I WON!!

My new toy :)

I've been dying to say that! In February, I entered Stacy's (from Sew Stacy) Singer One giveaway. I remember thinking I'd 'do it later' but then told myself to enter before I forgot. And then one morning she emailed me with the good news!

I really wanted to do a post about this sooner but some things came up and this is the first opportunity I've had to blog. I also wanted to have completed a project using my new machine but that wasn't possible either. That's not to say I haven't been sewing with it, I just haven't completed an entire project.

First Impressions 

First, I have to say that I have come to rely too heavily on the 1/4 inch foot for my Bernina. I am totally lost without one! However, the Singer One's 1/4" guide is very easy to follow. Being spoiled has just made me a bit slower as I get used to following the lines versus the foot's guide.

Don't mind the mess in the background... (this is actually very neat)

The 'ONE' is larger than my Bernina 230 and I love the way the front slopes down so that the fabric follows the curve - great for long pieces. Although it's bigger, they both have the same size throat so there's nothing to get used to regarding that.

One thing that's really cool is that there are a couple of new stitches that aren't offered on the Bernina. I especially like the two crescent options (9 & 10 from left) and the one that looks like medical stitches (2nd from left)!

A little stitch sampler

Sewing

While sewing, it feels quite sturdy and isn't overly loud. It's pretty smooth too. One thing that is taking some getting used to is the needle position. The Singer One has a fixed needle which is always 'up' when resting, while the Bernina's needle can be set to stay down which makes it more convenient when sewing curves or quilting. The needle can also be moved left or right in small increments which comes in handy when I don't trust my math skills and want to make my seam wider or more narrow.

So let's talk tension... Although I've been sewing for about four years now, I still consider myself a newb. I started sewing on a Brother - worse machine EVER. To be fair, it was their cheapest model and I truly didn't know what I was doing. Still, it only lasted a year of full-time sewing. In addition, the tension was so bad, that I was convinced I was doing something wrong until I read all the complaints. After that, any machine would have been incredible.

And any machine would eventually have tension issues. It's just part of being a sewist. It's like glaze firing ceramics. No matter how many times you've done it, how familiar you are with the equipment/materials, there's going to come a day when you open that kiln and want to cry/scream/curse because something must have gone wrong.

In sewing, you get all set - fabric cut/pinned, machine threaded, maybe some tunes playing... then BAM! Messed up stitches. So you re-thread/mess with the tension/change the needle - over and over and over - until NOTHING works except massive amounts of alcohol (because it always happens at the worst time) and maybe a trip to the LQS for repairs. 

Straight stitch detail

How does the 'ONE' handle tension? Sadly, I had issues as soon as I started sewing. This was one of the reasons it took me so long to write up a post. I knew I'd have to figure out what was wrong but I didn't have the time so it took longer than I had wanted. Anyway, I read the manual, went online, did the normal trouble shooting, then walked away. The next time I sat down to sew, it worked. This has happened with my Bernina too. I chalk it up to Gremlins. I will say the longer I sewed, the more I started noticing the top stitches pulling to the side a bit. Not sure what's up with that.

I'm going to hold off with final conclusions until I've had more time to get to know her better. Oh, and buy a 1/4" foot ;)

Disclaimer:

These are my opinions. I'm not sponsored by either company, nor was I asked to write this post.