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John Lewis Mini Sewing Machine
by star2000
I am a total novice when it comes to sewing and must admit that other than a few dreadful memories of sewing lessons at school have never touched a sewing machine in my life before. I always thought it would be beyond me but at the same time kept having occasions when it would have been really useful to be able to use one, especially ... when needing to shorten hems. Therefore when I saw a post about this sewing machine being on offer for £35 from John Lewis (it is normally £50) I decided to give it a go, as it was so cheap that even if I was useless I would not have wasted too much money!
The first thing I loved about this sewing machine is that it comes in a range of funky colours. I chose the red and pink one. When it arrived (I collected it for free from a Waitrose store - very handy!) and I took it out of the box I thought it looked great even if it was never going to be used and it was really light and easy to move around
I must admit I waited a few days until I was brave enough to try the machine and had time to really concentrate on it. I started by reading the instructions, which are quite concise and have handy illustrations. The first task was to try and thread the machine. I did not have a clue what I was doing and did not even understand what the bobbin was or that the thread came from two different places. However by following the instructions I managed to thread the machine quite easily right up to the point where I had to thread the needle (which was a bit fiddly) and then catch the thread from the bobbin. This took a couple of attempts (and watching a few videos on YouTube to clarify what I was meant to be doing) but I got there in the end. Now I have done it once I am sure it will be fine the next time.
The machine has a foot peddle to turn it on and off (it does not vary the speed) and has to be plugged into a mains socket. I set it up on my table and then started to try out the different stitches on a piece of rag. There are 10 stitch options, 2 needle positions, and push lever reverse for when you want to reinforce a stitch. It was fun to try out all of the stitches, which are easily chosen from the dial on the machine.
Now for the scary bit. I have had a skirt for a few years that I have only ever worn once, as it was way too big for me. It was a maxi skirt and both the length and the waist were too big. I had previously tried to adjust the length just using hand stitching, which had not worked that well, and had not managed to adjust the waist at all.
Firstly I used the machine to hem the bottom of the skirt (going over my wonky hand stiches!) It was a very full chiffon skirt so there was a lot of material but by going slowly I managed to machine all around the hem without any mishaps. This was a complete miracle for me, and the hem actually looked like it had been professionally altered. I then tried to adjust the waist (using a very simple method I found on YouTube) This was slightly trickier as I was folding a part of the waistband which made it quite bulky and the machine can only really cope with quite light and thin fabrics. However I just managed to get the material in the correct position, and again managed to do a fairly good job at the adjustment. I could not believe that finally I had a skirt that fitted me and it was all my own handiwork.
I am sure that this is really quite a basic machine and more expensive machines have many more features. However I really would recommend it to a complete beginner who just wants a machine to do occasional alterations and simple tasks. If I can do it then anyone can!
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Brabantia Iron Flex Guide
by goosey
For many years, I had used a flex guide attached to my ironing board to keep the iron cord out of harm's way when ironing. As time passed, it eventually gave up the ghost and I resumed battling with the cord, which would either snag on the edge of the ironing board or curl up on the iron stand at the end. The cord began to fray and looks ... a little worse for wear, but even then, I did nothing to find a replacement.
It was my laptop mouse-cable's irritating habit of sweeping everything in its path off the table onto the floor, or becoming tangled around sturdier objects it could not dislodge, that prompted me to hunt for a solution to this problem. I needed something to keep the cable off the table.... simple, but what? My hunt for a flex holder began.
My 'eureka' moment came when I happened across the Brabantia foldable flex guide in our local stores. At first, I did not recognize it as a flex guide for it was much taller and nothing like the old one I had used previously on my ironing board, even though it served the same purpose.
I bought one for £5.59, which, crazy as it may seem; I use to hold the mouse lead off the table. However, for the purpose of this review, I also used it a few times whilst ironing, but since I use my mouse more frequently than my iron, it has become almost permanently attached to the table. I fully intend to purchase another one from my local store, for my iron having rediscovered the enormous benefits of keeping the cord out of harm's way.
Specifications and Description
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Weight: 125g
Total height, when clamped to the board: 60cm.
Fits ironing tables up to 3.5cm thick.
Unsuitable for Steam Control ironing tables
2 year guarantee.
£5.59. Price can vary; the cheapest online price I found was £6.95 on Amazon.
The strong plastic G-clamp, so called because it resembles a G with a straight, rather than curved back, holds a 52cm, flexible aluminium rod fixed into a hinged 4.5cm rectangular piece of thick plastic, which in turn is slotted into a deep recess inside the back of the clamp when in use.
The top of the rod ends with the flex holding device made of the same material. The only metal bits are the screw and rod. The clamp is 2.4cm wide, with a large, knurled screw to clamp it to the ironing board, or in my case, the table. A thin disc of rubber on the clamp protects whatever it is fixed too from damage when the screw is tightened.
At the top of the G-clamp is a 0.5cm depth recess, where the hinged, lower end of the rod can lie flat, flush with the top of the clamp and surface of the ironing board when not in use. This is achieved by pulling the rod up from the back recess and folding it flat into the top recess of the clamp, where it clips into place.
The flex holding device at the top, shaped rather like a bishop's mitre, has a generous 1cm width, 5.5cm depth slot into which the cord is placed. A couple of small ridges inside the device grips the cord and prevents it pulling through when using the iron.
Use:
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Fix the clamp to the iron stand and plug the cord into a socket. Then with the iron near the far end of the table, push the cord into the flex guide, to form one side of a triangle with the table and rod, where it will stay firmly in place and above the table out of the way of the iron.
I guarantee that it makes ironing a much easier chore than when having to constantly straighten out garments ruckled by a trailing cord or having to flick excess cord away from the stand every time you want to put the iron down. Needless to say really, but I will; because there is no friction against the ironing board, the cord remains undamaged for a lot longer.
When the ironing is finished, remove the cord, pull the rod up from the rear recess and fold it down flat, parallel with the ironing board surface, before storing.
My experience.
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As I said earlier, I use this flex guide mainly to hold my mouse cable. Fixed to the table, it holds the cable off the work top, not only does it allow me to use the mouse without needing to clear the floor from debris swept there by the cable, it leaves more room on the table for pens, paper and other paraphernalia usually adorning desks. The cable sits nicely between the flex guide device completely out of the way.
As for the ironing experience, although it is not my most favourite of pastimes, it does make it much less stressful and time consuming.
No batteries required for this little beauty, but I still had to rate battery life.
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Toyota SLR4D
by sophiebee
I have been sewing for some time and recently decided it was about time I got myself an overlocker. Having looked around online I found a very good deal on this little Toyota. I was immediately attracted to the red and white colouring and I found it aesthetically pleasing!
When the machine arrived it was out of the box and ... set up on my desk within 15 minutes. It is very easy to set up and it came pre-threaded, so it was possible to start sewing immediately. The colour coding on the differently numbered thread channels makes it fairly easy to change the thread colour even for a complete beginner. It also comes with pliars and a screwdriver and easy to read instructions.
Once set up the machine cuts and edge stitches admirably, creating a neat and professional looking finish. There are different tension settings on each thread so that with a little tweaking you can sew flat in all types and thicknesses of fabric with no puckering.
So far, the machine is a dream to work with, it is easy to thread and overlocks perfectly. However, if you are looking to do anything other than basic overlocking stitch with your machine, then this is not the overlocker for you. Unlike some machines, there is no way to remove the cutting blade and therefore there is no roll hem function.
If you are searching for a basic good value machine for occasional general overlocking, this Toyota is a good choice.
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