Has anyone ever dealt with factory refurbished before? I have, but not with sewing machines. I like these two machines, well I like their price, and they're both factory refurbished.
http://www.overstock.com/Crafts-Sewing/Janome-Sew-Mini-Sewing-Machine/3654717/product.html?cid=131151&fp=F&srccode=cii_10043468&cpncode=24-40985788-2
Daily Kitten Chat Forum » General Chat
Humm, buying a sewing machine.
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Airy, usually the factory refurbished come with the same warranties as new ones, so it should be good. WWM should have a better opinion on the sewing machines.
Posted 2 years ago by AZDEBRA 5/27 & crew #
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Airy, what do you want to do with your machine? Because if you want to do much sewing at all, I'm afraid that these two machines are pretty lightweights. Especially the Janome.
Ebay is a good source of machines. I have a lot of quilter friends who have gotten machines there.
If you'll tell me what it is that you want out of a machine, I'll try to do some research for you. I have a Pfaff and I love it. I also have a Juki that is wonderful and I do all of my quilting with the Juki.
Posted 2 years ago by WillowandWindismom #
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Thanks for the quick replies folks. I'm not looking for anything too fancy. I just want to do a few projects around the house and maybe make some light summer dresses. I'm mainly looking for something under $60. After i posted i found this one.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B0028B521Q/ref=dp_olp_refurbished?ie=UTF8&qid=1244489538&sr=1-20&condition=refurbishedShipping appears to be only $10 too.
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I wouldn't worry about it being refurbished, Airy. Brother machines get kind of mixed reviews, so I would do a bit of research on that. Because I'm a quilter and hang out with quilters, we're sort of biased on machines. Most of us have either Pfaff's or Bernina's but they are a bit $$$. The plus side is that they never break!
In that price range I think that you'll find that the machines are all pretty comparable. Do you have a sewing machine store near you? Because most of them will carry refurbished machines.
One word of advice - do not buy a Singer!!! There was a time when you couldn't get a better machine than a Singer but that time is long gone. They really are so unreliable and need lots of time in the shop. I did have one once and there were so many times that I just wanted to pitch that thing out the window.
Posted 2 years ago by WillowandWindismom #
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Airy, here are some reviews
http://reviews.walmart.com/1336/10543333/reviews.htm
http://www.buzzillions.com/dz_1893768_janome_sew_mini_sewing_machine_reviews
Posted 2 years ago by WillowandWindismom #
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I agree, Airy - that Brother sounded like the most machine for the money. The Janome is just too small, I think. I'm afraid that you would outgrow that one in no time at all.
I'll be anxious to hear what you'll be stitching up!
Posted 2 years ago by WillowandWindismom #
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LOL. "Can't wait to have a sewing machine again". I know that feeling, Airy had my sewing machine when she was in NZ and passed it onto sister Meegz when she left so I still have that feeling. Just as well my Mum has 3 machines for me to use. Enjoy it when you get it Airy.
Posted 2 years ago by Moonshadow_NZ #
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Hmmmmmmm did I? I must have been concentrating on my baby going to live so far away.I forgive you. :-)
Posted 2 years ago by Moonshadow_NZ #
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I'm sure you and your new Brother will have lots of fun together Airy.
Airy's Nana was a dressmaker and Airy has inherited the sewing gene. It skipped me.Posted 2 years ago by Moonshadow_NZ #
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Yes, your father can spin wool straight from the sheep's back and knit a hat,he can patch his worn out old jeans.
Posted 2 years ago by Moonshadow_NZ #
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Now you have people wondering what No 8 wire mindset is. LOL
Posted 2 years ago by Moonshadow_NZ #
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Ok, now you got to me, is this the No 8 Wire Mindset.... http://www.tourism.net.nz/new-zealand/about-new-zealand/kiwiana.html
No 8 Wire
Kiwis are famous for their ingenuity and self-sufficiency. It is said that Kiwis can create amazing things—all they need is 'a piece of Number 8 wire'.No 8 wire is a certain gauge of wire that was incredibly popular for use as fencing wire around New Zealand's many farms.
