SEWING ON CARDS

[Inkonmyhands]

Hello Everyone,
I would like to get some feed back on what little sewing machine is good for sewing on cardstock. I do not currently have a regular sewing machine used for sewing but was wonder what brand, model, etc people use for this technique.

Thanks,
Bonnie in CT

[muscrat]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Inkonmyhands

Hello Everyone,
I would like to get some feed back on what little sewing machine is good for sewing on cardstock. I do not currently have a regular sewing machine used for sewing but was wonder what brand, model, etc people use for this technique.

Thanks,
Bonnie in CT

I use a regular size machine but many recommend the Janome Mini and I'll bet if you searched you could find the topic on here!

[Rachelrose]

I have the Janome Sew Mini but ask me if I have used it yet. No, I have not. Just have not gotten around to setting it up. Gina K has a series of 3 YouTubes in which she does a complete overview of the machine. Here's a link to the first, and the others should appear in the sidebar:

Janome Sew Mini Sewing Machine Part 1 - Setup - YouTube

These might help you decide if you want one.

I guess I should re-watch them myself. Maybe it will encourage me to set mine up. It's not that I'm lazy, it's just that I have too many projects going on at once all the time.

I will say this - it's super lightweight. Which is what I wanted since I have no place to set it up permanently, I need to be able to take it off a shelf and put it on my worktable, which I can easily do.

If I had room, I'd get a regular sewing machine. I doubt you can do much in the way of real sewing on the Sew Mini. A regular machine would be more versatile. But just for cards, probably fine. Others can chime in (meaning, like, people who have one and have actually used it instead of merely taking it out of the box and sitting it on a shelf ;-)).

[missiowa81]

I bought a Janome Sew Mini just for sewing on cards and I love it. It has several stitch sizes, zigzag stitch, and goes backward (so you can go over your ends, for example). It is super easy to thread and bobbin. (It threads the same way as my mom's 1950s Singer, so you know it's simple. :p) It uses a standard size needle available everywhere. Like someone else mentioned it's small and lightweight, so it's easy to move if you don't have space to leave it sitting out. I keep mine in a small Sterilite plastic bin and there's still room for most of my small sewing notions. When I need it I can grab it easily and even pick it up with one hand. (OK, I have man hands. But I'm sure I'm not the only one who can do this. LOL)

I've used it for small mending jobs, like the fabric lining of a purse, and other craft projects such as felt Christmas ornaments, but it won't sew through really heavy or thick fabric. I do not sew, so I wasn't concerned with being able to use it for bigger fabric jobs. It will sew through at least 2 pieces of heavy cardstock without problems.

It's not the fastest machine and has just one speed, so if you're good at sewing and want to whip out a couple of fast seams, you'll probably think it moves kinda slow. But otherwise I think it's a good choice for cardmaking and lightweight fabric crafting. I often see them on sale for $49 at the fabric stores here.

Here's a card I made using both straight stitch and zigzag stitch.

[Rachelrose]

Oh. Now I remember why I got one, thank you missiowa81. Because sewing looks awesome on cards. I am going to get mine set up this weekend.

VERY nice card, BTW. Thanks for sharing ;-)!

[missiowa81]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rachelrose

Oh. Now I remember why I got one, thank you missiowa81. Because sewing looks awesome on cards. I am going to get mine set up this weekend.

VERY nice card, BTW. Thanks for sharing ;-)!

DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! :p

[Rachelrose]

I'm serious, that card is so fabulous.

I am going to sew this weekend. You have inspired me.

[binkiemonstermom]

I ordered one today, this is the machine that everyone recommends for cards. And the link to the tutorials is awesome!!!!
I can't wait to play!! I really wanted the red Hello Kitty one...sssssooooo cute...but I went with the mini as I couldn't find any reviews of the other one.

[Crafter 4 Life]

My one complaint is that the motor is loud! It is at a pitch that hurt my ears so I use a foam stamping mat under the machine while in use. (you could use a thick piece of fun foam but the stamping mat was what I had)

I have another machine for sewing on fabric but this one is perfect for paper crafting.

Have fun!

[Ellibelle]

I too am pretty impressed with the Janome brand. I had a Janome sew mini for a few years. When I finally couldn't get it to work anymore, I purchased Janome 3128. It's a little bigger than then mini and has a few more functions but still super easy to use, just like the mini.

[craftingallday]

I love sewing on cards I use a regular standard size machine, I must admit I tried a mini machine but gave it away because it just kept moving about and didn't feel comfortable.
Good luck with what ever you choose, I have on my blog a tutorial for sewing on cards, among other tutorials if you want to have a look, it's here ..

[Inkonmyhands]

Thanks girls. I knew I could count on you to set me in the right direction.