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BoatGuy
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« on: November 29, 2011, 10:05:55 AM » |
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First off, I am a man! I am a manly man, too.. LOL But, I was also a sailor and often had to stitch up my jeans and shirts, while at sea. But, I hate sewing by hand (not to mention that I'm not very good at it). So, I've been needing to do some "industrial" sewing on the farm. Just simple stuff like hemming a sheet to act as end caps for my hoop houses in winter to give the birds a rest from the direct wind... Today, I google "craiglist sewing machine" <--note the misspelling of craigslist and this came up: http://www.cvs.com/CVSApp/catalog/shop_product_detail.jsp?filterBy=&skuId=797592&productId=797592&navAction=jump&navCount=3&WT.mc_ID=PS_CM11_ProdA small sewing machine that operates on 4-AA batteries and has a foot pedal too! The reviews are mixed. But, for $10.99 on sale, I'm willing to bet that some people want Singer performance from an 11 dollar machine. I'm also willing to bet that it sews better than I do, by hand... a lot better! So, I am hoping to find one in town this afternoon and, if it doesn't fall apart, I'll let y'all know how it works! |
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jakematic
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« Reply #1 on: November 29, 2011, 12:02:53 PM » |
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Wow that's a neat little machine.
Been thinking about getting a big one too, but just can't justify it for as much sewing that goes on around here.
Going to see if I can find one this week.
Will be good for small jobs I think - and like you I can sew but it's not my forte...
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"I swear by my life and my love of it that I will never live for the sake of another man, nor ask another man to live for mine."
“Money is the material shape of the principle that men who wish to deal with one another must deal by trade and give value for value.”
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jakematic
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« Reply #2 on: November 29, 2011, 12:59:53 PM » |
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They had this one on sale one day for $47 bucks, so I picked it up.
Dang! Can't believe how the prices have come down. Seems like they were will into the hundreds of dollars last time I looked - circa 1995 |
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"I swear by my life and my love of it that I will never live for the sake of another man, nor ask another man to live for mine."
“Money is the material shape of the principle that men who wish to deal with one another must deal by trade and give value for value.”
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fritz_monroe
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« Reply #3 on: November 29, 2011, 01:29:33 PM » |
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My wife does a lot of sewing and has a decent machine. But I need to do some repairs of pretty heavy material. When I was growing up, my father had a manual sewing machine that he used to repair the boat canvas. They are fairly inexpensive and no electronics to break. I plan on picking up a sewing awl to do the repairs that need done right now. For those that don't know, here's a sewing awl.  Eventually I'll get one of those manual machines. I just don't have the space right now. |
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BoatGuy
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« Reply #4 on: November 29, 2011, 01:35:17 PM » |
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That's a cool little machine. You got a heck of a deal on sale! It's currently around 90 bucks! |
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BoatGuy
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« Reply #5 on: November 29, 2011, 01:48:20 PM » |
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When I was growing up, my father had a manual sewing machine that he used to repair the boat canvas. They are fairly inexpensive and no electronics to break.
Eventually I'll get one of those manual machines. I just don't have the space right now.
http://search.sailrite.com/?freeText=sailrite%20ultrafeed%20walking%20foot%20machineThis is a link to the one that your dad probably had. They make a manual wheel for them, and are about the best I've ever seen for sail canvas. Built like a brick, too.. They ARE pricey, though. I still have my sailmakers palm and needles from the old days, too. But, I never had a sewing awl. I might just pick one up for leather projects and such... I called ahead to the CVS that's on the way to my hog processor, and they have the little one in stock. So, Karnie said that I might be worth the 11 bucks, if I wanted to get one. I imagine that she might have a project or two for me to do, too..lol |
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fritz_monroe
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« Reply #6 on: November 29, 2011, 03:53:51 PM » |
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Nope, he bought a really old one. It may have been prior to electricity. It looked a lot like the one in this advertisement.  He still has it. It will probably be willed to me. |
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longbskt
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« Reply #7 on: November 29, 2011, 08:48:35 PM » |
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Watch Target - they carry basic Janome and Brother sewing machines. I got my daughter a Janome Gem for under $30 a few years ago - and to top it off, it was the Hello Kitty version - she loves it, and it's a great little machine!
I guess those tiny little plastic machines would work if the power was out, but honestly? The frustration over a crappy stitch, botched up tension, and tangled threads you'll have to rip out wouldn't be worth it to me. I'd rather hand sew it than deal w/ that.
What I was little, I had a Holly Hobbie toy machine, hand turn; I don't think it had batteries. It was a pretty decent toy; I sewed lots of doll clothes on it.
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« Last Edit: November 29, 2011, 08:51:14 PM by longbskt »
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~Renee~
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BoatGuy
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« Reply #8 on: November 29, 2011, 10:46:32 PM » |
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OK... I got it and have used it! It was really easy to set up and use (especially since it came with it all threaded and a piece of practice cloth already sewed from the factory...lol)
Immediate con was that it was missing the needle threader (totally not there) and 2 bobbins (it came with 2 instead of the 4 mentioned in the instructions). Also, the 10.99 price was apparently web only, since I had to pay 14.99.
It came with a foot pedal and AC adapter (a big plus, since I was thinking it was battery only). All things like needles and bobbins are standard, so replenishing supplies is not going to require special orders (I was worried about that).
After that, you get what you pay for... one stitch length. The only adjustments on the whole machine are for thread tension, speed (it has two... slow and slower), and on/off.
I decided to punish it a little, right out of the box and sewed two pieces of denim together (the heaviest fabric I would ever expect to use with this little machine) and it handled it with no problem, on battery power. It is a bit noisy. But, for a guy that has been wielding a skil-saw for a good part of the day, it was pretty quiet...lol
All in all, if it holds up for any length of time, I am not at all disappointed! Who knows, if this one justifies its existence on the ranch, I may spring for a better machine later on, and just move this one over to the preps...
(Karnie's helpful tip.. If your man decides to try his out in the living room, be sure to have closed-caption on the tv turned on!)
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« Last Edit: November 29, 2011, 10:53:41 PM by BoatGuy »
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catkin
Container Gardener
 Offline
Posts: 1
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« Reply #9 on: April 16, 2012, 06:27:23 AM » |
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I was looking for a simple sewing machine.I got a singer 99k 1950s ish with a hand crank for £10 for a boot faire which I guess is like a swap meet,its is strong built to last,simple and easy to fix and find parts for,will run with out electricity came in a carry box and doesn't need a treadle table,I would tell any one to get one,its slow but does the job.
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Johnny-Max
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« Reply #10 on: April 18, 2012, 08:30:51 AM » |
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The new Walmart sewing machines are TRASH!  |
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Ggirl
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« Reply #11 on: April 19, 2012, 09:18:04 PM » |
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Nope, he bought a really old one. It may have been prior to electricity. It looked a lot like the one in this advertisement. He still has it. It will probably be willed to me. [/quote I want a hundred of these at that price. LOL |
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