Sewing Machine Review

Christine over at ChrisW Designs is hosting a series of Sewing Machine Reviews.
If you hop over, you'll see my take on the Janome 4120 QDC here!

Oma's Pfaff

I have some exciting news:

 

For those that follow my page on Facebook (Facebook Badge (link) on the sidebar) you will have heard of my new machine, very briefly. 

What you may not know is I traded my old Shark sewing machine for it, not even having seen this machine.

I'm still not sure if it was a good trade as I need to find a voltage converter or plug adaptor to get it to run at all.

But, I'm afraid that if this machine runs, that I may just have ripped my sister off....sigh...

I guess my consolation is she wanted a machine that ran--now. She didn't want to figure out the electrical stuff and get this thing checked out. I do.

Anyway, it is an old Pfaff 262, and it belonged to my Oma (Grandmother) who took it with her when she immigrated to Canada from the Netherlands. Hence the electrical questions...

 

 

But, look at all these stitches:

 

Seriously!

Now to figure out what combo to use for a straight stitch.

 And, in the Dutch instruction books it speaks of the ability to use 3 needles! (Nevermind that I still have to master the double needle...)

Plus it talks about embroidery...

 

It came with this lovely wooden rolling table.

 It needs it--this machine is *HEAVY*.

 

Look at all these attachments and different presser feet.

If I can get this thing going, I'll have so much fun trying to figure out what is for what!

And, how to use all the functions.

 

And, the back of this beauty:

 

My husband shook his head and said I was like a person who gets old cars...only this is an old sewing machine. I only have one now, and it is my intent to keep it at one extra sewing machine.

 

But, yes, if I can get this thing going, I think I made a steal of a deal.

Either way, I'm excited.

Any info on figuring out the electrical would be appreciated--like can you just get a new (US/Canadian) cord put on or do you actually need to get a voltage converter/plug-in adapter so that it uses the European amount of voltage (220V I believe) but can plug into a standard outlet in Canada(120/110V)? And, how many watts does a sewing machine generally use?

I have looked at Canadian Tire for something to 'fix' things but they had one where you could only plug in a US/Canadian plug and convert it to a host of others and then a plug adapter which could only do a 25W appliance and which didn't convert voltage, which I think may be a problem...I definitely do not want to fry this machine before I even get a chance to try it out!

Ah, the questions...

Have a great week!



Meet My Machine & Sewing Space

The Tilted Quilt is having a blog hop party called Meet My Machine.

 

 

 So, I thought I'd join in on the fun and show you where I sew and what I sew on. I have done a previous post about my sewing machine, but I'll recap some here...

 

This is my sewing machine--a Janome 4120 QDC.

 

This was a birthday present from my dear husband--about 2.5 months before my birthday...

My old Shark had given up and the old Elna I had gotten for a wedding present, I just could not figure out. Plus, there was no bobbins for it that I could find and I really did not want to spend a fortune on bobbins, etc from E-bay when I did not even know if I could figure it out.

So, in came this sewing machine. I was intent on getting a Pfaff ambition, and was so certain that that was what I'd get. Until I tested them both and really liked this one better--a lot better.

I have NOT named it and really don't intend too--I was very picky about any stickers being put on and was disappointed that my sewing machine shop put one on after I had brought it in for maintenance...

So, that is my machine, very briefly. If you want to hear a bit more about it, you can check out that other post here.

 

Here is my sewing space:

 

 

It's an L-shaped desk where I have one half for sewing and often my husband will be sitting behind me doing his Spanish on the computer. I admit, I often take up more than my fair share--I actually tidied up before I took the pictures. And, in that left-hand corner, I have a plastic bag where I throw in all my scraps that are pretty much un-usable, though I do sometimes dig in there and find things I can use--as do my children! Under that is my old shark and the quilting table extension for my machine plus my cutting mat and rulers. I also have my thread in a plastic bin there as well as things like rotary cutter, safety pins, fabric markers, needles, etc.

