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Rufnut Teddy'sWell I am being told by my dear husband that it is time for a new sewing machine. :hug:
Singer machines are my favourite, does anyone have one and what model # and options do you have on it. I would like to use it for general purpose sewing as well as some bearmaking when needed. I would like some options for doing some edging work and well as some fancy stitches. I normally hand sew a large percentage of my bears.
Any suggestions are welcome. Thanks 
Tuppies TeddiesI have a singer but it doesn't get used that much as I hand sew all my bears. When I start to make a bear I intend to make some clothes for it but lately when it is finished I go for the ribbon around the neck....
Pumpkin & Pickle BearsI have a Singer 99K and I LOVE it!
Dilu helped find the right machine for me and I will be forever grateful to her for the advice she gave me and answering the MANY questions I asked through email! You're a treasure Dilu! :hug:
It doesn't do any fancy stitches as it a vintage machine but you can buy feet which do different things. It works like an absolute DREAM and has no problem when stitching bear parts (my old machine used to like to eat the mohair! 
). It doesn't even have a problem when stitching really thick plush. I just love my machine to death. It's soooo pretty too - black with gold decorations on a solid wooden base. 
Posts: 65I haven't got any modern machines. We have a very old Singer (the Edwardian kind with a handle fitted to turn it), and a similar old one of another make I forget. Also, an Edwardian treadle one which is in the shed at the moment but we've made very many things on it in the past. The one I use for the bears is my mother's, a 1971 Brother. It's much sturdier than the modern ones, but does all sorts of tricks the old machines can't. It wasn't functioning until last year when we found a sewing machine repair shop in a back street and the very elderly ma in there worked for an entire day on it, to fix it. Cost us £75 ($150) but worth every penny.
I think an old re-conditioned machine is a good option, as they are much sturdier and tougher with less to go wrong on them. Now my mum's old Brother is repaired, it looks like it will go on for years. The very old machines have much stronger stitching than modern ones too, which is a consideration for bears. We made costumes for re-enactors for years and although we have now gone over to sewing medieval garments 100% by hand, for many years we made loads of things with the long and hidden seams machine sewn and we never had a single thing returned because the stitches bust. In fact we never had anything returned for any reason and some things we made 25 years ago are still in use!
I have three sewing machines. I still have the Singer machine I bought when I graduated high school. It still has a little life left in it.....it just needs a major tune up. In the past couple of years I bought a Pfaff. I've never done more screaming at a sewing machine in my life than I have with that silly thing.
I just recently bought a vintage Singer Featherweight from my good friend, Cathy Forcino. I'm kind of afraid to breath on it. It's a beautiful machine! I've heard only the best things about Featherweight machines and I'm looking forward to sewing my bears on it. Cathy sews all of her bears on Featherweights. It will have to wait a bit though.......I have six other bears waiting for finishing details before I start sewing up even more bears!
Warmest bear hugs, :hug:
Aleta
Charlotte Des Roches DesignsI have a Singer Stylus something from like the early 70's it does loads of stuff...including fancy stitches & stretch stitch...and has built in button hole stitch..It had been stored in a cold outdoor shed for a few years & when I realized where my hubby had stashed it...it was in sad shape...some rust on internal stuff:( I went searching on ebay & actually found an exact matching machine...and I paid $5 plus $30 for shipping...so now I have spare parts...I also got a similar one on ebay...so I have 3 machines lol...1 works great...one is for spare parts & one the bottom feed stopped working, so I am trying to find info about embellishers that might attach to it for felting the flat pieces for clothing for my needle felted dolls...
Hugs &
Posts: 8,574Something to put into the mix:
The new Singers are made in China....therefore I am told by my friendly neighborhood sewing machine guy they do not hold up as well, they are cheaply made and they have chronic problems, also the metal in them is cheap and not dependable.
However, were you to get a pre 1968-1970 Singer you would probably do really well.
I have a feather weight that I adore, it works like a dream and is nearly permentetly set up in the living room. It was born in 1952, just like me...
you do have to take care of them though, by oiling them every 10 hours of use etc. Cleaning the fuz out of them etc.... But it isn't difficult and you learn alot about the workings of your machine by caring for it.
I highly recommend the earlier Singers....gotta love them, they were made in such a way that they will work forever if cared for properly. And you are probably in a position to get your hands on one made in Scotland....that would be very nice! one of the 99K's? Sweet!
