Sewing Retro - Why buy a vintage sewing machine?

Are you:

• in the market for a sewing machine?
• wondering how to get the most bang for your buck?
• getting conflicting information from friends, families, consumer guides, and/or salespeople?
• Overwhelmed by the sheer number of choices?  

If you answered "yes" to any of these questions, you may be suffering from...

OK, you get the picture, so we'll stop right there.  The good news and bad news is there's no special "syndrome" name for what you're going through.  You're just a typically confused consumer like the rest of us.   

We can't solve all of your problems, but maybe we can answer a couple of questions and help you clarify some of your options.  

If you're reading this blog, then you're likely considering the merits of a vintage sewing machine versus a new sewing machine.  Perhaps you've been told by friends or family that vintage is the way to go.  You may be asking:

"Why should I buy a vintage sewing machine?"

It's a fair question.  Whatever decision you make, buying a sewing machine is an investment and most of us can't afford to choose unwisely.   

Vintage isn't for everyone, but here are my top 5 reasons to buy vintage:

1.  Metal. 
In the old days, almost everything was made from metal and was built to last.  These days it's plastic and it breaks if you breath on it, let alone USE it.
  
2.  Fix-ability.  
We live in a throw-away society.  In the old days if something broke, you could grab a screwdriver and figure out a way to fix it. These days you can't even find the screws.  Manufacturers today expect that if it breaks, you'll throw it away and buy a new one.
Not what you want to hear if you just spent several hundred (or thousand) dollars on a sewing machine.  

3.  Style.  
Curvy metal and glossy paint wins out over molded plastic anyday in my book.  

4.  Power.  
Almost any all-metal vintage machine can hem a pair of jeans, and you can find one for under $200.  But if you want a brand-new jeans-hemming machine, you'll have to pay a heavy duty price.  Even then it will still be plastic and un-fixable if anything goes wrong with it. 
 
5.  Nostalgia.  
There is nothing like sewing on "Grandma's" machine, even when it's somebody else's grandmother.   I learned to sew on my grandmother's Singer Featherweight and these days my sister's grandchildren are learning to sew on the very same machine.  


So there you have it, my top 5 reasons for buying a vintage sewing machine.  


I mainly write about Singer machines on this blog, but there are so many wonderful vintage machines to choose from...Pfaff, Bernina, Viking, Japanese...


My advice is to ask questions, do your homework, and find the right machine for YOU. 


Happy Sewing!
Barbara
OldSewinGear...dedicated to helping you get the most out of your old sewing gear.