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1. Sewing Machines
Bernina
Brother
Husqvarna
Janome
Juki
2. Overlockers
Bernina overlocker
Brother Overlocker
Husqvarna Overlocker
Janome Overlocker
Juki Overlocker
3. Horn Cabinets
4. Machine Needles
5. Sewing Machine Feet
Bernina
Brother
Husqvarna
Janome
6. Machine Parts
7. Accessories
Husqvarna
Juki
8. Software
SPECIALS - Sewing Machines and various other items
A machine for a beginner
A good quality heavy duty basic machine for denim and curtains
Someone who can service my machine in Cornwall
Sewing Courses on dressmaking and patchwork quilting
A Machine for free hand embroidery
The Sewing Studio
Direct Sewing Machines
5 Green Lane
Redruth
TR15 1JY
t. 01209 216942
Click on a photo for more information, photos and to buy online:
Husqvarna Topaz 30 (Ex Display)
[Our Review:] [DESIGNER TOPAZ™ 30] – Embroidery Unleashed! Generous sewing and embroidery with i... |
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Our Price:
£1,449.00
Show more 1. Sewing Machines
Husqvarna Emerald 116 + Free Sewing Kit
[Our Review:] [Husqvarna Emerald 116] The [Emeralds]; model [116], [118] and [122], have man... |
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Our Price:
£229.00
Show more 1. Sewing Machines
Husqvarna Emerald 118 + Free Sewing Kit
[Our Review:] [Husqvarna Emerald 118] The [Emeralds]; model [116], [118] and [122] sewing mach... |
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Our Price:
£289.00
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Husqvarna Emerald 122 + Free Sewing Kit
[Our Review:] [Husqvarna Emerald 122] The [Emeralds]; model [116], [118] and [122], have many... |
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Our Price:
£339.00
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Husqvarna Emerald 183 + Free Sewing Kit
[Our Review:] [Husqvarna Emerald 183] The old-fashioned typewriter has its charm, but computer... |
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Our Price:
£459.00
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Husqvarna Sapphire 850 + FREE Walking Foot
[Our Review:] [Husqvarna Sapphire 850] The new Sapphire sewing machines are excellent. Inno... |
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Our Price:
£649.00
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Janome Memory Craft 9700
The [Janome 9700] is a combined embroidery and Sewing Machine offering everything you need in one po... |
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Our Price:
£999.00
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Husqvarna Designer Diamond (Ex Display)
[Our Review:] The best embroidery machine on the market, our only criticism is the embroidery speed... |
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Our Price:
£3,995.00
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Husqvarna TOPAZ 20 + FREE Walking Foot (Ex Display)
[Our Review:] [DESIGNER TOPAZ™ 20] Embroidery Unleashed! Generous sewing and embroidery with irr... |
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Our Price:
£1,249.00
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Brother XL5500
[Our Review:] The Brother XL 5500 is an easy to use basic sewing machine which suits the basic sewe... |
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Our Price:
£99.00
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Bernina 1008S
[Our Review:] For the [Bernina 1008S] is 10/10, its one of the most traditional sewing machines ava... |
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Our Price:
£595.00
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Husqvarna Sapphire 875Q + FREE Fab-U-Motion & FREE Extention Table
[Our Review:] [Husqvarna Sapphire 875Q With FREE Fab-U-Motion] [Extended Sewing Surface] Sew... |
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Our Price:
£1,059.00
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Husqvarna Sapphire 855 + FREE Walking Foot
[Our Review:] [Sappphire 855] The extended sewing surface gives you more room for quilts and o... |
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Our Price:
£799.00
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Husqvarna Sapphire 835 + FREE Walking Foot
[Our Review:] [Sapphire 835] The extended sewing surface gives you more room for quilts and ot... |
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Our Price:
£749.00
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Husqvarna Emerald 203 + Free Sewing Kit
[Our Review] [Emerald 203] [Embrace capability] • The large Extension Table* increases your s... |
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Our Price:
£579.00
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Janome Memory Craft 6600P
£995.00
Janome J3-24
£179.00
Janome 525S
£229.00
Husqvarna TOPAZ 30
£1,799.00
Brother XL5500
£99.00
Bernina Aurora 440QE
£1,395.00
Bernina Activa 230 PES + Free Walking Foot
£745.00
Bernina 1008S
£595.00
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General Sewing Machine Information
A good domestic sewing machine should give years of good service however its very important you choose the right machine to suit your sewing needs, if you don’t it will bring you constant hart ache and disappointment every time you take it out to use it. We carry Husqvarna, Bernina, Janome and Brother sewing machines because we know these brands give good reliable service and we can continue to support you with regards to spare parts and repairs for many years to come. We also know these brands are well supported both nationally and worldwide should you ever need a machine service or spare part / accessory. We don’t stock unknown brands or even some of the better known brands because we can not guarantee any or the above.
