Is a Hand Held Sewing Machine
Your Best Choice?
A hand held sewing machine is definitely not for beginners, definitely not for children and it may not be for you.
Before you purchase one, make sure you understand handheld machines’ limitations and the problems and headaches they can cause…
FREE Beginner Sewing Video Course!
This 5 lesson video course will walk you through everything from threading your machine and winding the bobbins–to troubleshooting and maintenance. View the videos anytime or anywhere. Just don’t miss out. Sign up for your FREE course now!
You’ve seen them on TV and advertised in mail order catalogs. Hand held sewing machines or portable sewing machines, can be taken anywhere.
They’re cheap ($10-20). They are lightweight, definitely portable, easy to store, and you don’t even need to plug them into an electrical socket, because they can run on batteries.
Shop safely at Amazon and enjoy free shipping if you spend $25 or more.
The Dark Side
of Hand Held Sewing Machines
If all that sounds pretty good to you, there is more to consider. If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is. And the hand held sewing machine is too good to be true. For example, here are some common problems cited by hundreds of reviewers:
- The thread often slips off the hook (underneath, instead of a bobbin), and you end up with a lot of loose stitches. Many reviewers expressed dis-satisfaction because of the amount of time spent, trying to correct this problem and make their hand held machine work.
- With these little hand held machines, if you don’t tie off the end, it can easily unwind—in just a few seconds. Something you definitely don’t want to have happen if you are wearing the product that you made!
- Many handheld machines came with no instructions, with instructions that were not clear or with poor illustrations. Reviewers reported that they spent hours trying to figure out how to use the machines. Some never did.
Out of hundreds of reviewers, only one person said that she really loved her Handy Stitch hand held sewing machine. The Singer Stitch Sew Quick fared a little better in the reviews, but most reviewers were not totally happy with it.
Many reviewers reported returning their hand held sewing machine, giving it to a thrift shop, selling it at a yard sale or throwing it in the trash.
If you are not an experienced sewer, why not consider the next step up, portable sewing machines? One portable sewing machine that got favorable reviews was the Janome Sew Mini. They sell for about $60 and would be good for your first sewing machine.
You might also like:
 |
 |
 |