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I have a Pfaff quilters machine that died and needs parts. It is going to cost about double the cost of this machine to repair it. So I figured what the heck. I've been sewing since grade school in the 1960s and have used all sorts of machines. I also worked at a fabric store for a number of years. I have some advice for the beginner. Various reviews of this machine complain about some problems I thought I'd speak to here.
This is a nice little machine. Initially even I had trouble with it. Discovered that the threading instruction picture in the instruction book is a bit tricky. Don't forget to thread the little bracket that is above the needle. It is step 7 in the book, but not obvious in the picture and not obvious on the machine. The thread first goes through the fairly obvious metal holder in step six, then it needs to go in that little tiny bracket, a small piece of metal that is laying on top of the needle mount. If you don't thread that, the thread will ball up underneath and mess up your sewing and lock up. I suggest stopping at a Joann Fabrics where they sell this machine and ask someone to show you if you can't find it. that's what I ended up doing.
Also for the beginner, Singer machines in particular can also tangle the thread if you don't gently hold the ends at the beginning of a seam. Sometimes, it will pull the thread down into the bobbin area and lock up. This is solved simply by holding the ends for the first couple of stitches. Eventually, after you've had to rip out a few balled up seams, you remember.
I made a heavy vinyl pouch with it as my first project, and it handled the vinyl really well. The feeddogs struggled a bit with the weight of the fabric, pulling it out of line, so I had to put the weight of the fabric on a chair so it didn't pull. Another tip for the beginner, always stop the machine with the needle in the fabric. You do this by stopping and quickly turning the wheel to get that needle back in the fabric.
Another tip here to any new sewer. First take the original needle out of that machine and throw it away. You have no idea what kind of shape it is in. Open the packet of needles that are in the little door in the free arm and use a fresh needle. Sharp needles are critical to any project. And they only stay sharp for a few projects at most.
When you are working with heavy fabric like vinyl or denim, you need to use a heavy duty needle, especially if you are going through four layers of denim. Check them out at the fabric store. Get the type of needle that matches your type of fabric. If you are not sure, ask. And sew through the thick parts very slowly, sometimes you may need to manually insert the needle and pull it up to get through a lot of layers properly to get the machine going. Take your time.
Knits need different needles, sometimes, a ballpoint needle that passes between fibers instead of splitting them as you sew. Fine fabrics also need different needles and they must be very sharp.
Whenever the stitching balls up under your piece, it is likely because the top or bobbin is threaded wrong. Make sure the thread is coming off the bobbin with the loose thread pointing to the left. It can be a bad needle. It can be a tension problem or a bad match between needle and fabric. If the stitches seem really tight, the tension can be turned a half number either way and solve the problem, but only after you have ruled out the other problems. IT happens to the best of us so don't get discouraged. Imagine me going into my old store to have them show me how to thread a machine. : )
Beyond all that, I liked sewing with this machine. it is relatively quiet, and does sew fast. This will be great for doing piecing for quilts. It isn't the quality of my Pfaff, which is all metal (the skin of this machine is plastic) and doesn't have a lot of fancy stitches, but it is a great value for what it does do and does execute well for all I've done so far. And perfect for a beginner sewer, or someone who only needs a machine once in awhile to hem pants or take care of odd little projects or someone like me who was going through withdrawal when her machine dies and is going to take some time to get fixed.
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