Looking at sewing machines

Yesterday I went looking at sewing machines. Wow. A lot more expensive that what I was figuring. If it were ME buying the machine, I guess I'd go for more expensive with some of the extra conveniences. But for my friends who are new sewers? Who like to have me standing over them when they use the sewing machine? Do they need to pay $800 or more for a machine that they might not use that much? I'm not planning to move in to their houses...

Test driving a couple machines yesterday made me realize what I like about my own machine right now. Little things like just popping the bobbin in the bobbin winder without having to pull the thread through the little hole first... And a cutter right there at the bobbin winding site... no need for scissors. And a thread cutter right at the bobbin cradle... no need for scissors again. And the built-in thread cutter after sewing... Hmmm. It sounds like I have something against scissors.

On my test drive I realized how annoying it is not to understand the threading path... and actually some of those machines didn't have such clear instructions on the machines. I decided right away that if the store clerk and I both couldn't figure out how the threading system worked or what the buttons meant without looking at the instruction booklet, then this was not a machine I wanted.

I guess I'll have to take my friends with me on my next jaunt. They really need to try the machines out themselves. It's THEIR money!