Teaching Quilting

[Brian Christiansen]

This is kind of a test message, as I am setting up thunderbird for
reading news groups, and seeing if it is "better" than XPN newsreader.

Well, anyway, this video, from man sewing, one of my favorite you tube
channels (perhaps I will do a future post about it):

and in it Rob Appell, the
host of the show, helps his daughter with making a doll quilt. I
personally think he did a little too much, though.

There is also this video about how the Janome 2212 is the best machine
for beginners:

There are
also lots of others that talk about the best machine for beginners as well.

This got me to wondering something that is sort of a hypothetical
question for me, but might be more something that one of you has actual
experience with.

Suppose you are teaching a teenager how to sew or quilt, and one day his
parents come to you and say that they want to get him a sewing machine
for his birthday, with you being the technical person, and them
supplying the money, with a budget of up to $200.

Would you recommend an older machine such as a singer featherweight or
301, or a newer "beginner" machine like the Janome 2212 (the 2212 is not
a "toy" machine, as I would never even consider a "toy" machine in this
situation).

I have a singer featherweight, which is kinda my "inheritance" from my
late mother. I love it, and I have a buttonhole attachement for it
which makes really nice buttonholes, and a bunch of presser feet for
various things, of which I have only used the "regular" one and the 1/4"
foot, but otherwise it is limited to straight stitching.

I also have a new home from the early 60's (I think), that is a really
nice machine that is a zig-zag machine.

I would also like a singer 301, though I really don't know what I would
do with a 3rd machine.

So if I were buying the machine for myself, I would choose an older
machine, specifically a Singer 301. For the teenager, however I might not.

The 301 (or a featherweight) is probably the better built machine, as
there is a reason they have been around since the 50's (I think), or, in
the case of the featherweight, the 40's or earlier.

However, the newer machine, the 2212, has several advantages as well:

I have heard that threading the machine is a bit easier and more
"foolproof" on newer machines, and I don't mean just threading the
needle, though some newer machines have an attachment for automatically
doing that as well. I mean getting the thread through the tension disks
and the tension lever is easier.

Most general purpose machines today (and the 2212 in particular) have a
freearm. I have never used a freearm, but I think they would come in
quite handy if the machine was used primarily for garment construction.
I don't think they would be very useful for quilting.

There is nothing new about freearms as there is a model of the Singer
Featherweight (222) that has one, but I think the newer the machine, the
more likely it is to have one, and a 301 definitely does not, I don't
think. Heck, there might even be model of treadle made with a freearm.

The buttonhole attachement is probably easier to use than the one for
the featherweight. The featherweight attachment makes really nice
buttonholes, but I had a heck of a time getting it set up properly the
first time I used it. The attachement for the 301 looks like it is similar.

The stich selection seems to be simpler on the 2212, and it contains
several decorative stiches as well.

Obviously, a featherweight, since it is limited to straight stiching,
has no decorative stiches. My New Home has decorative stitches, but you
have to mess around with cams for that, and I have never used them
except messing around with them to see what they look like, and the only
one I might use is the one for blind-stitch hemming. If they were
easier to use, though, I might. I don't know about the 301 and
decorative stitches.

Many newer machines, though not the 2212, have a drop in bobbin, which I
am told is easier to use than a front-loading bobbin. Winding a bobbin
is still a pain in the royal butt (M*A*S*H fans might get that
reference), so the availability of prewound bobbins for the machine you
are considering might also be a factor.

There are probably other differences to consider as well, but those seem
to be most of the advantages of a newer machine over an older one.

There are other, even simpler machines out there, but some appear to be
too simple to go much past beginner level sewing. The 2212 looks like
it could go well past beginner level sewing.

Brian Christiansen (I hope my name does not appear twice, as thunderbird
is supposed to automatically attach it, but I am not sure if I have it
set up correctly as it does not appear in the message I am typing.)

[Julia in MN]

What kind of sewing is the machine going to be used for? If only
quilting, then zigzag and free arm probably aren't necessary. If it
will be used for garment sewing, then zigzag and free arm are very
desirable.

One advantage of newer machines is the ability to limit the speed. My
Elna has a slider-type control that I can set anywhere between "turtle"
and "rabbit". It can force beginners (or anyone) to slow down.

