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2. Cory Dransfeldt 22 min later

   @zachleat anything from Singer/Bernina should be reliable. I don't sew but my mom has since I was a kid and that's usually what she relied on.

   1. Naman 39 min later

      @coryd @zachleat I’ve seen a Singer sewing machine last longer than I’ve been alive. But no guarantees that their quality is anywhere near the same level.

      1. Naman 42 min later

         @coryd @zachleat it was a “manual” machine where you had to spin a wheel (or use a back/forth pedal) to make it run. Newer machines are probably electric, and less reliable.

         According to my mom, electric machines are also worse since they give you less control.

3. Bret Little 37 min later

   @zachleat we have a babylock and love it!

4. jacobian 52 min later

   @zachleat I have a brother SE400, which is a combo sewing and embroidery machine. The embroidery features are super cool: you can program in patterns and it stitches them — essentially a CNC sewing machine. And as a sewing machine it’s been really solid and easy to use. I think it (or the bigger SE600) is a really great all-around machine for most people.

   1. Zach Leatherman 1 day later

      @jacob awesome, I will have a look at that those—thank you!

      1. Carter Baxter 1 day later

         @zachleat @jacob My spouse has a Brother PE800 embroiderer, which she likes quite a bit. However, she does most of her regular sewing on a Janome DC5100, which she is a big, big fan of.

         1. jacobian 1 day later

            @zachleat @tbaxter yeah, long term I want to get a dedicated sewing machine too, but I’m saving up for a Sailrite because I want to work with canvas and leather.

            1. Zach Leatherman 1 day later

               @jacob @tbaxter leather, you say

               1. jacobian 1 day later

                  @zachleat @tbaxter welcome to the rabbit hole: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hVLLvgPlrBI

            2. Carter Baxter 1 day later

               @jacob @zachleat Yeah, the Janome will handle canvas, but for leather, a Sailrite seems to be the answer.

5. Ted Garrison 1 hr later

   @zachleat brother makes good machines- but buy from a sewing machine shop- not big box. They aren't the same quality. I used to repair them for a living. Very different quality.

   1. Zach Leatherman 1 day later

      @tedgarrison3 wow, fascinating. even direct from brother online?

6. Kimberly Garmoe 1 hr later

   @zachleat There’s a lot of different types of sewing machines. Do you know what you’re interested in making? I’m very happy with my Janome.

   1. Zach Leatherman 1 day later

      @WriteOnFire I wanted to experiment with sewing a few simple t-shirts!

7. Ollie Boermans 2 hr later

   @zachleat my wife has one of these lovely machines. Lauded for being purely mechanical.
   https://www.bernina.com/en-US/Machines-US/Series-Overview/BERNINA-Classic-Series/BERNINA-1008

   Sadly appears to be discontinued!

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8. DB Schwein 3 hr later

   @zachleat
   I sew a lot and have old workhorses.
   I absolutely recommend the Brother XR9000s. Their buttonholing is brilliant. They're easy to thread. They sew everything from silk to multi layers of denim with ease. Plus they've got lots of programmed stitches, and are only about $250.

   1. Zach Leatherman 1 day later

      @deirdrebeth aww dang looks like they’re discontinued

      1. DB Schwein 1 day later

         @zachleat
         It's a whole series. The first few are discontinued, but the later ones are still out there.

         https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B09YYF9383/

         1. Zach Leatherman 1 day later

            @deirdrebeth oh damn is that wide table awesome? it seems cool

            1. DB Schwein 1 day later

               @zachleat I only use it when I've got something that wants to slide away, but for that it's brilliant. If I did more embroidery I'd use it more.
               Luckily it's easy to remove it you don't need it :-)

9. Erik Kroes ✅ 1 day later

   @zachleat depends on what you want to sew i guess?

   1. Zach Leatherman 1 day later

      @erikKroes I kinda wanted to start with a t-shirt!

      1. Erik Kroes ✅ 2 days later

         @zachleat My wife is the oracle here.

         She says: if it's for a kid, go for a surger and make pants. Then you can put cuffs on everything, and use only one machine.
         For a t-shirt, start with a normal sewing machine. She has a Pfaff Ambition Essential.

         1. Zach Leatherman 2 days later

            @erikKroes appreciate it!!

            1. Erik Kroes ✅ 2 days later

               @zachleat would love to help more if we can. We used to run a fabric store

               1. Zach Leatherman 2 days later

                  @erikKroes wow! In that case I am sick of buying a bunch of different brands of white t-shirt that don’t really fit and I want to make my own 😅 Would love any fabric recommendations!

                  1. Erik Kroes ✅ 4 days later

                     @zachleat I could tell you a lot about nice patterned organic fabrics. Not really what you're looking for.

                     I do know that whenever my wife tried to make me something, it was very hard to get the right measurements in there. Making a well fitting t-shirt sounds like quite a challenge. It will take some trial and error!

                     1. Zach Leatherman 4 days later

                        @erikKroes in what might sum up my personality better than anything else I’d rather iterate myself than buy 10 products and be happy with none of them 😅

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                        2. Erik Kroes ✅ 4 days later

                           @zachleat good luck iterating then 😄

                           It'll be great when you do find that one shirt though!

10. Zach Leatherman 1 day later

    a lot of great advice in the replies here—thank you all!

11. Brian DeVries 1 day later

    @zachleat I've heard good things about the Singer 4423 Heavy Duty. It isn't too flashy, but can handle most fabrics if you ever want to try denim or canvas sewing 👍🏼

    1. Brian DeVries 1 day later

       @zachleat Not sure how you feel about amazon links, but here's the model for $180
       https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003VWXZQ0/