My credentials: I began machine sewing in 1966, and for over twenty years was a professional seamstress specializing in costumes for dancers, theatres, and re-enactors. During that time, my own machine was an all-metal Kenmore that went forward, backward, and did a simple zigzag. So I am not one of those people who cannot live without their thirty fancy stitches and automatic buttonholes. I prefer simple machines because they never break down. Literally, my metal monster never once had to go to the shop. Even when I had access to machines with lots of features, I never found anything they were good for. I bought this to have a lightweight machine, easier to set up and put away.I found it fairly worthless.
It has no foot pedal. The start/stop sewing switch has to be moved with your right hand, so that when you start or stop, you only have one hand on the fabric. This may be passable for stiff fabrics like denim, but can create havoc with blouse-weight (like quilt squares) or slithery materials (like satin or taffeta). There is also no speed adjustment, so you cannot go slower when doing something complicated, or speed up when you're just zooming a long straight seam, as for curtains. Even a non-electric treadle-powered machine gives you foot control so both hands can be on the fabric and variable speed!
There is a light, but it only shines brightly when the machine is still. As soon as you start sewing, it dims to nearly nothing.
Tension adjustment, which is half of making a proper stitch, is controlled by a primitive screw with no sort of marked dial. It only shows direction to tighten or loosen. It literally moves in and out from the machine body, so that when loose it can catch a thread during threading. You cannot, say, remember that you should have it on 5 for corduroy and 3 for satin: every time you switch fabrics, you get to sew samples on scraps until you accidentally get it just right again. The bobbin tension (no adjustment mentioned) is set so tight that on ordinary broadcloth I never could get the stitching balanced: with top thread tension all the way up, the thread still pulled too much to the back.
There is no way to adjust presser foot tension, so you can't lighten it up for quadruple layers of corduroy and you can't tighten it for thin fabrics.
The needle is extremely difficult to thread, even though I have steady hands and excellent close-up vision. The thread guide right above the needle is so tiny and so closed that slipping the thread into it took several tries. The guard rails around the presser foot make access difficult even when the needle is all the way up. On top of this, the shank behind the needle is set so close that getting hold of the thread on the back side of the needle's eye to pull it through is much too challenging. Though my hands are small, I had to use tweezers!
At no time do the instructions mention that different weight fabrics need lighter or heavier needles: too light a needle breaks; too heavy a needle pulls the fabric and often causes snarly stitches.
For [money], you can buy an entry level Brothers sewing machine that has all the features you need (but weighs a lot: I got one a couple of years ago), or for [money]one of the minis that at least has a foot pedal . For what it does, this should only be selling for [money], like comparable machines....
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Product Description:
Perfect for moms-on-the-go who need to hem some socks, patch up a worn knee or sew on some buttons. The Euro Pro Tiny Sewing Machine is lightweight and convenient for small spaces. It is great for beginners and teaching children, with 8 built-in patterns, adjustable stitch length and both forward and reverse sewing. Includes 8 versatile lock stitches and 15 stitch functions. Imported. 9Hx4-3/4Wx11L".
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