The most important thing to consider is how thick is the thickest fabric you will ever want to sew with the machine? The machine can have all the features and functions you need but if it’s not capable of sewing your denim jeans or curtain header tape you will want to through it through the window! The sturdier the machine is; the better.
How an electric sewing machine works!
There is an awful lot going on inside an electric sewing machine, its one of the few things found around the house which uses moving mechanical and electrical part. When the sewer puts their foot on the pedal an electric current it sent from the pedal to the motor thus the electric motor starts to turn which drives a series of mechanical parts. Put simply the needle penetrates the fabric and passes through a hole in the needle plate taking the top thread with it, a hook catches the thread off the eye of the needle and then wraps / turns the thread around the bobbin case, this traps the bobbin thread between the underside of the fabric and the top thread, mean while the needle rises enabling the feed dogs / teeth to move the fabric forward and then the whole process starts again. The speed of the machine can be controlled via the foot control much like a car accelerator without the gears. Stitch types are created with the use of cams on mechanical machines and electronic stepper motors on electronic / computerised machines.
Thick fabrics
To sew thick fabrics you will need a strong machine with a high presser foot lift, adjustable presser foot pressure, good needle penetration and a long stitch length. If the machine is too light weight it will dance around the table so the heavier the better.
Stretch fabrics
Generally speaking top loading machines (bobbin is dropped in at the top next to the needle plate) perform better on stretchy fabrics, all good sewing machines will have stretchy stitches included. If you intend to sew stretchy fabrics or knitwear you will need these stitches.
Light Fabrics
An adjustable presser foot pressure is very important if you intend to sew silks and satins because the feed dogs can mark the underside of the fabric if the foot pressure is too high.
Stitches
The best way to understand stitches on a sewing machine it to break them up into groups (they are often displayed on the machine in groups too), functional, decorative, stretch and button holes. Functional stitches generally only feed in a forward direction such as straight stitch, zigzag, blind hem, three step zigzag etc etc and are used to sew general fabric and construct your project. Decorative stitches as the name suggests are nice to look at but could also be used to put your hems together as well. Stretch stitches tend to sew two steps forward and one step back whilst moving the needle from left to right, these stitches have some give / stretch in them so when the fabric stitches the thread doesn’t break. They can also be used on non-stretchy fabric too. Buttonholes can come in a variety of designs, standard, keyhole and stretch are the main ones however some machines can include up to twenty different types. A basic mechanical machine would only have a standard buttonhole.
Drop Feed
This is used to do free machine embroidery, darning or free machine quilting the principle is the same it’s just the sewing project that differs. Some machines have a facility to lower the feed dogs or feed teeth which enable the sewer to move the fabric around freely in any direction and within reason any speed. Although many sewers try to do this without an appropriate presser foot the results are to be kind ….. poor. The correct foot for the job hops up and down thus allowing the sewer to move the fabric when the foot is in an up position and holds the fabric still when the needle is penetrating the fabric. Using this foot will improve the thread tension and help reduce needle breakages.
Sewing Machine Needles
Just about all domestic sewing machines use a standard domestic sewing machine needle, there is always the odd ball specialist machines that use something a little different however if you look hard enough you can always find them. Overlockers and coverstitch machines can take a variety of different needles so the user does need to be carful not to use the wrong needle and damage their machine. Schmetz needles are probably the best you can buy and they make a different needle for just about every different job or fabric you can imagine however if you have some standard universal sizes 10 – 16 and some ball point needles in your sewing box that would cover the majority of projects. It’s probably worth mention that if the needle is inserted anything but perfectly into a sewing machine it won’t sew!
Don’t get confused between embroidery machines, computerized machines, electronic machines and mechanical machines:
An embroidery machine
is for embroidering motif’s, pictures and large or small text, they can be connected to a computer via USB / computer link or use memory cards / USB stick to get the embroidery design into the machine, once into the machine all you need to do is place the fabric into an embroidery hoop and press the go button, some embroidery machines will have some embroidery designs built in. If a colour change is necessary the machine will pause and ask you to change the thread and advice on the colour to use. Embroidery designs can be produced via embroidery design software (usually sold separately) this way the designs are your own and to your own design however it can be time consuming. An alternative way is to purchase designs off the internet (very often designs can be found for free if you know where to look) or on memory card, the down side is you need to find a design that fits your sewing project and in the correct format for your brand of embroidery machine. A good example of an embroidery only machine would be the Brother 750E however there are many other models to choose from. Embroidery machines can be combined with sewing machines all rolled in one package, a good example of this would be the Brother 4000 however there are many other models to choose from.
