My mother's most consistent weapon of crafting choice was a Husqvarna sewing machine from the 1970s. It was the machine I learnt to sew on. Heavy, strong and mostly reliable. Mum got the machine during the 1970s as Aunty Ann worked for them at the time.

For a reason that remains inexplicable to me, the machine was subsequently given to my older sister. A while after I found out about this betrayal Mum did manage to find me a similar Husqvarna in a garage sale (deceased estate maybe?). However, without those fond childhood memories attached to the machine it was just a heavy, clunky, basic sewing machine that didn't quite sew straight. I resolved to buy myself a new machine like a real grown up lady.

After much dillying and dallying I reached out to faceland to get a few opinions from friends because no decision is valid without getting EVERYONES opinion first. And boy was I grateful for the input. Below is a sample of responses to my request for advice.

"I have a Janome Sewist. I've had it for about 4 years and been really happy with it" R.

"You can buy mine" S.

"Janome all the way" J.

"Husqvarna Emerald 203. Has so many feature's I've never used but is amazing" P.

"Janome have a great range of stitching & accesspries even for quilting" C.

"My machine was a Janome and I thought it was great." J.

"I've got a Janome, had it nearly six years, no dramas whatsoever" L.

"I've got a Janome M18. I love it!" E.

Interrogating the sample data through the graphic visualisation Janome was definitely in the lead.

I mentioned my mother had given away her Husqvarna... so what did she replace it with... (mystery, suspense and soon... the thrills). She bought a Janome! Specifically a Janome 3160 QDC. So what's so fancy about this Janome? The two points mum kept coming back to were:

Automatic locking stitch. Instead of going back and forth, when you got to the end of your stitches you could just press a button and it did a few small stitches. DONE!
Automatic cutting of thread. Yes, that's right. You could just press a button and it will cut both threads. No reaching for scissors. No cutting it on the machine's small blade. Just press the button.

One friend was helpful enough to recommend Camberwell Sewing Centre as a great place to find a machine. I couldn't agree more - Janome, Elna, Brother, Singer, Husqvarna, Pfaff, Bernina - the whole sew squad was there! The ladies were helpful and patient with my newbie questions. And they had the machine my mum has. Could this be fate? Wait, they only have one. Quick, move quick. But we have this other model that is pretty much the same but $300 cheaper. It just doesn't have those two features that you really want... hmmm, yes, we are saving for a house. But I do hate having to pick up scissors. But it's almost a thousand dollars. But how often do you buy a new machine. But expensive isn't always better. But I want to be fancy. Yes, I want to be fancy.

And fancy I was ...

The shop gave me a hands-on lesson which was a walk through of all the different features including the automatic button hole and how to blind hem. YEEEHOOOO. I thought blind hemming was only something that Alter-It ladies could do with their fancy industrial machines. Yes, there may have been a couple of facetime phone calls to Mum to try and figure out what I was doing with my incredibly fancy new machine.

So, how do you pick a new sewing machine to buy? Ask everyone for their opinion and then buy the same one as your Mum. I know there are piles of internet reviews out there for every product under the sun but I just cannot go passed word of mouth recommendations from friends and family.

I have been pretty chuffed with this beautiful machine and I cannot wait to justify its cost over the next 15-20 years.

Buying sewing machine

Which sewing machine did you buy?