Customer Reviews

SINGER 7258 Stylist Model Sewing Machine

5 star:		(37)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

The only negative thing I can say about this machine is this: It's so much better than my Singer Esteem II that I'm wondering just how much better an even more expensive Singer would have been. Now that I've realized how much fun a better-than-basic machine can be, I'm starting to covet the machines that will do even fancier stitches and do letters.

With that said, I didn't really need to spend more than I did on this machine. So, I'm perfectly happy!

1. The instruction manual is incredibly detailed. My basic Singer Esteem covered many features so briefly that I really didn't know what I was doing. The Stylist manual even goes so far as to explain many of the included 100 stitches. The machine is pretty self-explanatory to get setup if you've sewed before. But it's nice that any questions you have are probably in the manual and won't require a long Google search.

2. It sews VERY smoothly. And it's so much quieter than my old machine.

3. The option to have the needle stop up or down might not seem like a big deal - but it's SO convenient once you get used to it. I love it!

4. The slider to control the speed of the machine without the foot pedal also gives some speed control when the foot pedal is attached. Although my daughter is too young to sew now, I imagine that being able to limit the foot pedal's speed for a beginner will be a great plus. And when piecing together long strips of fabric, in particular, the ability to sew without the foot pedal attached is a nice luxury. I was afraid it would be scary and hard to stop. But the Start/Stop button is located in a very convenient place, making it easy to stop the machine with your finger that's feeding the fabric through.

5. The stitches are really pretty. To bring back up my old Singer Esteem II - it had some extra stitches that looked quite awful and I wondered why anyone would ever use them. I kind of expected that with this model too, but since I sew mostly children's clothing, it didn't matter a lot to me if anything but standard stitches worked. But I have been very pleasantly surprised. I've already found myself embellishing some items with the pretty choices.

6. Can you believe how many presser feet are included with this machine? Really, that alone is what sold me on it. I compared with other machines that offered all the other features except for the feet, and some were even more money. I'd never gotten to use a ruffler foot before this. No more sewing a long stitch and pulling to create my ruffle - the machine does it for me! I've been experimenting with the embroidery foot. They're all awesome.

7. The ONLY problem I've had with the machine is this: When I have the needle in the setting to end "down", and I stop and need to remove my fabric, and I turn the wheel to move the needle, the thread gets too tight (upper thread) and breaks as I pull my fabric out. I've found that the simple solution is to turn the need to the "up" position, do a quick backstitch, and the thread pulls with no problem.

8. I've had zero problems with the bobbin so far. It is super easy to load. It hasn't jammed (which my old machine did all the stinking time!). And, while the plastic cover over the bobbin compartment originally concerned me because of durability questions, I'm really liking being able to see how much bobbin thread I have left. In my old, front loading bobbin machine, I was always surprised to run out of bobbin thread....often after having sewn a very long time without it (a big pain). Now I can keep an easy eye on it without having to unthread it.

So that's it. I love this machine. If you can afford a much more expensive machine, like $500+, then get it. But if you're looking in the $190-$300 range, this one seems to be one of the best. And if you're just starting sewing, skip the $100 machines and just go straight for this model. It's affordable, and makes sewing seem easier because the machine just does what it should.

I was looking for a new sewing machine after leaving my Kenmore machine with my parents for my Mom to use.

I have had/used Kenmore brands in the past with no issues, so I started out searching for the next Kenmore. During my search the Singer stylist caught my attention. When comparing it to the Kenmore I was considering, it seems to offer a lot more stitch options than a Kenmore for the better price. So decided to give the Singer a try.

First impressions. It's quiet machine, it's small but sturdy. It does the stitches really well and so happy I don't have to worry about adjusting the tension control any more. I love the number of stitch options it offers and gives me the ability to be more creative.

It was very easy to start using, and the booklet has really good explanation to get you started.

The only set back I have so far is the foot press control. It's not as responsive/sensitive as the Kenmore I had before but its just something I will have to get used to.