Computerized sewing machines
are by default packed with a huge selection of stitches, features and functions. This can frighten many sewers however in many ways they have some time saving features to help you with your sewing not make it more difficult! They are not more difficult to use or confusing, once the sewer has spent a few hours on the machine and read the instruction book it all starts falling into place. Some of our customers are almost 100 years old and find our computerized machines a doddle to use. They will have additional motors inside the machine to control the needle swing from left to right and another motor to move the feed dogs forward and backwards, this allows the user to operate the machine with a high degree of precision. The stitches can be selected using an electronic push button or even a LCD touch screen on the more advanced machines. These machines often have memories built in so user can refer back to it once a sequence of stitches or letters have been added to the memory (yes they can even sew very legible lettering for monogramming your work). The one thing people love about them is that you make your stitch selection and the machine automatically knows what to do with the width and length settings on the machine to achieve the correct proportions for the stitch however these can be altered by the sewer by pressing the stitch width and length controls.
Electronic machines
put simply are just a standard sewing machine using a DC motor to help with needle penetration at lower speeds. Typically the stitch type, length and width is adjusted with dials / knobs.
Mechanical machines
can still have a DC motor (therefore electronic) or an AC motor the user themselves would probably never know unless they checked the label on the back of the machine. In some respects a good quality mechanical machine is a perfect solution for most people, with no electronic circuit boards to go wrong etc however the user has to be sure they will never pine for the features their friends machine has got i.e. start stop button, fancy button holes, needle up/down, decorative stitches etc. A perfect example of a good mechanical sewing machine is the Bernina 1008 however there are many other models to choose from.
An embellisher
is not a sewing machine, it uses a number of barbed needles typically 5-7 to needle punch / felt fibres together. They work best with very fibres material such as felt and wool.
Overlockers
are basically for finishing the edge of fabric to stop it from fraying and to give a more professional finish to seams and hems. They typically use 4 threads however some models can be used as 2, 3 or even 5 thread machines. They can not sew button holes or fancy stitches and shouldn’t be viewed as an alternative to a sewing machine but rather an addition to your tool kit. If you aren’t sure of what they do turn a typical T-shirt inside out and have a look at the seems, not all of the garment will be constructed using a overlocker however usually between the bottom hem up to the arm holes will be, during construction an overlocker would have joined the front and back of the garment together whilst trimming off any excess fabric using the built in cutting blades! Its fast and effective but will never replace a standard sewing machine around the house.
Coverstitch machines
are mainly used for stopping a raw edge from fraying and constructing a seam at the same time, a good example of this is usually found on the neck band of a T-shirt or sweat shirt. This operation is often confused with overlocking however they are very different machines and one is not capable of the other. They are useful if you intend to construct clothing but have no blades built in so they don’t cut the fabric.
There are machines that are capable of overlocking and coverstitch all from the same machine however they tend to be mechanically very complicated and troublesome. It can take a competent person 15 or 20 minutes to convert / prepare the machine for overlocking from coverstitch or vice versa. These machines often cost as much as it would to buy a separate overlocker and separate coverstitch which from our experience is a far better idea.
Sewing machine feet / presser feet and accessories
are available for all the different makes and models of machine, often the accessories can be interchangeable between makes and models however not always so if you plan to use accessories from your old machine to fit a new machine its best to ask us if they will fit or you maybe disappointed. The list of accessories available is endless and often terminology between brands can differ but the most common are adjustable zipper feet, concealed zipper feet, free machine embroidery feet, walking feet, appliqué feet, piping feet and extension tables.
Industrial sewing machines
are usually designed for one intended stitch / purpose, for example a typical lockstitch machine would only be capable of straight stitch however there are some models such as the Singer 20u that were capable of straight and zigzag stitches and if the user was talented enough a button hole could be done as well but not much else. The most common industrial sewing machines are overlockers, coverstitch, walking foot, needle feed, lockstitch, chainstitch, buttonholers, bonadex elasticaters, blind hem, flatlock, button sewer and post machines. All these machines are very limited in their uses however they do what they were designed to do very quickly and efficiently and were made to be worked 7 days a week 24 hours a day with limited maintenance.
Sewing machines for beginners
When buying a sewing machine for a beginner the most important thing to think about is what will they be sewing? Don’t think to yourself it only needs to be very basic because it’s a beginner machine, it firstly needs to be strong enough to cope with the weight / thickness of the fabric and secondly have the features and functions required for the type of project that will be sewn. A person would never by a beginner cooker or vacuum cleaner! They you buy an appliance right for its intended purpose.