BTW Featherweights go for around $900 in Oregon, but on e-bay 2-300 dollars is about right.
I also have a tredle Singer....have never sewen on it.....but I love it!
Then I have 2 Pfaffs....they have been wonderful companions....and when I do decide to do machine embroidery or sewing on chiffon thats where I go.
But I have to say that the featherweight is my favorite... all metal, very sturdy, light weight, easy to move around....It has been the best present the hubsie ever ever ever gave me!
Congratulations Aleta! I am thrilled for you, isn't it a great little machine?
Gemma :redface: you are too sweet, but I am happy you are loving your machhine. Do follow the instructions on cleaning and oiling-supper important!
gollyhugs
dilu
Patsy Lake BearsI have an 850 Bernina light industral which I love and also have an old treadle singer as well as Janome SX but I must admit that I use the Bernina most of all.
Posts: 1,836I just recently stumbled upon a vintage featherweight (funny story) and will be having it tuned up and once overed electrically by a trusted local shop. Currently I use a Viking that was my mom's. I don't have any complaints about the machine, it's never had an issue (knock wood)...but I'm really looking forward to the featherweight!! If I had zero restrictions on funds I'd be going for a Freearm222 right now, like this minute.
Aleta! You lucky girly you...I watched Cathy's recent machine auctions like a kid at a candy shop window. Man, if I wasn't beyond tempted to jump in on the bidding. Good for you!!! :dance:
:hug:
~Chrissi
Back Road BearsI have a Husqvarna Viking and LOVE it!!! It's about 4 years old, very basic but sews through silk and moulton sheep skin just beautifully! Love my machine!
Chaska, MinnesotaDaphne: I have a Husqvarna Viking Platinum 750. I just love it for it has a needle up or down position. This is great for teddy bears i.e when you do those curves and stuff. You can set the needle to always stop while through the fur. It has a needle threader which is good for me for I have poor eyesight. The bobbin thingy is easy to use and it requires little to no maintance....I love it.
Though I love my machine, I will most likely will upgrade it to a Pfaff. Has all the things I love with my Viking but it does require routine maintance. But they are top quality. Oh, the Pfaff has all those fancy stitches that you are looking for. Really they are the best...
Michelle
Cleathero CreationsI have a brother. a very simple machine with nothing fancy but it has coped well with what I use it for.
I just recently bought a vintage Singer Featherweight from my good friend, Cathy Forcino.
Aleta - I learnt to sew at age 6 on a Singer featherweight - they are the best! My mum still has hers - and one day it might be mine. I dream about finding a white one someday - they are so pretty but unfortunately rare and expensive!
I just got a darling little variation of an Elna lotus, dating from the 70s or 80s. It's the most compact wee thing - even smaller than a featherweight. it only weighs a couple of kg and is perfect for a tiny house like mine. I sew all my bears by hand but I'm dying to have some fun using it for other crafts and it sews like a dream. If you get one of the later versions they can handle all sorts of heavy fabrics.
ooh and if you ever find a Bernina 930 or 1130 snap it up - two of the best Berninas ever. My mum worked for Bernina for over 30 years and she sold her latest model Bernina and went back to the 930 - we are both on the lookout for an 1130. Again, they can handle heavy fabrics and both have some decorative stitches. Both date from when Berninas were still Swiss made machines with primo quality mechanics
Swan Valley BearsI bought a Janome Memory Craft 4800 about 4 years ago and I love it. It has the up/down needle position feature, speed adjustment (so you can sew really slowly, good for those tight curves), needle threader, it does lettering in in script or printing with letters about 1/2 inch high, and about 100 different fancy stitches. It does buttonholes like a dream, which is something I always hated to do. It sews nicely through many layers (good for home dec sewing). I've never had any trouble with it.
I have a Janome 1600P..it's very simple...only goes backwards and forwards..no zizag..no fancy stuff...but it's built like a brick ****- house and puts up with me on a daily basis...so I think it was a good buy.
