I've been mulling over getting one for a while, and my hand sewing skills are fine but rather limited to smaller items.

Any ideas on a good brand, which is easy to use and reliable? I don't want to spend the earth, but I'm no cheapskate either. It has to last aft all.

The last time I used one was probably about 25 years ago at school!

Thanks in advance

Go into a sewing shop and have a look, they often have demo models out you can fiddle with. The price range is ridiculous depending on features. You need straight, zigzag, stretch and buttonholes for definate, but some have programmable embroidery and all sorts of fancy stuff!

Mine's a Singer!

No sewing shops near me sadly. Plenty that do cross stitching and embroidery but not heavy duty machinery.

My mum has a very old Singer that dad rescued from a skip. She still uses it so Singers must be good if that one is still going after at least 30 years, probably 50.

i did my apprenticeship on a singer that was 50 years old. never broke down, the cheaper models broke down in regular intervals.

It's not the machines, I've a Toyota, Singer and a Janome, all are working fine. I keep them serviced and only buy them from reputable suppliers, ie John Lewis.

Try and find a sewing class near your home and have a go on their machines, they're all different, threading, whistles and bells, try before you buy!

Beebs x

Thanks beebs. Not sure where the classes are.... A trip to the WI maybe?

If you fancy a day in the smoke, Liberty has a Sewing School - you would have to ask them which would be a suitable class for you:

Liberty - News Archive

Afterwards, you could walk round to John Lewis and have a look at its Sewing Machine department and the beautiful fabrics and patterns.

Sewing Machines Buying Guide - John Lewis

For local classes, try Hot Courses. I tried putting in Sewing Machine - Adult Education for your County and got some suggestions for courses which might suit you:

courses: evening classes part time courses: undergraduate postgraduate courses