My sewing machine started to conk out a few months ago, so it was time to buy a new one. The machines I’d been using already were donated, so I had my work cut out deciding which machine to buy, especially when there is so much choice!
Toyota
I was given a Toyota DC30 sewing machine a couple of years back, after it had been sat unused for a few years. After a clean up and a bit of tinkering, it worked perfectly. The DC30 was a simple machine – 4 step button hole, 16 stitches and tension adjustment. I really loved using it but after a while, it started to struggle with a few layers of padding and PVC and so I started to think about a new machine.
Jones
Shortly after this I was lucky enough to be given another machine, a Jones VX-1000. This sewing machine was tough and perfectly happy to muscle through layers of padding and other material. Again, a simple machine – (only) 2 stitches, adjustable stitch width, adjustable stitch length and tension adjustment. The main short falls of this machine (for me) have been that it doesn’t cope with thinner materials very well (prone to chewing) and it doesn’t have a button hole stitch. I could create button holes by using the zig zag and straight stitches – but this was a bit of a kerfuffle and I wasn’t happy with the finished quality.
So, from using these machines, I knew a bit more about what I wanted:
- Four step button hole, or even better one step
- A machine that could handle a range of fabrics from cotton to denim etc
- Preferably non computerised – purely for the fact that it’s cheaper to repair and I can do a degree of servicing myself
- Variety of stitch styles
- Variable stitch width and length
- Drop in bobbin
- Applique stitch
- Free arm
In the end, I narrowed it down to four machines:
Silver 2021
And I decided to buy the Silver 2021. This machine was recommended to me by Bedfont Sewing Machines who originally serviced my Toyota. I’d misplaced the piece of paper with the recommendation on it and found it again after I’d bought the 2021, so they made a good recommendation as it’s the machine I ended up buying. I chose the 2021 because it can cope with thick materials and has plenty of the features I was looking for. I’m a bit old fashioned in the sense that I was quite happy without all the computerised features and didn’t want many functions I wouldn’t use.
One thing I did have an issue with was the automatic/one step button hole. My first long edge (2) kept coming out as straight stitch rather than zigzag, I tried lots of different approaches but ended up with a big pile of useless button holes on scraps of cotton. I googled the problem and alot of people seem to have the same issue, especially on new machines. I called the company I bought the machine from and they recommended I did the following a) loosen the machine up (could be stiff as it’s new) b) check the zigzag stitch is functioning correctly:
- Un-thread the machine
- Pull down the buttonhole lever
- Select zigzag stitch
- Select full stitch width
- Run the machine at full speed
So I put pedal to metal and it worked! If you are having issues with one step button holes on a new machine give this a try.
I am a bit sad to see my Toyota go, but I’ve whipped up a few cases on the 2021 and it works like a dream – you can see the results on the toggle shop.