Have you ever purchased a sewing machine, thinking you will love it based on a few stitches during a demo, only to get it home and find out that it isn’t quite as great as you thought it was in the shop? If you haven’t, consider yourself lucky, because I have a feeling it happens way more frequently than we think. It’s happened to me, and it can happen to you, too. Most often, I think it happens when we’ve read about all the great things this machine or that can do, as told by Machine FANatic X or simply based on the name on the front of the machine (I’m looking at you, Bernina). But what can you do when you get a machine home that you’re not enamored with, and how can you avoid this in the future?

A few years ago, I briefly lost my mind and sold my beloved Brother 2500D. I thought I was done with sewing, because it had been so long since I’d done any, so why keep such a nice machine to waste away? I sold it, my Janome serger and a great deal of my sewing items, only to realize less than a year later that I had been crazy to get rid of it all. I began looking for a sewing machine that would satisfy my desire to quilt, and soon became enthralled with the idea of the Janome 8900. I’d never used a Janome sewing machine before, but I was convinced that the 11″ to the right of the needle would be perfect for my quilting needs. Shortly after, I found a great deal at the first QuiltCon, on a show model, and we placed an order for it right there at the show. I brought it home a couple weeks later and set it up. 

It was NOT love at first stitch. To the contrary, it was more like resentment at first stitch. And second. And third. Looking back, I think this machine was actually quite nice, though I do believe it needed an adjustment, as the bobbin would make a loud clanking sound every so often. But at the time, it wasn’t as intuitive as my beloved Brother 2500D, so I found reasons not to like it. Eventually, I bought George, a wonderful Brother DreamCreator VM5100, and I sold the Janome. Now, six years later, I often think that I jumped the gun and sold a machine that could have been perfect for me, if I’d only given it more of a chance.

When I bought the Janome, it was almost like buying it sight unseen. I had sewn on one at a local shop, but I didn’t sit down and play with the machine when I was at QuiltCon. Chris and I agreed that it was such a good deal, we just bought it. I never sewed a stitch on it, and looking back, that was my first mistake. My second mistake was not trying it out when we went to pick it up a week later from the dealer who sold it to us. I should have unboxed the machine right there in the store, sat down with him and gotten a crash course in how to use it. I wasn’t familiar with Janome, and looking back, I realize this was a gross miscalculation on my part. I thought since I’d been sewing for more than 10 years at that point, I knew what I was doing with the machine. I did not.

Perhaps my biggest mistake was the constant comparisons I made between it and the Brother 2500D. The Brother 2500D was an sewing/embroidery combination machine, and I used the embroidery a lot on my quilts. The Janome was strictly a sewing machine, and looking back, I realize that was my biggest complaint about it. Did I really need embroidery? Probably not. But the feature was missing, and I desperately wanted it. If I could have gotten past that one thing, I think I could have been very happy with the Janome. I sure do miss all that workspace, even now. It was a massive machine, and it was a workhorse.

I miss it a lot.

All of this could have been avoided, though, if I’d been honest with myself and Chris about the features I really wanted in a sewing machine. At the time, we couldn’t really afford to buy a combo machine, but maybe if I’d purchased a stand alone embroidery machine I could have been happy with the 8900. The thought didn’t occur to me at the time, and that was my fourth mistake – not evaluating my reasons for being dissatisfied with my purchase of the Janome. If I had done that, I would have realized that an inexpensive Brother embroidery machine purchased from Amazon could have met my needs at the time. Instead, I embarked on the quest for the “perfect machine” and spend several thousand dollars on one machine after another in search of perfection.

That was my final mistake – thinking that there is a perfect machine, because there’s not. I’ve seen sewists spend $12,000 on a Brother Dream machine, then a year later, buy a $13,000 Pfaff Performance Icon. Why? I don’t really know, but I think it’s that pursuit of perfection that we seem to be chasing all the time lately. I’ll be honest – I was surprised when I read about a lady who has not one, not two, but three machines that each cost more than $10,000. I mean, if you have the money to spend, rock on, but I couldn’t imagine why one would need so many machines of that caliber. And no, she doesn’t sew for a living.

How can you avoid buying a machine that isn’t right for you? The advice I give to every person who asks about which machine to buy is this:

• Make a list of features you want in a new machine. Categorize and rank them in order of importance. Name your categories Must Have, Nice to Have, and Not Necessary. List each feature you want under the category it falls in to. For example, if you want a machine that offers at least five different buttonholes because you make a lot of garments, and you think that’s a Must Have, put it in that category. If you don’t use, or don’t need, a knee lift, put it under Not Necessary. When you get your list of features worked out, number them in order of importance. Don’t forget to set a budget. Sewing machine prices range from $100 up to more than $15,000. A good entry level machine that will last for several years will generally start at around $300, but if you’re just starting out and you aren’t sure if you’ll stick with sewing, there’s nothing wrong with a machine from Walmart that costs $100.
• Starting with the internet, begin researching different machines to see which ones fit your needs. At this point, DO NOT read reviews or ask other sewists for advice. Just do your research and see which machines fit your needs.
• Now it’s time to try out the various machines you’ve found that meet your needs. Gather up your list of Must Haves, a selection of fabrics that you normally sew, and a notebook and pen for notes. Go to several dealers and try out the machines on your list that meet your needs. If you want, you can tell the dealer what you sew, and they can make suggestions. Just realize that you’re the only person who really knows your sewing style and what you need. Don’t be pressured to buy something you don’t want, or to buy anything at all that you don’t love.
• Try not to buy a machine on the first visit to your dealer. Or your second visit, either. In fact, go back three or four times to try out the machines you’re interested in. Hopefully, each time you go back, you will find yourself drawn to one or two machines, and you will be eliminating machines every time you try them out because you don’t like the way they feel, or because you find them to be too difficult for your taste.
• If you feel it’s necessary to ask others for opinions on a machine you’re going to buy, this would be a good time to do it, but I really don’t recommend it. Read some reviews, do a Google search to see if there are issues with the model you’re interested in purchasing, but when you ask for opinions on a machine on a sewing forum or Facebook, you’re opening yourself up to a lot of unsolicited advice. Everyone has their favorite brand, model and style of machine, which may or may not correspond with your favorite, and asking others for opinions only tends to confuse, not help.

The last bit of advice I give to anyone who asks me about buying a new machine is to avoid a vintage machine if you’re new to sewing. I know, I know, a lot of people don’t like that advice, but it was vintage mechanicals that very nearly ensured I’d never sew a stitch in my life. They can be very fiddley, and not at all user friendly, and I consider them to be a refuge for veteran sewists, not newbies who want only to sew without worrying about thread tension and all the other things you don’t really know when you’re just starting out.

I’ve learned recently that there’s no such thing as a perfect sewing machine, but if you do find yourself with a machine that you really cannot come to love, whether it’s because you don’t bond with it, or because there are issues with it, sell it. Life is too short to use a machine you don’t like, and there is always someone who will love to have your castoffs. Take the proceeds from that sale and go find a machine that makes your heart sing, because that’s truly what you deserve – a machine that makes you think the Heavens have opened up and angels are singing to you, every time you turn your machine on. 🙂