I think I have one of the oldest? I use a Singer Industrial 31-15 with a great industrial table and I love the knee lift. Built in the early 1940's. (The army used them during the war to tailor uniforms!) The motor is the size of a Volkswagon's! I think this machine is used a lot for leather work but it's also great for heavy synthetic furs. It's the only machine I use. A friend in commercial sewing is trying to talk me into a Consew industrial but it looks rather aggressive, I'm a little afraid of it I, also, do a lot of hand-sewing. Wish there was a machine for that 
Posts: 65Nah I can beat that, KJ. Three of our machines are somewhere round about 1900 - could be a bit earlier or a bit later. I think my husband also has one that was his grandmother's, that's 1920s or 30s, which is also still fully functioning. We've swapped from machine to machine for years, and none of the antique ones have ever needed servicing or fixing in 26 years' use. My mum's 1970, or 71 Brother machine is the one I use for bears as it's fast and that only needed fixing as it was stored somewhere damp after my mum died, and by the time I was old enough to figure out how to use it, the damp had got in the electrics! It's a beautiful duck egg blue and comes fro the time when they still made machines out of metal, so is heavy and inconvenient to move around, but it's a real workhorse. Its advantage over the antique machines is that it's a touch faster and you can do silk or fancy stitches or embroider but in reality, we only seem to use it for straightforward sewing. I understand the problem with more modern machines is the feet are sensitive, and self adjust but can't cope with the weirdness of mohair, so well, so can stitch it too loosely. The old machines rip through anything!
I still have my Elna sewing machine I bought when I was 16, and it sews like a dream. I then have the Elna 9000/Diva, Elna Envision and Husqvana plus a hand Singer.
Today most sewing machines are manufactured in the Far East to the specifications of the Sewing Companies, so you can get a Bernina, Elna, coming out of the same factory , each one with its own brand name.
Elna sewing machines are no longer made in Switzerland as Enla Sewing machine company went under.
I spent so much time around sewing machines when I had the Elna Agency and today still have a good friend who helps me when I have a problem with my machines. Harry still has two shops and heads up the repairs for Elna plus other makes of machines.
When we used to work at the shows demonstrating and selling, these guys would always "fix" the demo machines, and make them do strange things, either sew to fast or too slow and would have us pulling our hair out trying to get the machines sorted out.
Lynette
I've had a Husqvarana Vikiing Rose embroidery machine for about 8 years and love it. And yes that up/down needle positions is so helpful. I expect we all have our favorite machine so it is hard to choose just one. Have fun shopping Karen !
MerBear OriginalsI have a lovely Janome machine that does a lot of fancy stuff. I also have the Janome Combi that was made in the early 70's I think. It's a sewing machine on one side and turn it around and it's a 2-thread serger. I had the Janome 9000 that did the embroidery and quilting but traded it with my sister for the more basic Janome since she's the one who quilts. I also couldn't do without my 4-thread serger. Oh, and I also have an antique Singer treadle complete with beautiful table. Now I don't use any of these machines for bears since I only hand-sew.
Marion
Rufnut Teddy'sThanks so much everyone for your posts, my Singer is a 70's model and I wouldn't part with it for the world it is my Mum's machine, that she no longer wanted, so I pretty much grew up with it. I have also seen some great Elna machines too over the past few years, some real old ones that sew in different speeds.
Yes I have heard the new Singers are also not as good as the older ones.
Thanks so much for your posts, now I am a little overwhelmed and need to spend some more time choosing and do it much more wisely, it seems that you cannot go wrong by having more than one machine, heehehe.... LOL.
Thanks :hug:
I use a Pfaff and it suits me fine. It's a no-nonsense machine and works beautifully with dense fabrics. I used to use an old Singer and it drove me to distraction with its temperamental attitude towards bear-making!
ToadBriarI do not have a [INVALID] sewing machine - but I don't use it for bears. I hand
sew my bears.
Mine is just a $150 Kenmore from Sears with a vertical bobbin. It is a couple years
old. It only does about 8 stitches but I only ever use straight & zigzag anyhow.
I had an 80's singer (plastic all over - but it was a gift) that tangled up constantly.
the drop-in bobbin in the singer hopped out all the time too. I vowed I'd never
have another drop in bobbin! But the Kenmore runs like a champ. I figure, it is
what Home Ec classes use. so good enough for the abuse it might get from me.
I was told that Janome was making the Kenmore branded machines that year
(Sears gets companies to make products that they put the Kenmore label on)
I really like the Kenmore sewing machine manual - always easy to understand.
that was a big factor.
Past Time BearsI have a Viking Husqvarna circa 1994 and I love it . . . works like a dream.
I have two sewing machines - a Husquavana 1600 that I bought when I first started work and it is still going strong.
The good thing about this machine is it does not need oiling, as the parts are plastic.
My husband bought me a Bernina a few Christmas's ago and I really like that.
Good luck with whatever machine you decide on.
Hugs
Carolyn