Julia in MN

Post by Brian Christiansen
This is kind of a test message, as I am setting up thunderbird for
reading news groups, and seeing if it is "better" than XPN newsreader.
Well, anyway, this video, from man sewing, one of my favorite you tube
http://youtu.be/IfNGfTmSWSU and in it Rob Appell, the
host of the show, helps his daughter with making a doll quilt. I
personally think he did a little too much, though.
There is also this video about how the Janome 2212 is the best machine
for beginners: http://youtu.be/UDPZXQLHtuQ There are
also lots of others that talk about the best machine for beginners as well.
This got me to wondering something that is sort of a hypothetical
question for me, but might be more something that one of you has actual
experience with.
Suppose you are teaching a teenager how to sew or quilt, and one day his
parents come to you and say that they want to get him a sewing machine
for his birthday, with you being the technical person, and them
supplying the money, with a budget of up to $200.
Would you recommend an older machine such as a singer featherweight or
301, or a newer "beginner" machine like the Janome 2212 (the 2212 is not
a "toy" machine, as I would never even consider a "toy" machine in this
situation).
I have a singer featherweight, which is kinda my "inheritance" from my
late mother. I love it, and I have a buttonhole attachement for it
which makes really nice buttonholes, and a bunch of presser feet for
various things, of which I have only used the "regular" one and the 1/4"
foot, but otherwise it is limited to straight stitching.
I also have a new home from the early 60's (I think), that is a really
nice machine that is a zig-zag machine.
I would also like a singer 301, though I really don't know what I would
do with a 3rd machine.
So if I were buying the machine for myself, I would choose an older
machine, specifically a Singer 301. For the teenager, however I might not.
The 301 (or a featherweight) is probably the better built machine, as
there is a reason they have been around since the 50's (I think), or, in
the case of the featherweight, the 40's or earlier.
I have heard that threading the machine is a bit easier and more
"foolproof" on newer machines, and I don't mean just threading the
needle, though some newer machines have an attachment for automatically
doing that as well. I mean getting the thread through the tension disks
and the tension lever is easier.
Most general purpose machines today (and the 2212 in particular) have a
freearm. I have never used a freearm, but I think they would come in
quite handy if the machine was used primarily for garment construction.
I don't think they would be very useful for quilting.
There is nothing new about freearms as there is a model of the Singer
Featherweight (222) that has one, but I think the newer the machine, the
more likely it is to have one, and a 301 definitely does not, I don't
think. Heck, there might even be model of treadle made with a freearm.
The buttonhole attachement is probably easier to use than the one for
the featherweight. The featherweight attachment makes really nice
buttonholes, but I had a heck of a time getting it set up properly the
first time I used it. The attachement for the 301 looks like it is similar.
The stich selection seems to be simpler on the 2212, and it contains
several decorative stiches as well.
Obviously, a featherweight, since it is limited to straight stiching,
has no decorative stiches. My New Home has decorative stitches, but you
have to mess around with cams for that, and I have never used them
except messing around with them to see what they look like, and the only
one I might use is the one for blind-stitch hemming. If they were
easier to use, though, I might. I don't know about the 301 and
decorative stitches.
Many newer machines, though not the 2212, have a drop in bobbin, which I
am told is easier to use than a front-loading bobbin. Winding a bobbin
is still a pain in the royal butt (M*A*S*H fans might get that
reference), so the availability of prewound bobbins for the machine you
are considering might also be a factor.
There are probably other differences to consider as well, but those seem
to be most of the advantages of a newer machine over an older one.
There are other, even simpler machines out there, but some appear to be
too simple to go much past beginner level sewing. The 2212 looks like
it could go well past beginner level sewing.
Brian Christiansen (I hope my name does not appear twice, as thunderbird
is supposed to automatically attach it, but I am not sure if I have it
set up correctly as it does not appear in the message I am typing.)

[Brian Christiansen]

Post by Julia in MN
What kind of sewing is the machine going to be used for?

I guess that is part of the problem, as the person you are teaching does
not yet know where his or her interest will take them, to primarily
quilting, primarily garment making, or "half and half" of each

As for the speed control, does this come on "beginner" machines, or do
you have to have an expensive high-end machine for this feature. I know
it exists, I am just not sure what machines it exists on. Since it is
not known if a beginning sewist will maintain an interest, I, at least
would recommend against an expensive high-end machine.

