eine Übersetzung spare ich mir jetzt einfach mal, ich hoffe, das ist ok. ;-)

First of all I want to apologize my muddy English. But I wanted to share my experiences with Sew Mama Sew, because I got a lot of inspiration through the blog and forum and want to give a little bit back. So here I go:

What brand and model do you have?

I own an IKEA sewing machine, a Janome DC4030 and an at least 50 years old Phoenix.

How long have you had it?

Ikea: Since 2 years and one month right now.
Janome: For about three month.
Phoenix: Since eight month, but still not running it.

How much does that machine cost (approximately)?

Ikea: 50 Euro
Janome: 600 Euro
Phoenix: No idea. It was a gift from my neighbour.

What types of things do you sew (i.e. quilting, clothing, handbags, home dec projects, etc.)?

Bags, little helpers, cloths for the family, home dec (have a look at my selfmade section) and I want to start my first quilt! Yeah!

How much do you sew? How much wear and tear does the machine get?

Not as much as I want, I've got two little children in the house! Sometimes I sew several times a week, sometimes I have weeks of not even seeing my machine. So wear and tear is not to mention at the moment.

Do you like/love/hate your machine? Are you ambivalent? Passionate? Does she have a name?

Ikea: I love it, cause she's the one I learned on. She's called "Das Maschinchen" which means "the little machine". She can go straight stiches and zigzag and can make buttonholes, but that's all she can do. No schnickschnack, just sewing. The reason why I changed to a "better" one was, that she was too loud. And the stitches were not that precise. But she was and is a good girl. ;-)

Janome: She's too new to love her, but I like her very much. She is quiet, has a serger stitch and some fancy stitches, can sew different button hole types and works well with all kind of fabrics. Just great. She is called "Das neue Maschinchen" - the new one.

Phoenix: She is an old lady. 50+ years and still running, but I've got some troubles with the needle thread. That's why I can't use her at the moment.

What features does your machine have that work well for you?

Ikea: No features there. Just plain straight sewing.

Janome: Serger stitch! Great one! I don't have a Serger or Overlocker, but I want to sew clothing for me and the girls, so this stitch is just fine for me. And I don't need space for a second (...or fourth) machine. And she's got a threader. Yes! And, if I would have a broken knee or something, I could sew by hand. Just unplugg the pedal and press a button to sew as usual. How does that sound? ;-)

Phoenix: Although she is 50+ plus years, she's got different sweet fancy stitches. That's the main reason why I want her to run again.

Is there anything that drives you nuts about your machine?

Ikea: She's too loud. No sewing when the kids want to sleep. And that's the only time for me...

Janome: She's working fine. But there is no second thread holder.

Phoenix: I have no no no idea how to get the right needle thread tension. The wheel for turning from one to five is just falling off, if I turn a tiny little bit to much. Argh!

Do you have a great story to share about your machine (i.e., Found it under the Christmas tree? Dropped it on the kitchen floor? Sewed your fingernail to your zipper?, Got it from your Great Grandma?, etc.!)? We want to hear it!

Ikea: It's an IKEA sewing machine! That's story enough! ;-) Ok, I bought it when Lena (my second daughter) was four weeks old and started sewing as an autodidact instead of learning the guitar my husband gave me as a present years ago. I guess everyone in the house is happy I learned sewing and not playing the guitar (if you want to call my fingers on the strings "music"! Wuah...) Just two month laterI selled my first sewed items!

Janome: No story there. Bought it on the internet, got it in a huge parcel, started sewing. Nothing big about that.

Phoenix: I got it as a present from my neighbour. She was a dressmaker all life long, but when her husband died, she wanted to clean the house and gave me one of her beloved machines. I also got different real old patterns for the girls and some fabrics, too. Hopefully she will come over to show me the needle thread trick.

Would you recommend the machine to others? Why?

Ikea: She's good for beginners or children. Or people who just want to shorten some trousers or curtains.

Janome: She's easy and intuitively to work with, fast in sewing and changing between different stiching programs. If you want to have a good working machine, precise stitches, a serger stitch and only need a few fancy stiches - she's the one for you!

Phoenix: Don't know, if you can buy one at ebay, but if your grandma has one in the cellar - don't throw it away! Let someone help you to get her running and start sewing - she's powerful, quiet and a solid everlasting machine.

What factors do you think are important to consider when looking for a new machine?

It depends on what you want to sew. But all in all I think the price is the most important factor. You can get everything for a lot of money. If you put yourself a limit, you have to compare between different brands. Some are more expensive than others, although the machines are on the same level. Can you buy equipment (for a price that is ok for you)? Do you want to have a computer or manual operated machine? Do you need a wide assortment of fancy stichtes? Do you want to press buttons or screw on wheels? Do you want to quilt, embroider or just sew? If you want to start sewing your own cloth, a serger stitch is a nice gimmick. Just walk in a shop and try to sew on different kind of machines. Or talk to other sewers and ask what they love about their machines. Or read Sew Mama Sew's Sewing Machine Meme. ;-)

Do you have a dream machine?

Yes, an All-in-one Cutting-Serger-Embroidery-Longarm-Quilting-Relax-Machine. ;-)

I hope my answers to the meme questions help you finding a machine that works well for you. And if I couldn't help, maybe my answers were at least entertaining. Let me know, if you have any questions!
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