Kim & Her Sewing Machine

The first (I hope!) sewing machine review.

What machine do you use (make and model number)?

I sew on a Husqvarna Designer 11

How long have you owned it?

I have owned it for about 9 or 10 years I think.  I bought it in England and had it shipped to Japan, as it was cheaper than buying it there.

Is this your only sewing machine and if not, what other machines do you have?

I have two other machines, a Singer in France (I have no idea what model it is, just think cheapest in the lawnmower shop!) and an Elna here, as a backup machine, which I have owned for about 18 years I guess.

How long have you been sewing?

I have sewn in one form or another since I was a small child, but I guess it became my passion when I first moved abroad in 1997.  Prior to moving, I was looking for something interesting to do to fill my time and bought a book on patchwork.  My sewing machine became 'as one' with me from then.

What type of sewing do you do (quilting, dressmaking, soft furnishing etc)?

I mainly use my sewing machine for quilting, though occasionally (but rarely these days) other things slip in.

Describe your sewing machine.

My machine is fantastic, I am just going to get that out there right at the beginning!  It is one of those machines that can be hooked up to the computer to do some sort of embroidery stuff, a feature I have never used.  All the stitches are on cards, I guess they are sort of floppy discs.  The machine comes with a few of these cards, and you can buy additional cards with more stitches on them.  You can also programme new stitches onto blank cards, another feature I have never used!

It has a drop in bobbin on the top, so no bobbin cases, which is really handy for those of us with bad backs who change their bobbins to match the top thread.  It is also easy to monitor the bobbin thread.

A useful feature is a sewing adviser.  When I select a stitch it will tell me what foot to put on and will automatically adjust tension, based on information I give it, such as fabric type and weight.

There is an automatic electricity adjustment (I have word salad, I can't remember what that is called!).  It means that as I move around the world, all I have to do is plug it in.  I don't need those special plugs (someone help me here!).  It can also be adjusted so that the screen displays different languages.  I guess I can improve my Japanese as I sew!

How many stitches are there on your machine, and do you use them all?

As I said above, you choose how many stitches you have with your machine, based on the number of stitch cards you own.  I have 194 stitches ranging from utility to embroidery.  There are also some utility stitches on the machine itself, such as a basting stitch.  To be honest, I have no idea how many of those there are.  In addition I have two alphabet/numerical cards, that also accommodate language specific alphabets and limited punctuation, which I think is an additional 198 stitches.

Of those 392+ stitches, I use the following: 

straight stitch, zigzag, dedicated 1/4" seam stitch and occasionally the alphabet and satin stitches.  Which stitch do I use 95% of the time I am on my machine?  The free motion stitch.  I don't even need the stitch cards for that one!

What do you love about your machine?

First and foremost, automatic tension and in particular a switch for straight and zigzag free motion.  Given that my time is mostly spent doing free motion, it means that I do not have to mess around with that little screw on the bobbin holder gauging tension.

Needle down position.  Once I hit the button, the machine will always stop in needle down. Invaluable in free motion.

Adjustable foot position, it can be down, up, or slightly up, which I find useful when I am trying to ease something under the foot.

Whist I don't use this feature often, it can set a stitch back to the beginning again.  This can be useful when using a decorative stitch or programmed pattern of stitches.

I'm not sure if all machines can use these, but I have a multi-thread rack, that I attach to the top of my machine, so that I can have lots of threads up there, just waiting to be threaded in.  A bonus of using this is that thread often runs better when it is upright with the thread being pulled up off the spool.

What do you dislike about it?

I really dislike the way it winds a bobbin.  It just feels fiddly.  I batch wind my bobbins, as I hate to stop sewing just to wind a new one, so I don't do it very often.  When I do wind them though, it always takes me a couple of goes to get the first bobbin winding.  You can actually wind the bobbin through the needle, so that you don't have to unthread your machine if you are using the same thread in the top and bottom.  I think this must put undue pressure on the thread, so I have never done it.

Which feature(s) on it could you not live without, if you had to replace your sewing machine today?

Automatic tension, without a doubt.  I'll never buy a machine without it now.  Closely followed by needle up/down.  I'll add ability to drop the feed dogs, but I am sure that is standard on all machines these days.

Are there any feature(s) that you wish you had on your machine?

Hum, not sure on this one, as I don't read about new machines.  Probably a bigger throat space, so that I can get the quilt bundle in there with a bit more ease.  I think my machine is relatively quiet, but if it could be quieter still, I'd love that.  Now that I am thinking about it, I think the Pfaff that has a sort of automatic walking foot, so that the top and bottom fabrics move at exactly the same pace.  That would be great.

Is there any feature on your machine that you consider as not worth the money? 

Well I guess given what I said about the stitches above, all the stitches!!!  I suppose that may not be entirely fair as I did buy a lot of the cards thinking that I would use them.  The cards themselves are probably unnecessary (why not just programme the stitches into the machine to start with?) unless you are into machine embroidery and wish to programme stitches in, which I'm not.  You do have to look after them to prevent damage. And of course in conjunction with all that, the ability to hook up to the computer.  I have never even given this feature a passing thought.

Would you recommend other people buying the same machine (if it were still available)?

Absolutely.  My favourite machine without a doubt.  Thank you Joyce for sending me in this direction!

Are you planning on buying a new machine, and if so do you have something in mind?

No, three is enough and Alan would kill me!  I am having some problems with my machine because it is desperate for a service.  One of the problems with this make is that it isn't carried by as many shops.  If I HAD to get another machine today, I would look at what is out there, but all in all I would be happy to buy this one again.  

Any other comments (such as past machines you loved/hated; do we need fancy sewing machines)?

In the past I had a Jones Brother machine, which falls squarely into the NEVER AGAIN category.  I was happy using my Elna until my work evolved, but I probably haven't even turned it on in the last 6 years.  The difference between using that and my Husqvarna is just too big.  Just the noise level, let alone the ease of use, stops me switching it on.

I really don't think I need a fancy sewing machine, given that I use so little of my machine's features.  The problem is that often, the things that make sewing an easy pleasure, are the things that are only on the higher end machines.  I honestly think all I need is the ability to sew a straight and zig-zag stitch and to drop the feed dogs.  These tasks are made enormously easier by not having to adjust the tension all the time.  Is that feature worth all the extra money?  In my case, absolutely.  

I think key to buying a sewing machine is to look at what you sew now, and where you would like your sewing to go, then buy a machine that matches those needs.  

For more about me and my sewing machines, click here