It feels so beautiful when we look at elegant dresses! The stunning beauty of garments is received through great efforts. Fibers are spun into yarns and threads and then yarns are made into fabrics by different methods like weaving and knitting. And then comes the time of union, the time to join the threads and fabrics, the time to give beautiful shapes to textile fabrics! In all these processes, a wide range of textile machinery is used right from textile spinning and weaving machinery to textile finishing and packaging machinery and even the textile testing equipment. One of the very important machines of all these, is the sewing machine! And sewing is fun when the machine works well!

Sewing Machine- Points to think before buying

Modern automated sewing machines have many features for hassle free sewing and can be bought in less than one hundred dollars to over a few thousand dollars, so fix your budget and stick to it! Take some time to analyze what type of sewing you will do (garments, quilting, heavy duty, embroidery, lace, etc.) and make a list of features that you need for each type. Buying a machine having high- end features and never using more than 3-4 of them will mean wastage of your hard earned money. If going for online purchasing then visit the sites of famous brands and compare their features, prices, reviews. Find out some acquaintances using sewing machines and take their views too. If buying from a shop, go for a local one, that will help you in easier after-sales and repair services. Inquire about the dealers and return policy too. In both cases, go for brands with good history as you are making a long term investment and the availability of parts in future is important.

Buying a Sewing Machine

When buying the machine, take samples of the types of fabrics you are going to sew frequently. Challis is a good fabric to test on, also test on leather strips and several layers of denim. Test the basic sewing techniques on the machine. Do it yourself to check the smoothness of the operation. Don't let the salespersons rush you. At least, try some basic stitches that are frequently used like straight, zigzag, and blind hem. Even if you are not planning on sewing buttonholes, test them on the machine. Check the stitching which should be straight and even on the top and bottom. If the machine skips stitches don't consider it further. Check the foot control, knee lever, belts, wiring, vibration, operating noise etc. to your satisfaction. Electronic machines sew faster, more efficiently and give a much better stitch. Check whether it is easy to clean. Computerized machines with LCD touch screens are sensitive to temperature and if you are going to move around with it, check whether it comes with a travel case made just for it.

If you are going to sew for the first time, learn everything about sewing machine, its parts and how it works, before going to buy it. Look for the instruction manual with the machine and if possible take a friend, who know sewing, with you. You might be thinking, a lot of preparation to buy a sewing machine...! But then its for frustration free sewing experience!