Would be nice if it came with a solid cover instead of a plastic one.

Overall I would recommend it to anyone that is a starter or intermediate sewer.

I cannot say enough about this machine, it is one of the best ones I have ever used, I have a $1000 Necchi and this one blows that one to bits. It is so smooth and Singer customer service, the best out there. They have almost every Singer sewing machine manual on their website available for a free download. Only Brother is another one to do that. I will not consider another brand because of their great staff. Do not hesitate to buy a Singer and this particular model is just wonderful. If, this is a comeback product for Singer, they are on the right track because sewing is coming back big time. People are sick of cheap clothes, and want quality. You can make your own custom outfits in no time with the new patterns out there. Give it a try!!!!!! You will not be sorry.

I bought this machine because it had generally good reviews, I trust the Singer brand, and it was reasonably priced. We bought ours online at Costco.com for $145 rather than $180. As noted in the responses below, Costco may or may not be selling this item any more. They rotate products frequently so you'll just have to check for yourself.

My first impressions of this machine were that it was light, cute, clean, and didn't look too confusing. Being a novice sewer, I didn't want something that was going to confuse me too much. It took me a few minutes to figure out exactly how the bobbin tension worked but once I got the hang of that, it was cake. I like that the bobbin stops spinning when it's full. Because this machine is a little smaller than the one I learned on, I feel like the actual work space is a little constricted but it's still big enough for me to thread the needle easily and feed fabric through without a problem. My first project was a baby blanket so there was a lot of fabric and this machine handled it effortlessly. I like that the machine automatically retracts the needle when you take your foot off of the pedal, making it so I don't break my needle forgetting to lift it before removing my fabric. I love all of the different stitch options. It makes it easy for somebody like me, who still kind of sucks, to produce a fun, neat looking project.

The only disadvantage I see to this machine is that the pedal is plastic and so is the leaver that lifts the presser foot is plastic and feels a little cheap. It also came with a "cover" that's merely a piece of flimsy plastic film. My toddler tore it without much effort so that's a bummer. I'll be sewing a cloth one soon. Other than those things, I am in love with the machine. It came with all kinds of neat little goodies, like a seam ripper/brush, button hole makers, the automatic needle threader feature, etc. It's just fun. I feel like I want to sew random scraps because it's so much fun to try the different stitches.

Happy sewing!

I make quilts - a lot of them, mostly pieced but some appliqued. I bought this machine last November - a little shakily at getting it online rather than from a dealer - but it's been a wonderful experience. The delivery was super fast, the price was great, and I have been sewing away happily ever since. Finished half a dozen quilt tops, a couple tote bags, a quilted cover for my Kindle, and a couple wall hangings are shaping up nicely. The manual is great, the machine easy to figure out, and altogether I am delighted that I got it. It isn't the fanciest machine I've ever used, but it does all that I need it to do, and it does it well. What more could I ask for?

I've always had a soft spot for Singer machines - I learned on an old Singer treadle that my Dad had converted to electric for my Grandma in the early 40's and then passed on to my mother, and my prom dress was made on an Aunt's treadle Singer, still going strong in the late 60's. I have another Singer - the "simple" model, that I lug around to classes and stuff - it works well, also, in spite of all the "lugging" in the back of my car!

At first I was a little hesitant to buy a singer sewing machine... the quality of the brand has gone down hill quite steadily over the years. I prefer Janome, but they are way out of my price range. I'm 18 years old, but an expert sewer so it was pertinent that I get myself a good machine, that wouldn't break a college student's bank. I found the Singer Stylist 7258, and thought "Okay, I'll get it, I PRAY it works well. It seems to have all the features that a janome would, minus the drop feed." I was pleasantly surprised the night I got it. It sews great!! The features are delightful. I did have one mishap with it, though. The thread underneath caught and locked up my machine, I looked in the manual how to fix it, but it didn't work. So I called singer and they talked me through fixing it. The customer service department was beyond excellent!!