[Julia in MN]

I agree about not recommending an expensive high-end machine, but at the
other extreme, I wouldn't recommend a cheap machine from a big box
store. You don't want someone turned off to sewing because of a machine
that doesn't work properly. I would definitely recommend buying from a
reliable local dealer that will service the machine and answer
questions, including lessons on using the machine.

I don't know whether the speed control comes on beginner machines. I do
know that both my Elna Quilter's Dream and the older, smaller Elna
Stella have that feature. The Quilter's Dream is definitely not a
low-end machine, but not as expensive as some other machines.

I prefer a drop-in bobbin, but that may be because that's what I have
always had. I've used other machines, but found it more difficult to get
the bobbin in place properly.

Janome has a good reputation around here. I wouldn't hesitate to buy Janome.

Julia in MN

Post by Brian Christiansen

Post by Julia in MN
What kind of sewing is the machine going to be used for?

I guess that is part of the problem, as the person you are teaching does
not yet know where his or her interest will take them, to primarily
quilting, primarily garment making, or "half and half" of each
As for the speed control, does this come on "beginner" machines, or do
you have to have an expensive high-end machine for this feature. I know
it exists, I am just not sure what machines it exists on. Since it is
not known if a beginning sewist will maintain an interest, I, at least
would recommend against an expensive high-end machine.

[Brian Christiansen]

Post by Julia in MN
I agree about not recommending an expensive high-end machine, but at the
other extreme, I wouldn't recommend a cheap machine from a big box
store. You don't want someone turned off to sewing because of a machine
that doesn't work properly. I would definitely recommend buying from a
reliable local dealer that will service the machine and answer
questions, including lessons on using the machine.

I don't even recall mentioning considering a cheap machine from Wal-Mart
or a place like that in the first place. If Kenmore (Sears) still sold
machines, I would recommend those, but apparently they don't, and
Kenmores are really Janomes anyway.

Well, if that, and if Sears were what it used to be, with a service
dept. and all that. With its demise over the last 20 years, and its
merger with K-Mart (I think, and if that is correct, that move dropped
the company's value considerably in my eyes), I am not so sure about
even that.

In fact, if I were playing the role of "technical advisor" in the
situation I described, the very first thing I would recommend is not
buying the machine online or from a place like Wal-Mart.

The 2212 is certainly not the most expensive machine, but it is not a
cheap machine from a big box store either. You could of course buy one
onine, but there is also an authorized Janome dealer here in Tucson.

Getting it online is Probably a bit cheaper than getting it at or
through (it may not be one of their regular products) the dealer, but as
you say servicing and lessons might also be included. I don't even know
if that machine is even available at Wal-Mart or a place like it.

The Janome dealer in Tucson is also a "quilt shop," and does offer
classes, though I do not know if they offer classes for any specific
machine.

Post by Julia in MN
Janome has a good reputation around here. I wouldn't hesitate to buy Janome.

I think that New Home is really Janome, so I guess my New Home machine
that I mentioned is a Janome.

[Night Mist]

I think where you live might well have as much to do with what you get as what you need.

Where I am we are down to one repair shop that is also an authorized Bernina dealer. There just is no place you can buy a new machine except for a bernina anywhere near here.

So when I am asked about starter machines I recommend either getting a second hand old fashioned purely mechanical machine and a book about how to maintain and repair them, or get a cheap junk machine from one of the big box stores with the plan to replace it fairly often. I do point out the Bernina place and the fact that I am unfamiliar with Berninas. Unless the person is willing to drive over the hill and far away, these are the options. I have ended up teaching french seams to some new sewing people who got old straight stitch machines as a result of this advice, but french seams are very easy and take about 10 minutes to teach. The people who buy a big box machine usually end up either getting a bernina very soon, or driving the distance to shop someplace with more selection.
I do point out that if you are spending more than a little (used machines often cost very little) you really want to test drive a machine to see if you are comfortable with it. I generally discourage starting out on a machine with too much fancy boo. There is really nothing much a solid zig zag machine cannot do that many of the fancy dancy ones can, it just might take a little longer and a bit of fussing. Neither does a newbie need the distraction, frustration, and temptation, of whiz bangs and weirdities.

