SINGER Start 1304 Portable Sewing Machine | Lightweight, Beginner-Friendly with 57 Stitch Applications, Automatic Bobbin Winding & 4-Step Buttonhole | Includes Accessory Kit

I took a sewing class in high school over 50 years ago. I haven't sewn much in many years, but needed a good basic machine for household mending. The first one I bought was advertised to be easy, but definitely was not! The Brother cs6001 was extremely complicated, and even with a so-called "self-threading needle," I found it almost impossible to thread that needle. The light was a harsh blue LED, which made it hard to see. The number of steps needed to sort through 60 stitches to find a basic stitch was confusing. I began to wonder what happened to the simple, mechanical sewing machines from high school days, and voila, I found the Singer 1304! I was a little hesitant because it was advertised for beginners, and also had references saying it was suitable for children, but I finally took the plunge and ordered it. I am so glad I did! Even though I've only hemmed 2 pet towels and mended a stretchy undergarment so far, I am in love with this little machine! It is lightweight, has a built-in carrying handle, sewing light which is easy on the eyes, and just the basic stitches - several straight and zigzag stitches, a blind-hem stitch, a scallop stitch, and a buttonhole stitch. Even with a bobbin case, I find it much easier to insert the bobbin than the drop-in bobbin of the previous machine. And as for threading the needle, my senior eyes and fingers have been able to do so the first time, every time. I am writing this review mainly because I don't feel adults should shy away from this machine. 60 or 100 stitches may be necessary for a professional seamstress or tailor, but the average person will find enough here to do mending or make clothes, curtains, etc. with this machine. The machine is very intuitive, and Singer even provides online videos to help you get started, so the learning curve is short. And at under $100, the price is right.

My initial reason for purchasing this machine was to simply re-attach buttons to my dress shirts. The quality of even expensive dress shirts seems to have declined in the last few years and after just a few washings, buttons are coming off. I have tried hand sewing but could never seem to get it right. So I was looking on YouTube for tutorials and came across one that showed how to use a sewing machine to reattach buttons and the machine she was demoing was the Singer Start 1304. It looked so easy I decided to check the price on amazon and was surpised by the low cost. I mean this thing is about the cost of 2 or 3 of the shirts I buy for work.The machine is very simple but offers some really nice features like double needle support, reverse and 6 different stitch types and of course, a foot-pedal. It is very light weight making it very easy to setup and store. Now honestly I haven't touched a sewing machine in over 40 years and that was in an 8th grade home econmics class, but with in 10 minutes I had the bobbin wound, the machine threaded and was ready to go. After repairing 2 shirts, I was pretty pleased with my purchase and put the machine away, confident I could repair any of my shirts in the future.Then a day later, I was looking at my tablecloth on my dining room table. It has never fit right and hung way to far over the edges. So, I watched a quick tutorial on hems and then I trimmed the tablecloth down to the overhang I wanted (plus 1/2" seam allowance), got the machine back out of the closet and within 15 minutes it was done! It now fits perfect with an exact 8" over hang on all sides AND it looks incredible!I'm convinced that this machine is the gateway drug into the sewing hobby, because now I'm thinking custom throw pillows for the living room. Maybe a laptop sleeve, (yes this machine includes a "zipper foot"). As the headline states, be careful, this is a very addicting activity!

This machine appears to be a good quality, sturdy machine. This was a gift for my wife (who wants to learn to sew) and she loves it! It was a bit tricky to get it all set up as the instruction manual did not cover it. After about an hour, with the help of YouTube, she had it set up and running!

I have been wanting to learn how to sew since I was a little girl, but never had the occasion to do so. Now as a mom, I am determine to teach myself this skill so I can make cool halloween costumes for my kids and a few other goodies along the way (like those cute holiday PJs all these familes keep posting on social media). My grandmother gifted this machine to me for my birthday, which is close to Thanksgiving. I downloaded the manual (to save space, it doesn't come in the box, but some picture instructions are in there. For those who know what they are doing, the picture instructions make sense. For someone who was literally just starting, reading the manual was better). The manual gives nice, simple, step by step instructions with pictures on how to set up and care for the machine. Since I am at the beginning of my sewing journey, I jammed the bobbin 1,000 times before I could actually so a (semi) straight line. Some folks on other reviews report that the machine jams a lot and it's hard to use, but as someone who was doing the same, that is user error. Once you get used to the way things flow: make sure your thread is threaded correctly, make sure your bobbin is inserted and threaded correctly, check your tension, PUT YOUR PRESSER FOOT DOWN! then the jams get less and less as you learn what you are doing and how the machine actually functions. In the time between Thanksgiving and new years, I have been able to go from jamming the machine constantly, to making a pair of fleece pants for my middle son, and a complete sweater outfit for my littlest (a girl). The machine functions as designed and I am thankful that it just has the basics so that beginners like me can gain confidence! Now I'm planning to try for bigger and dare I say more complicated projects for 2020.