Sewing machines for children
There are machines on the market specifically designed for children however we don’t sell them, every child’s machine we’ve seen has been awful, bad design, cheaply made and frustrating. If the machine is intended for a child just buy them a proper sewing machine but a very basic one. A good basic sewing machine such as some of the Janome machines are easy to use, well made and can be repaired. Don’t be fooled into buying a child’s sewing machine, it won’t be long until you realise it’s been a waste of money.
Sewing Machines for quilting
Quilting can be done on any sewing machine however there are some key features that help make it better for quilting:
One of the most important features is a large space under the arm so the quilt can be rolled up and fit under the arm when it’s being worked on.
The machine should have a walking foot or duel feed foot either built in or as an accessory available to fit it, they are used so the fabric and wadding doesn’t slip when it’s being sewn.
There are lost of other accessories that a quilter may want to purchase such as a quarter inch foot, stitch in the ditch foot, quilting guide, free machine quilting foot and appliqué foot if it’s a unbranded or lesser known brand of machine these accessories could be difficult to purchase.
Needle up / down feature can be very handy when piecing the quilt together as the needle will always stop with the needle up or down so the fabric can be rotated on the needle when changing direction or the needle can always stop up so the fabric can be removed very quickly.
A lock stitch function automatically locks off your stitch at the end of the seam, another time saver, especially for repetitive seams and can be a very neat way of securing at the end of the seam without reversing.
Start/Stop Button allows you to sew without using the foot control. Just press the start button to go on longer seams, so common in quilting and home dec, this is much more relaxing option than the continuous pressure of a foot pedal. Essential for any quilting machine and is excellent for free machine quilting.
Drop feed is for free motion quilting, darning, attaching buttons, and other applications where feed dogs are not necessary.
Extension table is not essential but some quilters do find them very useful as they extend your flat working area which is particularly nice when doing free machine quilting.
Sewing Machines Parts
Unlike many modern appliances around the house a good sewing machine can be repaired by a sewing machine engineer and if you choose a good brand parts can be available for 40 years or more. The most common parts to need replacing are simple things like spool pegs, bobbin cases, gears, belts, foot controls and motors. Some brands are more expensive than others for parts however a machine such as a Bernina for example should give many years of trouble free use before any parts are required so when a part is needed it doesn’t feel quit so bad that it’s twice the price of the other brands.
Sewing Machines Problems
Although sewing machines can be mechanically and electronically complex appliances most problems are user error, incorrect threading, needle in back to front, misuse or lack of basic maintenance therefore the machine is jammed full of fluff and thread etc and not been oiled for the last five million stitches or more!
We’ve covered the basic things to check for here if you are having a problem with a sewing machine:
Click here to view our repairs page
Bernina Sewing Machines
Bernina sewing machines make some extremely good machines the brand has been legendary for many years, the mechanical quality is the very best on the market however if you want lots of functions and features you do need to spend lots of money compared to the other brands on the market. Other brands tend to have top loading bobbins once you spend over £200 however Bernina believe the bottom loading bobbin is a superior system resulting in a better stitch quality, longer life, greater reliability and perfect for free machine embroidery / quilting. (it should be noted that a bottom loading bobbin machine is usually nosier and slower, it’s a trade off between the pros and cons of the two different systems). Bernina make excellent sewing machines and we rate them very highly as sewing machines however when in comes to computerised embroidery ………. we’re still thinking about it.
Bernina tend to need regular servicing to keep them tip top however if you appreciate a quality item then you’ll love being sat behind one of these machines; they really are a dream to sew on, user friendly and provide super results. We supply hundreds every year to schools, collages, universities, trade users and of cause normal domestic users as they make particularly good quilting machines, dress making machines and textile crafts people.
Bernina make a very well made serger / overlocker which is a favourite amongst cottage industry type business’s for alterations, dressmaking and tailoring etc. They control the tension very well and produce a good quality seam with minimum effort from the user. Bernina still produce an industrial sewing machine labelled as the 950 industrial, these machines offer 20 different stitches and a button hole, although its not computerized or electronic it’s still a very capable machine.
Secondly is the quality of the machine, how long do you expect it to last? If you buy a very cheap machine or the wrong tool for job don’t be surprised if the machine breaks down and cannot be repaired after just a few projects.
Thirdly are the features and functions such as one step or 4 step buttonholes, decorative stitches / functional stitches, needle threader and free arm etc. Accessories can be bought for your machine latter however additional features such as needle threaders and stitch programmes can not be added to a machine.
