In our last two homes, I never had a dedicated sewing area. Three houses back, I was sewing for a living, so I had the downstairs second living room as both an office and a sewing room for my business. When the boys were young, and we were about to move to our next home, I had given my sewing business away to another hiker, and I was burned out on sewing. So it hadn’t been as important to me as it should have been. Growing food became my light in those years.
When I did need to sew, I’d pull out my machine and try to do it on our dining room table. It was not a good choice, as it was simply awkward (we have a bar-height table). So I found I didn’t want to haul everything downstairs and set it up. All my sewing gear was boxed into two bins and shut away in a closet in Kirk’s office.
When we moved, I had a room that was entirely mine – I suppose it would have been the “formal sitting room” back in the day. In a more modern house, it would be an open-plan home, but this house has separate rooms.
Kirk had upgraded his desk, so he gave me his old one. It is a standing desk, which oddly is great for crafting and sewing. I much prefer to stand, though it goes up and down, should I want to sit. It’s a long desk that I can also use to cut fabric on. I now have a sewing area, but it took me a couple of months to get it all together.
Meanwhile, Kirk had seen a handheld sewing machine and picked it up. If you have ever had a quick repair job to do, but, like me, had all your sewing gear packed away? This could be a handy answer to that. Sometimes, all you need to do is repair a hem.
Package, to show size.
What came in the box.
The machine comes pre-threaded.
The accessory kit.
There are pros and cons to this machine:
Pros:
Ease of use is big. It comes fully charged and has a digital display to let you know the battery life. It is easy to charge, with an included USB cord. Due to not needing heavy batteries, it is far easier to hold.
The machine sews in one direction, and it is a simple stitch, so you must knot it at the end, otherwise it will pull out.
There is a tension control.
The needle is replaceable using a screwdriver.
Ample accessory kit.
Cons:
The directions are not well done.
Threading it isn’t easy. You need good vision and patience.
Understanding how the threading works isn’t going to be easy for someone new to sewing.
It uses bobbins to hold the thread for sewing, but doesn’t have a bobbin under the needle. This is where the threading can be difficult. You have to envision it while you do the threading. I would suggest taking a picture of how it came from the factory, so you have a reference.
The on/off button automatically starts the machine. There are three settings, but you must go through all three to turn the machine off. This can be very frustrating.
The takeaway:
I like the sewing machine, it’s functional and well-priced.
However, it is a huge learning curve. It is not for someone just starting with sewing. A regular, but smaller-sized machine, would be a far better choice for a sewing newbie.
When you are done sewing a line, gently pull the fabric away, and then cut the thread. Unlike in a standard machine, you can’t just break it off. It will start to unravel the thread if you do that.
It’s a mixed bag in the end, on if I would recommend it to anyone. But it got me feeling more inspired to get back into sewing, and got me to make my sewing area a reality here. So I take that as a huge pro.
~Sarah
