Book reviews: The Sewing Machine Guide

Earlier this year we decided to do some major housekeeping on our website. We restructured the sections and put in a better navigation system. We also got rid of sections that had grown obsolete or that saw little traffic. One of these was the resource section, with a few links to other sites and a few reviews. I still have quite a few book reviews sitting in my computer, and it seems a shame not to share them. True, some of these books have been out for several years, but I have found them to be good resources, and can now be purchased at bargain prices. So I thought this would be a good place to share them. I hope you find them useful.

Let’s start with this one… one of the best little books I ever bought!

The Sewing Machine Guide

Thanks to this book, I have been able to maintain all my mechanical sewing machines, and especially my 80 year-old 404 Singer slant sewing machine. No technician has ever laid hand on this machine, as I have been able to keep it running smoothly. I refer to it also for maintenance tips on all my mechanical machines (five of them at this point!). This book has certainly helped! I should note, however, that I do not open up my one computerized machine… that’s a whole other ball game!

With the step-by-step instructions (and plenty of photographs) given in this manual, however, on how to clean and oil your machine, I am confident about being able to give my mechanical machines the routine maintenance they need, saving $$$ and ensuring their longer life span.

An excellent resource if you are considering buying a new sewing machine, this book takes you through the process of knowing what to look for, what questions to ask, and how to get the best deal possible. More than a buying guide, this book will help you figure out what those new computerized machines can do for you, whether you need a new machine at all, and how to get the most out of your machine, no matter what its vintage. You will learn how to analyze your sewing personality so you can find the machine that suits you; update your old model to give it modern features; clean the machine yourself; test-drive a sewing machine, either new or used; negotiate for the best price possible; organize your sewing space to suit your needs; and make your own sewing and cutting table, and more.