NightMist

Post by Brian Christiansen
This is kind of a test message, as I am setting up thunderbird for
reading news groups, and seeing if it is "better" than XPN newsreader.
Well, anyway, this video, from man sewing, one of my favorite you tube
http://youtu.be/IfNGfTmSWSU and in it Rob Appell, the
host of the show, helps his daughter with making a doll quilt. I
personally think he did a little too much, though.
There is also this video about how the Janome 2212 is the best machine
for beginners: http://youtu.be/UDPZXQLHtuQ There are
also lots of others that talk about the best machine for beginners as well.
This got me to wondering something that is sort of a hypothetical
question for me, but might be more something that one of you has actual
experience with.
Suppose you are teaching a teenager how to sew or quilt, and one day his
parents come to you and say that they want to get him a sewing machine
for his birthday, with you being the technical person, and them
supplying the money, with a budget of up to $200.
Would you recommend an older machine such as a singer featherweight or
301, or a newer "beginner" machine like the Janome 2212 (the 2212 is not
a "toy" machine, as I would never even consider a "toy" machine in this
situation).
I have a singer featherweight, which is kinda my "inheritance" from my
late mother. I love it, and I have a buttonhole attachement for it
which makes really nice buttonholes, and a bunch of presser feet for
various things, of which I have only used the "regular" one and the 1/4"
foot, but otherwise it is limited to straight stitching.
I also have a new home from the early 60's (I think), that is a really
nice machine that is a zig-zag machine.
I would also like a singer 301, though I really don't know what I would
do with a 3rd machine.
So if I were buying the machine for myself, I would choose an older
machine, specifically a Singer 301. For the teenager, however I might not.
The 301 (or a featherweight) is probably the better built machine, as
there is a reason they have been around since the 50's (I think), or, in
the case of the featherweight, the 40's or earlier.
I have heard that threading the machine is a bit easier and more
"foolproof" on newer machines, and I don't mean just threading the
needle, though some newer machines have an attachment for automatically
doing that as well. I mean getting the thread through the tension disks
and the tension lever is easier.
Most general purpose machines today (and the 2212 in particular) have a
freearm. I have never used a freearm, but I think they would come in
quite handy if the machine was used primarily for garment construction.
I don't think they would be very useful for quilting.
There is nothing new about freearms as there is a model of the Singer
Featherweight (222) that has one, but I think the newer the machine, the
more likely it is to have one, and a 301 definitely does not, I don't
think. Heck, there might even be model of treadle made with a freearm.
The buttonhole attachement is probably easier to use than the one for
the featherweight. The featherweight attachment makes really nice
buttonholes, but I had a heck of a time getting it set up properly the
first time I used it. The attachement for the 301 looks like it is similar.
The stich selection seems to be simpler on the 2212, and it contains
several decorative stiches as well.
Obviously, a featherweight, since it is limited to straight stiching,
has no decorative stiches. My New Home has decorative stitches, but you
have to mess around with cams for that, and I have never used them
except messing around with them to see what they look like, and the only
one I might use is the one for blind-stitch hemming. If they were
easier to use, though, I might. I don't know about the 301 and
decorative stitches.
Many newer machines, though not the 2212, have a drop in bobbin, which I
am told is easier to use than a front-loading bobbin. Winding a bobbin
is still a pain in the royal butt (M*A*S*H fans might get that
reference), so the availability of prewound bobbins for the machine you
are considering might also be a factor.
There are probably other differences to consider as well, but those seem
to be most of the advantages of a newer machine over an older one.
There are other, even simpler machines out there, but some appear to be
too simple to go much past beginner level sewing. The 2212 looks like
it could go well past beginner level sewing.
Brian Christiansen (I hope my name does not appear twice, as thunderbird
is supposed to automatically attach it, but I am not sure if I have it
set up correctly as it does not appear in the message I am typing.)

[g***@gmail.com]

I agree with what Nightmist said.
If a new sewer does not know if their interest will remain, just like in any new endeavor, you do not want to get top-of-the-line in anything. Heck, even a used machine off craigslist, an estate sale, or a traded-in machine at the local shop can be used to launch the interest. Learning how to care for the machine is a necessity. Simple features, so the learning curve is simple. nothing more of a turn-off than to have an overwhelming amount of options presented. Small steps are always best.

