Welcome to City-Data.com Forum!
U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > General Forums > Fashion and Beauty
 [Register]
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
Reply Start New Thread
 
Old 10-14-2019, 08:53 PM
 
5,401 posts, read 6,498,108 times
Reputation: 12017

Advertisements

Hems are typically handsewn unless it is a casual item like a pair of shorts.
I like old machines. My favorite sewing machine is an Elna TLS.
Before diving in altering expensive clothes, buy a bunch of thrift purchases & practice cutting, seam ripping, fitting, ironing, pinning, and stitching & ironing again.
You will quickly figure out what type of alterations you can do & which are worth the effort & what kind of fabrics are difficult or easy to work with. Watch some YouTube videos.
A good seam ripper & good scissors are essential. & use decent thread like Gutermann. If you do nothing else, get a standing hem marker for marking hems of skirts & dresses and someone to help you. It is worth the effort to check level-ness of all your hems & fix ones that are not perfect. Even expensive clothes sometimes have slightly uneven hems.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Old 10-15-2019, 04:02 AM
 
Location: South Carolina
14,785 posts, read 24,016,792 times
Reputation: 27092
I bought the least expensive brother an LX3817 at wal mart and it has suited me just fine . I mainly use it for hems and to sew little crafts and make dog snuggie beds and it works like a champ . I have only had to replace the needle once and that was my fault but it was so easy to replace the needle . That is another thing I like simple maintenance and this machine has that . Yes quality thread is essential also .
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 10-15-2019, 04:32 AM
 
1,113 posts, read 878,753 times
Reputation: 2408
First....There is no “best” machine. You have to learn to sew first. You have to determine if you even like sewing. Take classes at machine dealers and-or Quilt shops who teach beginners. one does not just jump into tailoring and alterations. Baby steps.

Brother, Janome, Bernina, Pfaff, Viking, Baby Lock all make comparable machines at competitive prices. I prefer my computerized machines . ( been sewing for decades.....).

I piece quilt tops, make handbags, I sew all hems by machine, i hate alterations, etc.

I own 4 computerized Janomes, (two do machine embroidery) one manual Juki for quilting. Good luck and have fun.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 10-15-2019, 06:44 AM
 
Location: SW Florida
15,209 posts, read 10,238,419 times
Reputation: 32171
A few years ago I was considering buying a sewing machine (hadn't used one in 35 years) to sew some summer type dresses to wear instead of buying them. But then I looked at the price of the sewing machine, the thread, bobbins, zippers, buttons, etc. and decided it was better for me to just buy things to wear at home from places like Target or occasionally (gasp) Wal-Mart. Plus I didn't really have a place to store a sewing machine. I still need things altered occasionally but I just take it to my dry cleaners since they have a seamstress there.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 10-15-2019, 07:34 AM
 
914 posts, read 638,366 times
Reputation: 2680
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tallysmom View Post
Go to a good sewing center and look at used machines. You get more bang for your buck, and often some free classes to go with it.

Sewing is addictive. Often what do you do when you alter clothing is you deconstruct it and put it back together again after you sized it however. Like sleeves — you often can’t just shorten sleeves because sleeves might have elbow ease and a placket. You almost have to do it at the shoulder which means the armscye has to be different — it’s more challenging to do it right.

I enjoy those challenges. But — take a few classes on garment construction and you can make your own clothing that fits.
Interesting, when I read this post I remembered a women's perfectly tailored shirt I had hemmed. It doesn't hang well and well, I don't wear it at all now because the tailored parts weren't deconstructed and it now hangs like a tent, lol. Great information, thank you!
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 10-15-2019, 07:37 AM
 
914 posts, read 638,366 times
Reputation: 2680
Quote:
Originally Posted by silibran View Post
I agree about buying used. An older mechanical machine that has been serviced would be a good bet. You could take a sewing course offered by whoever offers continuing ed classes in your area. I imagine you could buy a good used general sewing book on Amazon. And there are online sewing groups.

Stitcher's Guild Reloaded - Index This is a good supportive group of sewists who would be a source of encouragement and info.

Good luck!
I like the idea of buying a used refurbished. Someone told me yesterday to look at machines with metal parts. I guess a lot of them are plastic these days. I plan to go out to shop in a couple of weeks. thanks for your feedback!! and the link
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 10-15-2019, 07:50 AM
 
914 posts, read 638,366 times
Reputation: 2680
Quote:
Originally Posted by chiluvr1228 View Post
A few years ago I was considering buying a sewing machine (hadn't used one in 35 years) to sew some summer type dresses to wear instead of buying them. But then I looked at the price of the sewing machine, the thread, bobbins, zippers, buttons, etc. and decided it was better for me to just buy things to wear at home from places like Target or occasionally (gasp) Wal-Mart. Plus I didn't really have a place to store a sewing machine. I still need things altered occasionally but I just take it to my dry cleaners since they have a seamstress there.
good point. There's no reason to make a sun dress when you can buy one for ten dollars. And trust me, I'd love to by-pass the $$$ spent on business attire, but it's necessary in certain offices. When I retire, it's jeans and tees and cutoff shorts and tanks and flip-flops. Yikes, you're so right about the materials, I went to browse at a few places, the best prices were at Joanne's, then Michael's. Both had lots of variety, but JoAnne's seemed to be a combination of crafts and tailoring and they have classes. I was really impressed with this store and didn't think it would be so much fun, lol

Anyway, thanks for the feedback EVERYONE. I'll keep coming back to check on new posts. Much appreciated!
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 10-15-2019, 07:53 AM
 
914 posts, read 638,366 times
Reputation: 2680
Quote:
Originally Posted by historyfan View Post
Hems are typically handsewn unless it is a casual item like a pair of shorts.
I like old machines. My favorite sewing machine is an Elna TLS.
Before diving in altering expensive clothes, buy a bunch of thrift purchases & practice cutting, seam ripping, fitting, ironing, pinning, and stitching & ironing again.
You will quickly figure out what type of alterations you can do & which are worth the effort & what kind of fabrics are difficult or easy to work with. Watch some YouTube videos.
A good seam ripper & good scissors are essential. & use decent thread like Gutermann. If you do nothing else, get a standing hem marker for marking hems of skirts & dresses and someone to help you. It is worth the effort to check level-ness of all your hems & fix ones that are not perfect. Even expensive clothes sometimes have slightly uneven hems.
This is really great advice, thank you. Exactly the guidance I needed. I'm adding these tools to my list. It's so enriching to get advice from real people, so thank you
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 10-15-2019, 08:09 AM
 
914 posts, read 638,366 times
Reputation: 2680
Quote:
Originally Posted by phonelady61 View Post
I bought the least expensive brother an LX3817 at wal mart and it has suited me just fine . I mainly use it for hems and to sew little crafts and make dog snuggie beds and it works like a champ . I have only had to replace the needle once and that was my fault but it was so easy to replace the needle . That is another thing I like simple maintenance and this machine has that . Yes quality thread is essential also .
thanks for the model number. I'll definitely check it out. I too like simple. Will have to look up the dog Snuggie Beds. thanks for your input!
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 10-16-2019, 11:57 AM
 
11 posts, read 5,571 times
Reputation: 21
Quote:
Originally Posted by Hedgehog_Mom View Post
This is pretty similar to the one I have. https://www.amazon.com/Brother-Quilt...s%2C180&sr=1-1 Some alterations have to be done by hand, and you'll want to practice on clothes you don't care about first.
Thanks!
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.


Reply
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:

Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > General Forums > Fashion and Beauty
Similar Threads

All times are GMT -6. The time now is 05:57 PM.

© 2005-2024, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top