6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great little stitcher for a great little price!, May 15, 2007
This review is from: Shark 60-Stitch Sewing Machine - 384
I have been teaching sewing and quilting for years and this little machine very favorably impressed me! I will recommend it to students who need something basic...for hems and patching, as well as when the mood strikes to make a garment or quilt--even do an apholstery job. It sews a well ballanced stitch on both straight and zig-zag. The 2-step buttonhole looks pro. Superior to my $2,000 Pfaff in needle threader & thread cutter, and bobbin wind CAN be done while you sew. (of course the Pfaff is superior in other ways!) Re: thickness--sewed great if it started out on the 12 layers of cotton fabric and worked its way down to 2 layers. If starting on 2 and working its way up to 12, I could tell it was laboring some. If I were doing this as in an apholstering job, I'd do the small to thick increase, and then continue the seam after stopping so it gets a good flat surface on that thick part as it starts again. Due to the feed dog being able to drop, this little guy will be my quilter from now on and take the thickness load off my Pfaff. It will also make a good machine to take to sewing events. I bought it "used" but it still has a nice tight new machine sound. If you buy used, ask how long since it was cleaned. Look inside (where the bobbin goes and where the light bulb is)to see how dirty it is. Lots of fuzz = needs cleaning. Use a q-tip to pull the fuzz out before you oil it. The less you use a machine, the less the oil gets moving on the parts, so if it sounds clunky, try oiling it. I cannot speak about the instruction book as mine came as-is, no book. But with a little common sence I figured out its features. If it is your first machine, get a manual. Otherwise, threading is pictured on the face. To any one having trouble with a machine, basic rule #1: after you sew on the fabric, if there are loopies on the BOTTOM, re-thread the TOP. For jamming in the bobbin area, reinsert the bobbin case with bobbin in it...it MUST be in correctly. Try putting bobbin in again if the top thread just lays flat with only little pookies of bobbin thread holding it in place. If machine worked good last time you ran it, and now it suddenly isn't, consider "user error" and re-thread the whole thing. Hope this helps and happy sewing to everyone!!
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7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
awful, January 14, 2006
This review is from: Shark 60-Stitch Sewing Machine - 384
I really wanted this machine to be a great basic sewing machine. Unfortunately it is being returned. The instructions are horrible and the illustrations are both blurry and confusing. I can only get the bobbin to work 1 out of 10 tries so after reading the instruction manual repeatedly, I am returning it.
I guess you get what you pay for! This is a cheap machine, and it certainly isn't worth the effort trying to make it work!
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Not for novice, June 7, 2009
This review is from: Shark 60-Stitch Sewing Machine - 384
This machine has directions that are difficult to understand and poor illustrations. It is difficult to put the bobbin in (it goes in sideways). The thread comes out of the needle easily. The guide lines on the metal plate are not labeled with measurement so I had to do it myself with a sharpie.
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