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(More customer reviews)Introduction
I've been sewing since middle school, and in fact, I used to make all my clothes in high school, being long on height and at the time, short on wardrobe funds. Even now, I like to sew my summer clothes, as it's easy to whip up a skirt in a pretty floral pattern that may take me 20 minutes to sew and cost me next to nothing. I also enjoy making home decor items and accessories such as bags.
I own several sewing machines, from a very old mechanical machine as old as I am, to a modern electronic machine that embroiders and practically sews by itself. I was interested to see what this basic machine can do, and here's what I found
Type of Sewing Machine
The "Talent" is a starter machine or a basic machine, meaning, it does most sewing tasks, and is suitable for a beginning sewist or for someone who wants to do most sewing tasks and perhaps does not have the budget for a more advanced machine. This is a mechanical machine, meaning you change stitches (say, from straight to zigzag or stretch stitch) via a mechanical knob, not electronically. There is no LCD screen, no touch pad, and no ability to do embroidery. The good news is that this kind of machine tends to be very rugged; no chips to burn out or LCD to go blank. This machine, given good care, should last for years and deliver a lot of sewing power.
The machine is definitely most suited to garment and home decor sewing. It produces a beautifully straight stitch, and has enough fancy stitches to do most home sewing designs.
Features
The "Talent" has a lot of good features
1. One-Step Buttonhole. This is unusual on a mechanical machine. Most mechanical sewing machines rely on a four-step buttonhole, where you stitch down one side, do a bar tack, stitch in reverse back down the other side of the buttonhole, then bar tack the end (hopefully, you were able to end up at your starting place, and that you marked your buttonholes all the same length and the CORRECT length.) A one-step buttonhole uses a foot with a place to insert a button. This tells the machine where to start and stop the bar tacks, making for uniform buttonholes that are the right length for your chosen button.
There is only one style of buttonhole (plain tight satin stitch, straight bar tacks) but the fact this can do a one-step is reason enough to strongly consider the "Talent" as a do-all machine or a great machine to start a youngster on.
There is also an included button sewing foot; this is an open-ended foot that grips a button in place and allows you to sew it on using the machine; handy if making shirts with lots of buttons.
2. There are many accessory feet included. This is generous; my more expensive machine only came with a few feet and these items can add quite a bit onto the base machine price. The Talent includes a gathering foot (great for ruffles on pillows and girl's dresses), a buttonhole and button sewing foot, a zigzag foot (standard) a zipper foot, a quilting guide, a walking foot and an edge cutter, for overcasting and trimming seams. These could easily add up to an extra hundred or so over the purchase price. The feet fit into a nicely design extension piece; remove it to sew narrow hems around sleeves and trouser legs. It is the pull-off kind, not a drawer, and the accessories fit inside, nicely held in place by a lid. Most of these extension piece/storage boxes are simple tubes and the items inside fly out when you pull it off the machine. Very good design.
3. The stitches include basic ones, but sufficient for most tasks: zigzag, rick-rack, feather stitch, stretch stitch, and twenty or so more including blind hem, smocking and edge overcasting stitch. You choose your stitch on the knob selector; one stitch will be adjustable in width, the other paired stitch is selected by the "S" setting on the stitch length knob and is automatically sewn by the machine (for example, the feather stitch.) There are 23 stitches in all. The stitches are even; in fact, the straight stitch is MORE even than my electronic machine costing 3x as much. Partly, this would be due to the fact that this is a mechanical machine, but even so, I found the machine produces excellent stitches with hardly any coaxing.
There is the ability to free-sew by covering the feed dogs (the toothed gears that move fabric beneath the presser foot.) The feed dogs do NOT drop down as in some machines. A plastic plate is included to allow you to either sew on a button or to use the darning/embroidery foot for free sewing. This is something quilters do use frequently.
The machine includes a needle threader. It's made of metal and is very sturdy. It has a side thread cutter which I found a tad dull (could have been a bit sharper) and a clear bobbin window and a drop in bobbin. Easy to see if your thread is running low. Of course, there is a bobbin winder on top.
