Sewing Machines

I began sewing three years ago.  I started on an old Kenmore sewing machine that I had inherited from my aunt.  The machine was from the '70s and was that super attractive avocado green, that was so popular back then.  I used this machine to sew a few projects from the Weekend Sewing book and the machine worked well but was definitely not as easy to use as the current models.  My husband went out and bought me my first sewing machine very shortly after I took up the hobby.  He claimed that the older machine was so loud that he couldn't hear himself think no matter where he was in the house.  He went to a great, little sewing shop close to our house, Sunup drop Textiles.  The saleswomen were super helpful and directed him to the Janome 4030QDC.  My husband bought the machine and set it up and surprised me.

I love this machine.  I've never had a problem with it.  It's really user-friendly and has more functions then I have ever used.  There are 30 different stitches including button holes.  The machine came with a zipper foot as well as a special quilting accessory kit.  I've done most of my sewing with this machine and have never needed anything else.  For my last birthday, my husband decided to go back to the same sewing shop and purchased a serger.  He bought a Husqvarna Viking H/Class 200S.

To be honest, I wanted a serger but was hesitant to use it.  I was nervous about the whole knife business and I was so comfortable with my existing machine that I thought perhaps I didn't really need a serger after all.  That was until I started back into making clothing.  I began with my daughter's Halloween costume and I was able to stitch almost the entire costume with the serger.  It made things so much easier because I didn't have to zigzag stitch to finish the ends.  The more that I used this machine, the easier I found it was to use it.  The threading of the machine is very well-laid out with diagrams and colouring to aid in the threading.  The manual with the machine is also very informative and helps to answer any questions that arise.  This machine came in handy as I was preparing for Christmas.  Almost all of my Christmas gifts were sewn with this machine in some way.

I have both machines set up side-by-side in a little corner in my bedroom.  This set-up worked great for my holiday projects as I was able to alternate between the two machines as necessary.