Brother Sewing Machines
Brother sewing machines make some very cheep machines and if the sewer is counting every penny they spend then perhaps Brother is the way to go. They still seem to be able to produce a reasonable machine for under £100 and although it may not sound or feel particularly good it does still do the job on thin to reasonably thick fabrics. The Brother XL5500 and Brother XL5700 are good examples of this and still include basic features like a free arm for sleeves and trouser legs etc They also make some very light weight sewing machines, this is done by removing the metal chassis from the inside of the machine (plus some parts are replaced with plastic parts), on the down side the machine looses rigidity which can result in poor performance on tougher fabrics, we would recommend giving us a call if you were thinking of purchasing a particularly light weight sewing machine.
One thing Brother are good at is packing their machines full of functions at a good price so if features and functions are important to the sewer then Brother sewing machines probably offer best value for money in terms of computerized sewing machines or electronic sewing machines.
When it comes to embroidery then Brother should be seriously considered. We’ve sold more Brother embroidery machines than any other brand and had virtually no complaints or warranty issues with the sewing machines. Much of the Brother industrial embroidery technology gets incorporated into the domestic machines which makes them user friendly, reliable and the leader of the pack in terms of technology. Brother makes lots of products not just sewing machines (printers, fax machines, labelling machines and typewriters etc) so the company has lots of experience when it comes to consumer electronics so keeping up with technology never seems to be a problem for them.
Brother make sergers (also known as overlockers) too which are not too bad on lighter fabrics and have some nice features however Janome overlockers seem to be a bit more robust and from past experience more reliable.
Husqvarna Sewing Machines
Husqvarna sewing machines have had a excellent reputation for many years and in the past made machines built like tanks, in recent years the market has demanded lighter weight sewing machines providing more features for the user so although they might not be what they once were in terms of heavy weight machines they do offer some very unique features on some of the machines such as the exclusive sensor system which raises the foot and lowers the needle when the machines comes to a stop, this enables the sewer to pivot / turn the fabric on the needle very quickly, this may not sound all that handy however once you’ve experienced it for a few hours you will never want to loose it as a feature again! The exclusive sewing adviser is also fairly unique in that you tell the machine what type of fabric you want to sew and the job you are about to start and the machine advises you one the stitch to use, needle type, length and width settings, speed, presser foot and tension. It’s very clever! Very popular with quilters.
Janome Sewing Machines
Janome Sewing machines offer excellent value for money, if the buyer was looking for a sewing machine £500 or below Janome machines should be top of the list to look at. Janome Sewing machines aren’t necessarily loaded with features and functions found on some of the competitions machines at the same price however Janome seems to focus more on quality and user-friendliness than the competitors sewing machines at the same sort prices (excellent for the beginner or experienced sewer) for example Singer sewing machine just don’t seem to be able to compete in terms of quality. Models such as the Janome 525s and Janome mystyle MS2522 are perfect examples of reasonable prices with excellent quality and the ability to sew all sorts of fabrics even though they aren’t computerized they also have a top loading bobbin. The Janome J3 range of sewing machines are Janome’s low cost budget range of machines which are a manual sewing machine and include all the basic stitches with a bottom loading bobbin and in our opinion offer the best value for money of any brand on the market. Janome have made industrial machines in the past and used this experience to good use when they designed the Janome professional range of machines which include some design features usually found on an industrial sewing machine. Janome computerized machines such as the memory craft machines couldn’t be described as a mini sewing machine as they are a bit bigger and heavier than the average modern sewing machine however still portable with a typical weight of around 11kg – 14kg. The Janine 6600P is a good example of the Janome professional range of machines and a favourite for upholstery, home furnishings, crafts, quilting and general repairs / alterations due to being capable of heavy duty use however doesn’t have a free arm so its not so easy to do trouser legs and sleeves but still possible without too much effort.
When spending £500 upwards all our sewing machine brands should be looked at and the sewer needs to pay more attention to features and functions, the sewer / user may expect more features and functions for their money than Janome offers or one very critical feature maybe missing however the Janome quality is consistent from top to bottom of their range which makes them perfect for the dressmaker, crafts sewer or quilter.
Janome also make some excellent overlockers (a serger and overlocker is the same thing just different terminology) at a very good price, overlockers should not be confused with sewing machines as they are only used to stop fabric from fraying on a raw edge which can be combined with constructing fast seams for example the inside seams of T-shirts etc this can give a very professional finish. Janome guarantee to hold sewing machine parts for 12 years or more for most of their models which is important for sewing machine repair!
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