Sewing machine recommendations

If you go to your nearest Hobbycraft they will recommend the best machine.
They have a good selection and staff is well trained.

Bernina sewing machines are good. On their website they have machines starting at £199. They also have far more expensive machines. It depends on how much you want to pay.

I would check with your daughter which features she was looking for in the machine.

I would advise visiting the local dealer, and don’t buy on line. or somewhere like Argos, Hobbycraft, or John Lewis as there is no back up from them. A dealer will usually offer a free lesson with ant machine, and if you buy a Bernina a day’s tuition is included.

I don’t know where you live but there are three good dealers in Kent, being World of Sewing in Tunbridge Wells, Barchams in Whitstable, and Lewisham & Deptford in Gillingham.

Aah thank you everyone. I will try and find a dealer in the North .

My friend, who was a designer and maker of clothes, recommended a Janome as most robust. I’m very happy with mine, after over 40 years with an Elna

I've had several Brother machines over the decades

Janome, most definitely.👍🏻

Susie42

I would advise visiting the local dealer, and don’t buy on line. or somewhere like Argos, Hobbycraft, or John Lewis as there is no back up from them. A dealer will usually offer a free lesson with ant machine, and if you buy a Bernina a day’s tuition is included.

I don’t know where you live but there are three good dealers in Kent, being World of Sewing in Tunbridge Wells, Barchams in Whitstable, and Lewisham & Deptford in Gillingham.

A bernina for me every time. Only draw back is the price of extras. Ie, if you want a walking foot they can be expensive.
Having said that, the quality is very very good.

Just to say that her "ancient" machine may well be better quality than a new one. I'd start by offering to pay for her to have her existing machine serviced - that can make a huge difference. Also, an experienced engineer will be able to advise which brands are most reliable and might be able to supply a good secondhand machine

I agree that her ancient machine may well be better than a new one. I have a very old Elna which dealers tell me was made in Switzerland and is wonderful quality compared with new models which are not even made in Europe.

I just checked Which.co.uk and they recommend the Singer Heavy Duty 4423 Sewing Machine.

As a sewer myself I would definitely recommend you to speak to your daughter first to find out what functions she needs. There are so many different functions and types of machines so better to know that first before selecting a make and model. You could also end up spending too much money for features she’ll never use

eddiecat78

Just to say that her "ancient" machine may well be better quality than a new one. I'd start by offering to pay for her to have her existing machine serviced - that can make a huge difference. Also, an experienced engineer will be able to advise which brands are most reliable and might be able to supply a good secondhand machine

My Singer is 50 years old. I took it to the local sewing machine shop for a service and with the idea I might trade it in.
After a discussion and options, he told me the same - that new ones are not as good and unless I wanted some of the newer features, I could do no better

I bought a Janome from John Lewis about 8 years ago.
Not a fancy one but it does what I need including automatic button holes .
It's never ever let me down .
I even took it all the way from Northumberland to Brighton for a sewing retreat rather than use their super duper Pffaf.
The chap who services my machine says he loves a Janome for simplicity, reliability and longevity.
I also now have a Brother overlock which I bought second hand ... It's been very good as well

Go to your nearest independent sewing machine shop rather than JL or Hobbycraft, we have an excellent one in Kings Lynn and I’m sure there are many others round the country, unfortunately many big names aren’t as good now as they were , a good independent shop will take time to show you models and advise.

Please don’t buy it without consulting her. There may be features your daughter needs, especially if she’s wanting to expand her skills. I bought my DD a ‘surprise’ new sewing machine and she didn’t like it so it had to go back. I also bought myself a fairly basic (easy) sewing machine a couple of years ago and I sat in the shop for a few hours trying different machines with the salesperson before I settled on a Brother which was around £250. I still love it. Do ask her first of all if she wants a new sewing machine and then get her to go to a store to try them out. Tell her your budget and she’ll have a great time choosing her new machine.

Definitely Janome!

You can’t beat a Bernina for a long term investment.

Pfaff for me. I bought an Expression 715 about 6 months ago. A bit more expensive than the one it replaced, but so fantastic. I am in love with it!

I have a Janome which also suits my needs making garments and home furnishings. I do think though that a sewing machine is a bit like buying jewellery - personal to the individual taste
You mentioned North but not whereabouts. I have attached a link below for sewing shows - the next one is in Doncaster. Your daughter would be able to see demos of lots of machines and even try before you flash your credit card. At least you'd know then that it would be one she'd like. You could even make it part of a day out but to be honest, you can spend all day at these shows and a fortune

www.creativecraftshow.co.uk/

Dodo43

Pfaff for me. I bought an Expression 715 about 6 months ago. A bit more expensive than the one it replaced, but so fantastic. I am in love with it!

At over £2500 I'd think that would be outside most people's budget. The OP's daughter would have to make a lot of curtains and cushion covers to justify that expense.

Definitely check with your daughter. It’s her specialty so she’ll know.

The modern Singers get very poor reviews, so don't go there! As others have said it may well be that her old machine is better than many new ones, especially if she is sewing any heavy fabrics for curtains etc.
Definitely check with her what she'd like!