Why the Brother CS6000I is the Best Sewing Machine for Beginners

October 12, 2010

This best selling Brother sewing machine is a great buy for beginners or experienced sewers. (567 Amazon reviews agree!) Readers email me all the time asking what’s the best sewing machine for beginners. Very often the message comes from someone who knows little or nothing about sewing–a husband buying an anniversary gift for his wife [...]

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Janome Xpression FM725 Lets You Needle Felt 10 Times Faster with No Pain

July 12, 2010

Last winter I made a beautiful Medieval-style coat for my daughter. It had huge needle-felted flowers all over the hem and cuffs. She was thrilled with the gift and wore it all season, but oh my aching wrists! The problem with felting by hand is it takes a long time and the repetitive stress on [...]

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Here’s how to get your long arm quilting machine, quilting frame, stitch regulator and software at a serious discount

June 29, 2010

My friend Jennie has a problem. She’s become a quilt-aholic. It started innocently enough, she just wanted to make a crib quilt for a friend’s baby shower. No big deal, she thought. Ha! I know better. Baby quilts have the cutest, softest fabric ever. Quilters are helpless in its clutches. Yellow giraffes on a blue [...]

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Finish Projects Faster with the Pfaff 1245 Walking Foot Industrial Sewing Machine

May 10, 2010

I feel the need….for speed! Sewing is great fun when you’re actually making progress, right? Not so much when you’re fighting with broken needles, messed up timing, or a just plain slow machine. The Pfaff 1245 is the ideal straight stitch machine for leather, upholstery work and production sewing of costumes and fashion products. The [...]

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Juki TL98Q- Because Life’s Too Short for a Slow Quilting Machine

May 10, 2010

That’s Juki’s motto, and I couldn’t agree more. If you need speed and performance, but still want a portable model, you can end your search now. They’ve got you covered with the TL98Q. I’ve only ever sewn one quilt in my life, and I did it the hard way. A friend of mine dragged me [...]

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Sew Swimsuits and Slinky Dresses with the Juki MO-735 Serger and Coverstitch Machine

May 10, 2010

My first efforts at sewing stretch fabrics were a disaster. I wanted to sew adorable jersey baby clothes for my first child, you know the fabric you can’t resist because “it’s so cute!” So, I’d spend all evening making a long-sleeved romper, thinking how adorable she’d look in it. But no matter what I did, [...]

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Janome Memory Craft MC9500 Computerized Embroidery Sewing Machine Lets You Sew Faster and Create Gorgeous Embellishments

May 10, 2010

I don’t know about you, but I’m starting to run out of room for my sewing machines. I looked around the other day and found leather machines in the garage, sergers and sewers in the attic–it’s getting a tad ridiculous. But I use them all, and couldn’t bear to get rid of a single one [...]

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Consew 146RB Walking Foot Sewing Machine Handles Your Heavy-Duty Projects with Ease

May 10, 2010

I sew lots of shoes, boots, tents and bags, so I love a good solid workhorse machine. My garage workshop is filled with mostly post bed versions (gifts from a local bootmaker–lucky me!) The Consew 146RB is definitely on my wish list for a flat bed industrial. This model is best for heavy-duty industrial strength [...]

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Bernina 950 Commercial Sewing Machine Delivers High Speed and Flawless Performance

May 10, 2010

If you need speed, reliability and versatility, read all the way through this review. You’ll be glad you did. The Bernina/Tacsew 950 is classified as a “professional” or “commercial” grade sewing machine because it’s not quite up to full-industrial specs. But that’s just fine for most self-employed home sewers, costume shops, upholsterers or cottage industries. [...]

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Try the Pfaff 335 Cylinder Bed Industrial Sewing Machine for Those Hard-to-Reach Places

May 10, 2010

Sometimes no matter what you do it’s impossible to reach the seam you need to sew or repair. You know what I mean, those hard to get to places you wonder how anyone ever manages to reach. Well, the secret is the proper style bed on your sewing machine. I use a post-bed for most [...]

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