Pros: Customer service is great, smooth sewing, lots of features, comes with an immense amount of accessories, excellent stitches.
Cons: If it did need to go out to be serviced, there aren't many singer servicing stations... which means your warranty really only goes so far.

I'd definitely recommend this sewing machine!!!

My old machine broke down so I spent weeks researching a replacement. I finally decided to give the Stylist a shot because of the good reviews.

The first machine I received worked for three weeks (or 3 minor projects). I sewed a few simple curtains and was pretty happy with how the machine handled. I then tried to shorten a few pairs of capris into regular shorts. They weren't denim or other heavy fabric. I got through the first pair of shorts without a problem but on the second pair the tension stopped working.

I called the Singer customer service number and was told there was a wait. They offer the option of emailing them . . . lol . . . I sent them an email two weeks ago and still have not received any sort of response. Two days after no email response I called them, put my phone on speaker and waited half an hour to talk to someone. You have to wait on a silent phone with a recorded messaged playing every 6 or so minutes telling you someone will be with you.

So half an hour later I explained to the lady that my tension dial wasn't doing anything. The top thread was just sitting on the top of my fabric no matter which way I turned my dial. She told me it sounded like a bobbin issue and that I could take it to their repair shop. No thank you. I hadn't even had it a month.

I sent it back to Amazon and decided to give the Stylist a second chance. It does have many good reviews. Maybe I just got a lemon. The replacement machine was on my doorstep less than 24 hours. I set it up, grabbed the shorts and things just went down hill from there.

The bobbin thread created a nest of thread twice. When it was sewing 'correctly' it would miss one stitch. Less than 20 minutes after I started sewing, the tension dial stopped working. I packed it up and returned it. The second machine wasn't even in my house 4 hours.

This machine is just wonderful. I'm glad I read all the reviews out there on all machines. This one definitely had the most positive feedback, so I bought it when our other machine died. I'm so happy we did. The speed control is such a nice feature. My 12 yr old daughter was a bit fearful of the power of our other machine and was intimidated. When she sat down to do this one, she LOVED it! I can see she'll eventually up the speed, but she loves that no matter how hard she presses on the pedal, she won't lose control.
The machine was a breeze to set up. I can thread a machine pretty easily, but this one was so simple I should have left my daughter do it. It took me all of 5 minutes to do it, and that included filling the bobbin, loading the bobbin, and threading the machine!
The number of stitches it offers is awesome. My daughter is very creative and already has ideas popping in her head on what she can do with all the stitches (99?)!
The machine is quiet and the structure is made of steel. Overall I am super satisfied with this machine!

I've sewn on a 1973 Elna SU as long as I can remember sewing, but lately the machine has been needing more frequent trips to the repair shop to keep it tuned. I bought this machine based on the great reviews as a reliable "back up" machine, but I think I'm spoiled now with how easy it is to program the stitches on this Singer (on the old Elna, you have to look up every adjustment in the manual, change cams, etc to change stitches). I've used this machine quite a lot for various intermediate projects: quilting, sewing jersey garments, etc. Whenever the stitches start to look sloppy, it is always a result of me not checking to see that the bobbin was threaded correctly. It hasn't jammed once no matter how fast I sew, which is almost always as fast as the machine will go.

I had very modest expectations for this machine, and it's exceeded them. The only negative thing I can say is that compared to my Elna -- and Elnas are known for their exquisite stitches, so it's not really a fair comparison -- the understitch of many of the decorative stitches is not quite as precise as the topstitch. That's the difference between a high-end sewing machine and machines at this price point. Considering that this machine has become my primary machine because of ease of use and reliability, it's obviously not much of a drawback.

And lastly, I was to receive free 2-Day Prime shipping, but it was on my doorstep the next day!

I really like my new machine, singer 7258. It is so quiet and the stitches are awesome compared to my cheap machine and my old singer touch and sew. Love it, love it, loveit!