r/SewingMachineEdu

I have recently gotten a janome/new home 691 (front of machine and case say new home, back sticker says janome, looked up manuals for both and they're the same?) cleaned and oiled it and had no issues, put it on the overlock setting earlier to finish some edges, put it back to straight stitching and the feed dogs are still moving in the forward-forward-back movement they do on overlock? go continuously back if reverse button pressed, but even after having cleaned everywhere that had any lint/oil/moving bits as I did when first getting the machine, making sure everything is properly oiled, trying every stitch setting, length and width, I cannot get the dogs out of the forward-forward-back motion?

I’m looking to buy a new machine! I’m a novice sewer who has taken some lessons. I like sewing tote bags, aprons, skirts etc. I don’t do any heavy duty sewing. I want a machine that is easy to navigate and can do some embroidery. I’m strongly considering getting the brother CS7000X. Is this a good pick? Is there a better machine on the market? Thanks in advance!

My PFAFF Hobby 1122 is apparently oil free maintenance but recently, it has started making a squeaky noise around the needle/presser-foot area. Can i oil it? If so, what type of oil should I use, and where exactly should I apply it? Is regular sewing machine oil okay, or does PFAFF hobby 1122 require a specific oil?

I killed a machine on some heavy work and wanted to know which specs actually predict whether one gets through a thick seam.

I read a few specsheets, Then around the fourth or so specsheet I realised I was looking at the same machines, under different names and different prices. almost 6 of them were the same chinese platform.

I am not a sewist or a technician, I come from a engineering/software background, so apologies if I got some things wrong or how things work wrong. if you have some things to add, any tips or other leads, or anything to correct, please, I am all ears.

I know the linked article is insanely long and I have used a lot of AI to do the research and to get the numbers translated from different sources and to put all of this together. its a bit of a mixed bag, it started as my own research to buy a new machine but it ended up being something a little more revealing than I had initially expected. There are plenty of references to cross check anything I have mentioned.

If you dont want to read the article, here is a summary:
most HD machines are very similar, and also come from the same manufacturer. there are other which also look similar but I haven't called them out and a lot not included as I don't have proof.

It calls for four parameters to look at when buying a domestic HD machine: Motor Type+Watts, Presser feet lift, speed control and net weight.

It also does comparisions against semi industrials but I am not 100% confident on that claim.

Link to article: https://returnzero.win/2026/08/11/torque-not-speed-how-to-buy-your-first-heavy-duty-sewing-machine-2026-d/

Hi everyone, I have a Brother A80 which I've been using for the last three months and over the last couple of sessions I've been hearing a new knocking sound some of the time. It's sporadic even when sewing along the one seam. It occurs in time with the needle being at its highest point - while sewing, not when simply putting the needle up, or turning the handwheel. It also seems to go away when sewing more layers. I have tried rethreading, tightening the needle screw and cleaning out the race/bobbin area - some combination of that seems to make the knocking less intense but not gone. It does NOT noticeably affect the stitches (to my eye) but of course if it's a problem I would rather fix it before it really impacts anything. Is this something to be worried about?

Hello! :-)
I’m using a second hand Husqvarna Viking 6370. Following a jam a few weeks ago, my thread started shredding after several stitches using the foot pedal. I have adjusted the top thread tension, changed to thicker thread, taken the machine apart and cleaned/ removed lint, and it is still shredding. I believe the needle is sitting too far ‘forward’ and shredding my thread against the needle plate. Needless to say I have changed the needle many times- it used to keep snapping too but hasn’t done that since I adjusted some things. I noticed the hole the needle goes into in the plate was scratched inside, so gently filed with very fine paper, buffed and polished and it now looks perfectly smooth- I also took out the bobbin case and shuttle and checked for any nicks or scratches and smoothed and buffed anything that looked scratched for good measure, yet the top thread is still shredding after maybe 5 turns with the handle or a second on the foot pedal.

The thread seems to be shredding almost exactly at the eye of the needle, at the moment it is raised out of the needle plate. Is there any way I can move the needle ‘back’ in position? It is the right way around, flat side facing back, yet the needle looks very close to the hole in the needle plate, as if it could almost hit the plate instead of going through, except it does go through. Any help would be very much appreciated, I feel like I’m losing my mind with this! I think this may have been caused by the jam bending something, or by me pulling the fabric through rather than just guiding/steering it with my hands from the front.

Thanks very much for any help in advance :-)

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I'm on the hunt for a sewing machine. I have dabbled in sewing but am pretty novice. I would like to be able to sew clothing but also make quilts. I dont really know what to look for, I thought about going to the local place and dropping a $1000 on what they would recommend. But I also been reading through other posts on here that older used machines are probably better.

So I'm kind of looking for suggestions.

Is there machines that will do a decent enough job for both clothing and quilting? Or would I be better off getting two different machines?

Can people suggest some good models to look for on marketplace?

What are some good new brands? Looks like the local dealer has bernette and bernina. But I think all the bernina are out of budget.

Just hoping to get a little direction and things to look for in either a used machines or before we go talk to the local dealer

I'm looking for a new machine to replace the very cheap Janome I got a few years ago. I'm finding that my existing machine doesn't have enough power and that it doesn't so a great job pulling the fabric through. Trying to decide between a better Janome, a Bernette, and a Brother.

First of all, why do manufacturers think they need to make a sewing machine ugly if it’s heavy duty? Seriously I need to know.

Second, just because I’m buying a sewing machine under $200, that does not mean that I am a newbie. It does mean, however, that I don’t need a lot of stitches because I don’t give a shit about stitches! All I need are straight stitch and a zigzag, but dammit I need to be able to sew any kind of fabric.

https://reddit.com/link/1vpr1u2/video/yg4ji70pyojh1/player

Hello world! My Singer was behaving like a supersonic go cart so I've made some modifications to the pedal and the difference is so big that I could not continue my life without making this post.

First I've modified the shape but didn't make much difference until I've removed a couple o pieces from the inside. I think I've lost some upper speed but the control at low speeds...

NOTE: It's not good to keep the motor going that slow for long.

SINGER MANUAL has in bold matching the needle with the thread and fabric. Use industry standard quality thread at least. The machine has now a "pneumatic" feel to it if I can say so.

P.S. This is my first go at free motion so please don't scratch my tank :D.

https://preview.redd.it/bjfvj5o80pjh1.png?width=1440&format=png&auto=webp&s=5415de9201b413979f829af5b0b95236dc9d78a7

https://preview.redd.it/8qxk00790pjh1.png?width=1993&format=png&auto=webp&s=fce7199823eb04ae44c992b1bb8af48e4a7dec11