Sewing machines for beginners (or those on a tight budget)

I have been trying out the JL110 sewing machine from John Lewis which costs under £150 to buy.  It is as far as I can see, a rebadged Janome, so that makes it an interesting proposition. One of the selling points of the machine is that it comes in a variety of colours, so you can buy a machine tailored to your décor or just pick a colour you really like. I have seen them in mint greens and bright bright reds. They look great either way. If they are aimed at attracting younger sewers - teenagers and students - they are definitely going about it the right way as the machine is a great value purchase.

I set myself the challenge of sewing 4 cushion covers with a heavy cotton fabric, two pairs of trousers with a floaty polycotton and a more sturdy cotton mix and hemmed some denim jeans that were just waiting since before lockdown to get sorted.

The machine is lightweight and much smaller than my brother A150 that I am used to. It comes with a flimsy plastic cover so a good thing to make would be a sewing machine cover - a quick make that would familiarise you with the machine and its functions.  However, it really won't take you very long to do that as it is pretty basic. It has 14 stitches and to be honest for a beginner what else do you need?

Stitching is easy, not too noisy and pretty impressive. However there is a definite clunkiness to the dials when you select a new stitch, something I am just not used to. 

As it is a basic machine, you have to thread the machine yourself and there is no 'needle up' function. Like I said, basic. But for all of that I really liked using it. It reminded me of my little old workhorse, my Singer Samba.  And I felt it handled the fabrics well, even the denim, although I slowed down considerably when stitching this.  Had I been given this when I was 16 stating out on my sewing journey I would've been over the moon! 🌛

Best bits:

• the price
• choice of funky colours
• sews really well, consistency is important
• easy to get accessories
• lightweight
• 2 year guarantee 
  

Not so fab:

• bit clunky when using dials
• noisier than I expected
• very flimsy dust cover
• front loading hidden bobbin, I like to see my bobbin easily and check my thread

You can buy the machine from John Lewis.