The side cutter is optional to use, but is included; you can mount it on the side and choose to overcast and trim your seams. It can only be used with overlock or regular zigzag stitch. This replicates part of what a serger does,that is, it overcasts and trims extra seam allowance for a finished effect. A serger sews a seam AND finishes and overcasts all at the same time and sews a lot faster than a sewing machine. This machine is fast but not the fastest on the block. If you need a serger, you need a serger, and at this price, you could add a Brother Serger and between the two machines, you'd be well equipped to sew clothing. I like to use a serger on straight seams and any seams that need finishing; the side cutter is nice to have, but a serger is a lot more useful and faster, too.
There is an auxiliary spool pin, to insert in the top, for using a double needle for top stitching along with a second spool of thread.
The manual is EXCEPTIONALLY WELL WRITTEN, WELL-ORGANIZED and THOROUGH. I highlight this as many machines have sketchy manuals and they are not written well at all. This manual is a short, thick, pamphlet, with lots of illustrations and is written in English, French and Spanish. The Singer Company should be proud of the job they've done on this manual; most of the manuals are not very good and this one is excellent.
What's Not Included
1. This machine does not have a foot-less start-stop. This is a handy feature if you quilt. Nor is there a way to adjust speed except using the foot pedal. Since coordinating free motion when quilting is easier if you don't have to coordinate your foot and your hands, this is not an ideal machine for quilters, although it certainly can be used for quilting. More advanced quilting machines will have the start-stop without the pedal and a speed adjustment bar, plus drop-down feed dogs. If quilting is your passion, you may want to consider a different machine.
2. There is no automatic needle up, needle down feature or needle memory. This is a feature where the needle stays down or up when you stop sewing, and really adds to sewing efficiency. Nor is there an automatic thread cutter.
I did not see a presser foot pressure adjustment, handy for light and heavy fabrics. However, the presser foot has an extra-high lift, which is good for thick fabrics.
Who Should Buy This Machine?
If you intend to sew children's clothing, your own clothes, mend garments, sew home items, and if you don't want to spend a fortune on a machine or if you are a beginner, this is an EXCELLENT choice of machine. If you have a budding sewist, this machine is rugged but full of features that do the job. I found the straight stitch to be extremely regular and even, a failing of many more expensive machines. The light is bright and the controls well marked and easy to use. There are sufficient feet included to make this a great choice on a budget; you don't have to supplement this machine with many, if any, accessories.
Who Might Want to Pass on This Machine?
If you are a very experienced sewist, this could be your battleship machine, something to do rugged tasks. I would not suggest it as a traveling-light machine; it weighs about 12 lbs and is not as light as some of the little 3/4 machines that people use to take to sewing meets.
However, if you are a quilter and sew a lot, the lack of some of the modern features like needle-up-down memory and footless control are a drawback. If you want embroidery, fonts, a lot of decorative stitches, or more buttonhole styles such as keyhole, hand stitched style, stretch, then this is not the machine.
Summary
This is a rugged, feature-rich, and pretty machine with all the right notes for basic sewing. The features have been chosen with care to suit most sewing needs, and this is a great machine for sewing clothing and doing home decor. For the price, I'd say this would qualify as a great value and unless you need an advanced electronic machine, this would be a great choice for most people's basic sewing needs.
Click Here to see more reviews about: Singer Talent Sewing Machine, 3323S
The SINGER 3323S Talent sewing machine is the perfect machine for budding fashionistas! With easy threading, top drop-in bobbin and automatic needle threader, set-up is simple and frustration free. Features include 23 stitch patterns, a fully automatic 1-step buttonhole, adjustable stitch length and width. Variable needle positions make clothing construction and other creative projects not only possible, but fun and easy! Four bonus fashion accessories include an Even Feed Foot, a Gathering Foot, a Side Cutter for professional seams and a Darning and Embroidery Foot for free motion sewing to round out the impressive array of free accessories that accompany this machine. For further assistance with your machine, you can contact Singer's Consumer Affairs at 1800-474-6437 Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 4:00pm CST.
Click here for more information about Singer Talent Sewing Machine, 3323S
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