Sewing Machine

[skabooya]

Ok, I need help. I got back into sewing a few months ago and have been doing pretty good. My inlaws got me a basic brother LS2020 machine. Well as of last weekend It wont work right. I have tried everything to fix it. After reading reviews on this machine and speaking to people who have the same problem on the same machine as mine, its basically dead. No point to get it fixed, cost value isint there.

Picking a new machine is very difficult. I NEED one that can handle different fabrics of different thickness and can go and work hard/hours when Im in a groove without burning out. I need a quality machine that can handle me when I get into one of my sewing moods. It just needs to be basic but it needs to be able to handle A LOT of different fabrics and different thickness', from thin sheers to thick 4 layer denim. I need to do functional not decorative quilts, curtains, mending, etc

Does anyone have any suggestions? Im having a really hard time.

[Grete_J]

The Juki DDL-8500 is amazing!! Fast, quieter than a regular home use machine. The only downside would be the price and that it does your single straight lockstitch. For home use Janome's are amazing. I had a Janome MC5000 and was able to sew through leather folded over 2 - 3 times, as well as lighter organza's

[Morainy]

I use a Singer from the 1940s, I think it may be an electric model 15. It goes forward and backward but not zigzag but it never breaks down.

[skabooya]

The top brands it seems are kenmore, singer, bergenia and jenhome. My mom and grandparents have the OLD hand crank and foot control singers. They are very difficult to use as you are trying to control the foot pedal rocking it back and forth, plus the hand crank plus the fabric all at the same time. It takes some practice lol.
Im going shopping for a new machine tomorrow so I need some current on the market ideas. Surfing the net just makes it more confusing and difficult to understand which is why I am asking here.

[Morainy]

I don't know anything about the current ones. There's a Pfaff store on Granville north of Broadway. I've heard very good things about their machines. Also, about Kenmores.

The 1940s black Singer that I have is electric. You press your foot on the electric pedal and it goes. Press harder and it goes faster. You can control stitch length and tension but there's no zig zag. It has a bobbin winder. I find it's pretty good with thick fabrics, not as good with sheer.

It's not a collector's item the way that your hand crank one might be. I thought it might be cheap (or almost free) to pick up one of these. They're ubiquitous, I think. But they way a LOT, especially in a case.