SHIRLEY AND HER SEWING MACHINE

The latest review is from Shirley, an Australian living in the UK (probably for more years than she ever lived in Aus).  Shirley is your 'go to girl' if you want to find a way to do something or even better, if you want to find a way to do something as cheaply as possible.  Shirl has a blog called Shirley G-Stuff

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

Jonome 555 

 How long have you owned it?

Over 10 years.  I shipped over from Australia the old machine my mum bought me, but it was playing up and was too heavy, so I just wanted something cheap and basic for clothing repairs.  I went to John Lewis and bought the cheapest I could find - just over £100.   I've never had one with more than straight or zig zag stitch so that was fine and still is for making most clothes.

Is this your only sewing machine?

Yes. 

How long have you been sewing?

Since I was 13 (1967) or even younger.  Mum made all our clothes on an old pedal singer and I remember watching her.  It looked something like this:

Then I must have started making my own clothes on her machine at some point because she bought me a secondhand portable one when I was 13.  It makes me want to cry when I think of it.  She was working in a shoe factory on 12 shillings per week, so it would have taken her a while to save the money.  I remember going into the Singer store with her.  This is the closest google picture I could find to mine.

I made most of my clothes in my teenage and 20s years.  I attended a poorly funded girl's school, where the emphasis was more on trade jobs, such as typing and sewing, than on maths and science (not that many of the girls were interested).  The school provided sewing, but I couldn't continue maths in the 5th year because they didn't have enough maths teachers!  I was in the school's first 6th form (senior high school) and we were the first pupils to go to university that the school ever had.

In those five years we did everything from knitting, embroidery, smocking (I made a complete baby outfit for my doll), to tailoring with all the interfacings etc and with very neat finishes that I would never bother with now!  I made a herringbone wool maxi coat, that had a zipper to change it to knee length.  It also had fur cuffs and collar.  (I bet she stopped traffic wearing that!)   

I stopped sewing for a long time when I got too busy at work and clothes became cheap.  I have now gone back to revamping/upcycling my own clothes and designer clothes too, which I get from charity shops.  They have brilliant fabric and I can adjust them to fit me better, rather than buying cheap throw-away fashion.

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

Mainly practical - what I need - clothes, sofa covers etc.  However, I may do more craft things, though I'm not sure what yet, but it will link into my painting and drawing. 

Describe your sewing machine.

The Janomme 555 is a mini machine for basic sewing.    

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

It has about 3 straight and 3 zig zag and buttonhole stitches with a buttonhole foot.  I usually use the middle size straight and zigzag. 

Because I've only every had basic machines, I can't remember ever knowing how to use everything.  Perhaps our schools sewing machines were that basic.  I rarely change tension, or the bottom feeders etc, unless I am sewing thick or really thin or unusual fabric, which is not often.  

What do you love about your machine?

I don't love it.  It's just does everything I need for now. 

What do you dislike about it?

Now that I am doing a lot of sewing it's starting to have problems and I am too cheap to have it serviced, as it wouldn't be worth it.  

This has been made worse by me trying to take it apart.  I could only get it partially undone and then I couldn't put it back together again properly.  So I now have a bobbin winder rubber that is loose, because it's screw has fallen inside the machine!  I also have cotton getting caught inside on the internal arm which I have to cut out every few weeks, as it eventually brings my machine to a stop.  I now leave the sewing end cover unscrewed so I can get in quickly.  But it works 90% of the time.  (An incidence of Shirl doing it on the cheap, which has not quite paid off!  You should ask her about her friend's new mobile phone and home made stylus she decided to use on it!)

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

It's only got the basic must haves, so I couldn't do without any of them.

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

More stitches and perhaps the ability to programme new stitches, especially if you could make them wonky/look more hand done, and the automatic bobbin thing.  I love the bobbin winding thing others have mentioned.  It was only when reading this, that I realised I could buy lots of bobbins and have them wound ready to go, with several of white, black, the main colours.  Why haven't I thought of this before?  I've had a few bobbins of different colours but not lots of white and black.

I'm also looking for a measuring arm (the quilting arm), but the great 'tape stuck on the machine' idea others have mentioned will do me for now.  

I will also investigate other feet.

I once saw at a quilting/sewing show, a frame you put your machine into, so that could move your machine around in any direction with the light touch of one finger to sew in any direction/pattern you liked.  I would get that if I were serious and wanted to do big wall art. (I think Shirl is probably referring to the Grace Quilting Frame.  However, knowing Shirl, I wouldn't put it past her to construct her own!)

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

It has nothing but the really necessary. 

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

Repurposed shirt and pjs

Only to new sewers who wanted something cheap, to see if they were interested in making and/or mending their own clothes, before buying something more costly when they started doing more complicted work. 

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

I might if I continue sewing and it's not a phase or that I'm just remaking old clothes till I run out of them; and I find a use for incorporating its use into other art/crafts.   

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

I am sure fancy sewing machines have their uses.  Just like many gadgets, it's hard to know what functions you need, before you start using them.  Only then do you find a variety of uses for them, and so can decide either it's not useful or that it's the best thing since sliced bread.  

I am a gadget women but always worry about throwing them out when I haven't used them for a long time.  Sometimes it's just a matter of rethinking them (especially as your interests change).  For example, I was going to throw out my Sodastream fizzy drink maker that I haven't used in years, but then I saw the chef Heston Blumenthal (British chef) use one to turn white wine into bubbly.  I am now going to buy a new gas cylinder for mine and try it.  I keep seeing designers use things in very creative ways, but I'm not sure if I am as inventive or will just end up as a bag lady!!!   

Are you thinking about repurposing your sewing machine?
No, I will keep it as a backup or constantly set up with white thread, my main sewing colour.

If you sewers out there do nothing else today, you have got to check out Shirley's post about turning old men's shirts and pjs bottoms, into, well, shirjamas I guess you would call them! Click HERE.  Talk about inventive.