 

And, here is where I store some of my fabric (flannel on the right, knits on the left) plus there are my patterns in the green bag, all in individual large ziploc bags. My sewing books are beside that green bag, to the right and to the left is my interfacing, wonder-under, zippers, buttons, bias-tape, etc. This is in my laundry room, right across from where I sew, in a tiny, relatively dark room that is squishy.

 

My ironing board against one wall, and I can turn around in the middle to reach over to grab stuff out of those cupboards (above picture) above my washing machine and dryer.

 

This stack of bins with the rest of my fabric stash is right behind the laundry room door, right beside my ironing board. (From top to bottom, knits, quilting cotton, home-dec/and heavier fabrics.)

 

I'd LOVE to have my own sewing room where I could put up shelves to put my fabric stash on. But, the benefit of this set-up right now is that I am in the main area of the house so I can keep an eye on my four kids while I sew, and in that way I can actually sew while the kids are up. Plus, it's nice to just spend time close to my husband in the evenings--even if that means sitting almost back to back!

 

 

 

Oh, and in other news, here is the last fat-eighth bundle that I won from Randi at Fresh-Squeezed Fabrics. Love this bundle, and have to figure out what I'll do with them yet!

 

 

Know Thy Machine

Shruti at 13 Woodhouse Road is hosting a Know Thy Machine blog hop. And, I thought it'd be fun to answer the questions here!

 

 

1. What machine(s) do you have? Brand and Model.

I have a Shark and a Janome 4120QDC

2. When and where did you buy it? What were the reasons for selecting this(these) particular model(s). What was its approximate cost.

The Shark was the machine my husband bought for me for our anniversary 2 and a half years ago--he bought me a cheaper machine because this was my first 'step' into sewing and I wasn't sure how I'd like it. I think it cost around $100.

My Janome is the machine I bought after a year and a half of fighting with my Shark. I bought this one after researching certain features I wanted in a machine and then I had my eye set on a Pfaff Ambition I believe. But, when I gave them a test run in the sewing store, I fell in love with this one and was not too impressed with how the Pfaff sewed. (It had some quirks that caused me a lot of grief with my Shark that I wanted to avoid at all costs like major bunching of the thread in the back mid way through sewing.) Oh and the approximate cost was around $800 I believe.

3. What do you like about your machine? Have you named it? Have you made a cover for it?

I really like how my Janome sews knits--I don't need a serger. (This was a major selling point as well--that it did knits really well!) To do this, it has a foot presser pressure dial and some great stretch stitches.

Ha, and what do I like about my Shark? Well, not a whole lot anymore--it's a bit of a clunker and I'd not recommend it to anyone! Though it did me well for a year and a half and I sewed on it a lot!

Other than naming the Shark, 'the beast,' I have not named myJanome or sewn a cover for it! I got a hard cover with it when I bought it.  

4. Does your machine give you any problems? Could you tell us a few?

The only problems my Janome has given me was a tension problem after I had tried mending some thick neoprene dog vests on it--yes, not a good idea! Other than that, I have no problems with it yet and I'm quite pleased with it!

The Shark had all sorts of tension issues, it clumped thread in the back, it was loud, it ate fabric, etc.

5. What do you sew on it mainly? Quilts, Clothes, Bags etc. How much time do you spend sewing on it? What are the features of the machine that help you improve your work?

I sew a lot of clothes, some diaper bags, rag blankets and other small items! I don't spend hours a day sewing--I have 4 kids five years old and under. But, I do usually spend at least a couple of hours a week on it!

The features that help me are the two I mentioned above (foot presser pressure dial and stretch stitches) plus needle down, thread snipper, and some really neat stitches to add a special touch!

6. What advice would you give others when deciding about which machine to buy?

Ask around and try a bunch of machines. Make sure you have a list of features you want in a machine and think about what you may be doing with it in the future as well!

7. Will you share with us a special memory associated with your machine?

I'm not sure if I have a special memory other than it was supposed to be my birthday present but I was too impatient and got an early birthday present!

8. If you had unlimited resources in the world, which machine would you choose to buy and why?

I honestly have no idea--I really like this machine although I've heard some good stuff about the Juki machines!

 

 

What kind of machine do you have? What are its pros and cons?