Ironically, until 1963, it was imported from other countries. Because No. 8 wire was widely available, it was used for a variety of tasks, and it has become a symbol of kiwi adaptability.
Posted 2 years ago by AZDEBRA 5/27 & crew #
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Tee hee, you needed a Number 8 wire mindset when you lived twelve thousand miles away from England, where most of your 'stuff' came from, and spare parts and replacements took six weeks to get here by ship, that's if you could afford to have them sent at all.
The No 8 wire thing is Kiwis' favourite myth about themselves. I wonder if it's still true? Personally, I can't fix a thing, not even with the instruction booklet!
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I have a Janome. I like the feed. It is a rectangular pass lift straight up and shift straight back, (straight forward for reverse) then drops straight down. It seems to give a more even stitch. It is not as heavy duty a machine as I would like but it is ok for the dressmaking I do.
Posted 2 years ago by ailuromaniac #
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Jcat, it's still true. Just ask Airy about her garden trowel(unless she's replaced it).
Deb, we can do amazing things without No 8 wire too, but the No8 wire name has stuck. Give us a problem and we'll solve it in any way possible. As Jcat said, it comes from yesteryear and from being so far in distance and time from replacement parts etc.
Yes, our TV aerial was a V made from wire although I don't remember which gauge. It worked perfectly and we saved money.
Deb, just looking at that link you gave and I remember as a youngster seeing a railways cup fall off the trolley onto a concrete platform and it didn't break let alone chip. It was very sturdy stuff.Posted 2 years ago by Moonshadow_NZ #
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MS, love the ability to adapt and make-do with whatever is handy, learned how to do that myself many moons ago. I thought the No 8 wire was pretty interesting, that link had some cool stuff on it, liked the Edmonds Cookbook comments too.
And this one, probably because I love kiwi fruit....While kiwifruit are now grown throughout the world, you can always tell if a kiwifruit is from New Zealand, as it will be branded 'Zespri'.
Te Puke, a town 28 kilometres from Tauranga in the Bay of Plenty region, is known as the 'Kiwifruit Capital of the World'. It was here that New Zealand's kiwifruit industry began. You can take a guided tour of a kiwifruit orchard and see for yourself how it is grown and cultivated. Sample some kiwifruit for yourself.
Posted 2 years ago by AZDEBRA 5/27 & crew #
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Tee hee, Deb, while I was on one of my short periods 'between gainful writing employment', I did some grape picking here in the Wairarapa. I was working with some great women fruit pickers who travelled the country picking different kinds of fruit. They picked the kiwifruit harvest every year and did you know, the fruit all has to be picked in one night? When darkness fell, the big lights went up and the pickers just kept on picking...
Now I write it down, I wonder if they were having me on but I could swear they were absolutely serious. Maybe it was just a couple of nights. Maybe MS will know...
When I was little, they were called 'Chinese gooseberries' (because they originally came from China) and we kids often used to eat them with the skins on. I remember we gave them to an American couple who came to visit my parents once, back in the 60s, and they had never tasted them before -- they couldn't believe we ate the furry bits. (Nor can I, looking back, ick!)
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Yes, I replaced the trowel. I had cut up an old drink bottle into a trowel shape, but when I saw one for $1 at albertsons I had to buy it. Sturdier. Kiwis are very proud of our resourcefulness. I never see the point of buying something when I can fashion it out of something else.
Right now I am using a tinfoil lined half milk carton as my second hand bought george foreman grill didn't come with it's grease tray. -
Airy, hope that you got the GF grill @ a yard sale, so much cheaper than anywhere else even thrift shops.
Posted 2 years ago by AZDEBRA 5/27 & crew #
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jcat, think that the first place I tried a kiwifruit was in Germany and have loved them every since. I remember reading about them when they were called Chinese Gooseberries, our stores didn't carry anything out of the 'ordinary' when I was much younger, heck we were probably lucky they carried the regular fruits. My main passion when I was young was avocados and it still is, love 'em...we had a 40' tree in our backyard that yielded so much fruit it was unbelieveable, my brothers would sell them for a dime apiece.
Posted 2 years ago by AZDEBRA 5/27 & crew #
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