Ginger in CA

Post by Brian Christiansen
This is kind of a test message, as I am setting up thunderbird for
reading news groups, and seeing if it is "better" than XPN newsreader.
Well, anyway, this video, from man sewing, one of my favorite you tube
http://youtu.be/IfNGfTmSWSU and in it Rob Appell, the
host of the show, helps his daughter with making a doll quilt. I
personally think he did a little too much, though.
There is also this video about how the Janome 2212 is the best machine
for beginners: http://youtu.be/UDPZXQLHtuQ There are
also lots of others that talk about the best machine for beginners as well.
This got me to wondering something that is sort of a hypothetical
question for me, but might be more something that one of you has actual
experience with.
Suppose you are teaching a teenager how to sew or quilt, and one day his
parents come to you and say that they want to get him a sewing machine
for his birthday, with you being the technical person, and them
supplying the money, with a budget of up to $200.
Would you recommend an older machine such as a singer featherweight or
301, or a newer "beginner" machine like the Janome 2212 (the 2212 is not
a "toy" machine, as I would never even consider a "toy" machine in this
situation).
I have a singer featherweight, which is kinda my "inheritance" from my
late mother. I love it, and I have a buttonhole attachement for it
which makes really nice buttonholes, and a bunch of presser feet for
various things, of which I have only used the "regular" one and the 1/4"
foot, but otherwise it is limited to straight stitching.
I also have a new home from the early 60's (I think), that is a really
nice machine that is a zig-zag machine.
I would also like a singer 301, though I really don't know what I would
do with a 3rd machine.
So if I were buying the machine for myself, I would choose an older
machine, specifically a Singer 301. For the teenager, however I might not.
The 301 (or a featherweight) is probably the better built machine, as
there is a reason they have been around since the 50's (I think), or, in
the case of the featherweight, the 40's or earlier.
I have heard that threading the machine is a bit easier and more
"foolproof" on newer machines, and I don't mean just threading the
needle, though some newer machines have an attachment for automatically
doing that as well. I mean getting the thread through the tension disks
and the tension lever is easier.
Most general purpose machines today (and the 2212 in particular) have a
freearm. I have never used a freearm, but I think they would come in
quite handy if the machine was used primarily for garment construction.
I don't think they would be very useful for quilting.
There is nothing new about freearms as there is a model of the Singer
Featherweight (222) that has one, but I think the newer the machine, the
more likely it is to have one, and a 301 definitely does not, I don't
think. Heck, there might even be model of treadle made with a freearm.
The buttonhole attachement is probably easier to use than the one for
the featherweight. The featherweight attachment makes really nice
buttonholes, but I had a heck of a time getting it set up properly the
first time I used it. The attachement for the 301 looks like it is similar.
The stich selection seems to be simpler on the 2212, and it contains
several decorative stiches as well.
Obviously, a featherweight, since it is limited to straight stiching,
has no decorative stiches. My New Home has decorative stitches, but you
have to mess around with cams for that, and I have never used them
except messing around with them to see what they look like, and the only
one I might use is the one for blind-stitch hemming. If they were
easier to use, though, I might. I don't know about the 301 and
decorative stitches.
Many newer machines, though not the 2212, have a drop in bobbin, which I
am told is easier to use than a front-loading bobbin. Winding a bobbin
is still a pain in the royal butt (M*A*S*H fans might get that
reference), so the availability of prewound bobbins for the machine you
are considering might also be a factor.
There are probably other differences to consider as well, but those seem
to be most of the advantages of a newer machine over an older one.
There are other, even simpler machines out there, but some appear to be
too simple to go much past beginner level sewing. The 2212 looks like
it could go well past beginner level sewing.
Brian Christiansen (I hope my name does not appear twice, as thunderbird
is supposed to automatically attach it, but I am not sure if I have it
set up correctly as it does not appear in the message I am typing.)

[m***@gmail.com]

Hello Brian,
There are lots of quilt sewing on Missouri Star Quilting Co. and Rob Appell works for them. We get the mans take on quilting.
I have always had Brother sewing machines and would recommend these to anyone. Amazon.com have several at under $200. Have 2 of these machines both electronic.
Sandy$