“And Betsy Ross used to sit home and sew, and sew, and sew…”
And so, by some extraordinary coincidence, fate, it seemed, had decided that Brad and Janet should keep that appointment with their friend, Dr. Everett Scott.
The description and the comments almost makes me wish I had time to sew again.
Thank you for providing this information.
You’re really missing out. Sergers cut and make a rolled hem at the same time - which is very nice for tablecloths, napkins, curtains, anything you’d like a rolled hem on. We have made so many tablecloths; it’s really fun to do. A stetchy-stitch hem for shortening t-shirts (for us shorties), or hemming jeans - the hemming stitch is great. Sergers open a whole new world of sewing.
Or eBay it - I do that with unwanted printers from Best Buy’s computer package deals all the time. 
Agreed with other posters that this combo may be too much machine for first-time (or LONG time since the last time) machine sewers. I bought a fairly simple Janome from a local dealer last year (after describing my experience level to a former home ec teacher there). I could have bought a Singer or Brother machine with lots more bells & whistles from the local Walmart - but I was going for build quality, ease of use, and dealer-provided support services. (Maybe I’ll finally find some time to use it once my youngest graduates from high school this year! ;( )
Sewing is an invaluable skill. I saved hundreds of dollars over 20 years of active service sewing patches on my military uniforms myself. So yes, you should learn. To save the guy’s humiliation of a classroom environment full of hens, try Craftsy.com. It’s like being in a classroom in your kitchen. You’ll learn A to Z for beginners and there’s even a sewing class for odd sizes.
As for the Singer quality, I concur with previous postings. I bought a Singer machine for my DIL after my grandson was born and thankfully it was from a store because as I was showing her the features of the machine, I dropped the feed dogs (like for sewing on a button) and they wouldn’t come back up. We returned it and the Singer display model had the same problem. So I bought her a Brother and she hasn’t had a bit of trouble with it. If you want an awesome machine, the Brother C6000i is just $179 on Amazon. I’ve had mine for 4 years and no trouble at all after hundreds of hours of sewing & quilting. It doesn’t have the alpha-numeric embroidery stitches, but does everything else superbly.
A surger uses multipule threads to put together peices. Also it cuts off the excess fabaric as it does so. Easiest way to spot a surger stitch is in the sleeves of sweaters/hoodies (Like a curly q wraping around the edge of the fabric.) or at the bottom of t-shirts, where there are two stitches in a row. (like ===== on the front of the shirt but WWWWW on the inside.)
A surger and a sewing machine are like a microwave and oven, both do the same thing, but one might be better than the other for some things.
I agree. Have two sewing machines and would love a serger.
It seems like a great thing whatever it is.
I’m in the same boat, and I really don’t want to deal with selling a sewing machine. I guess I will have to wait for the serger to show up on woot! alone.
100 dollars cheaper on amazon?
http://www.amazon.com/SINGER-Confidence-225-Stitch-Computerized-Machine/dp/B00176WYGY
Sorry, why are people wooting this?
[MOD: You’re missing half the deal? You get both here.]
This Woot deal comes with another separate machine called a “serger”. Your amazon deal is just the sewing machine part. The serger seems to sell for $170-$200.
So it looks like this deal is about $70 cheaper for those that need a sewing machine and a serger.
This one comes with a serger as well as the sewing machine.
That’s JUST the sewing machine; the serger, not available on Amazon right now, seems to run $150+ extra.
You’re looking at the price for the sewing machine only. Now go look up the price to add on the Serger. It’s a decent deal…
Think about how you wind the top thread around and about. It too makes 90 degree turns with no problem. A drop in bobbin is usually drop and go with automatic top feeding. As for the knot, the knot is great for delicate work and decorative stitches. It really isn’t a knot to speak of, but a small set of stitches that are taken all in one spot, usually 3 rather than back tacking and messing up your design. The knot feature is automatic on designs and a traditional back tack optional for straight and zig zag stitches. I’ve got a collection of some 14 plus antique machines from hand crank to treadle to awesome mid-century turquoise, white and chrom. I have three pink ones. They are all mechanical and oscillating bobbins. My three newest are drop ins, made in the last 10 years, and work just as great, but I did not buy a Singer in any of them. I have antique Singers, including a 401A, and they work great, but are a ton to move. These modern ones are Singer only in name. They are good for learning and light weight work of normal fabric thickness. For most people they would do great, but I quilt, do home decor, and clothing repair that these new Singers can not handle much of. Consider what you are wanting a machine for and buy based on those needs. This one is well beyond the basics with all the decorative stitches, but will do some pretty things for basic decor of clothing and putting your kid’s names on their things. It is a good starting point, price wise, with the serger as well that runs around $190 seperate. I too perfer a basic serger that does not need lots of tinkering to thread. I have a set of fine nosed tweezers I use for threading in all the loops.
Does anyone know if it has a bolt hole in the bottom so I can mount it to a sewing table?
Not all sewing machines do and it’s usually not advertized on the box (or even sometimes in the specs).
Makes a lot more sense. I thought the serger was just a feature on the sewing machine, not an actual additional machine.
I’m with Pop Mech on this one. I’m a Dude, and while I don’t spend weekends sewing my own clothes, my parents did gift me a sewing machine when I couldn’t keep my Moms old one running anymore, as well as the knowledge to use it. (Thanks Mom!) I’ve made curtains, bedspreads, dust ruffles to match the bedspreads and so on. As well as mending clothes and sewing patches on Brownie vests for my Daughters. It’s kind of cool to hear my Grrls tell friends who come over for sleepovers “My Daddy made this. Bunkbed, bedspread, curtains, he made it.” It’s cheaper than buying pre-made, and you can customize to fit your own particular needs.
Sewing is a lot like working with wood, you just need to visualize how the parts go together. Scissors instead of saws, sewing instead of glue, nails and screws. I often use my drywall square to help cut fabric straight and square.
I’d probably use the serger, but can’t justify the cost. Although, we have already bought the fabric for new drapes over the sliding patio door…
Glen