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What DIY fanatic wouldn’t have fallen for this IKEA sewing machine in preppy colors, marketed as “perfect for beginners”? Does this little 79€ SY keep its promises?
Well, there is “true beginner” and “false beginner”. To be honest, given the technical configuration of the sewing machines, I don’t think there willever be machines for “true beginners”. The only machine for “true beginners” that I’ve seen was a machine I had when I was very small and it had only one thread.
So don’t count on IKEA to teach you how to sew! Buy the machine, read the manual and then take some sewing lessons, just in case… Forfalse beginners like me (not good at doing complicated things but good enough to use a machine properly), this machine is just PERFECT.
The machine has, among others, :
- An accessory compartment: can do better!
- A lamp
- A stitch pattern selector
- Reverse button
- 2 manuals: user manual + maintenance manual (in French, Spanish and Portuguese)
Accessories :
- A presser foot (installed on the machine)
- A zipper foot
- A buttonhole foot
- 3 additional needles
- A coil rod (it’s a bit useless)
- 2 felt washers to make the upper thread spool turn more easily (slack)
- A seam ripper (super useful)
- A brush (for cleaning)
- 3 standard size cans
- A screwdriver
THE +S
One thing IKEA did to make life easier for everyone was to have :
- a notice full of images
- clear instructions for each stitch (e.g. for the straight stitch, you have to set to such and such a tension, use such and such a foot, such and such a stitch… which is great!)
- a machine delivered with a bobbin (with thread) already well installed in the right place. Just thread the needle thread, pull the bobbin thread out and you can start sewing. I remember, when I was a true beginner and tried to tame a machine more professional than this one (all alone with a badly drawn manual), my worst nightmare was the bobbin. I put it in the wrong place and broke I don’t know how many needles.
- a very nice detail: the thread cutter
THE – :
- When the trouble starts, the true beginner will still have trouble setting up his machine: So take lessons first! or try to understand the meaning of pages 28-29 (“solving problems”)
- No setting for stitch width.
- The second foot is not very suitable for making an invisible closure.
To conclude, it is a great machine for false beginners, easy to use, small and very light (6.1kg).
To make fabric masks, if you use not too thick fabrics such as cotton, you will be able to do it without any problem!
For those who want to retouch clothes, it is also well adapted, except for jeans where you would need a slightly stronger machine.
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