Meet Sy & On My Sewing Table (..or kitchen counter)

Guys I have a new love in my life and his name is Sy.

December 4th was my birthday (a quarter of a century, in case you're wondering) and my mother and brother had the genius idea to gift me an Ikea gift card. Apparently you can use these in the whole of Europe, despite differences in currency. As you might or might not know, my boyfriend and I have been living in an empty house for almost two months now because we have almost no furniture and have to pay off some more debts before we have the money to buy them. We're actually coping pretty well, it's not as troublesome as it sounds.

Anyway, I went to the Ikea website to see what kind of usefull stuff I could buy and suddenly there was Sy. I told myself: "No Renée, you need to get something useful", but my fella wouldn't allow it. "It's your birthday gift, you go and get whatever you like." So I went to Ikea (which is only a 40 minute walk from our house) and came home with Sy. Sy and I where having some difficulty getting along on the first day, which made me feel rather gloomy. I put Sy back in it's box to let him think it over and the next day he decided to cooperate. Here he is:






When I saw the machine online, I immediately started googling for reviews. To my surprise, they where all pretty positive so my mind was made up. So far I have only sewn a little with Sy and all I can say is, it's just another typical stubborn machine like most cheap sewing machines. It behaves pretty much the same as my mothers cheap machine that I had been using until my move. The stitches are wonky for no reason, the threads get stuck for no reason, and then, when you try again the next day without changing anything at all it just starts sewing normally again. It's one of the reasons I don't sew very fast, because often the machine can't be reasoned with and you just have to try again the next day. I'm just hoping I'll get a job soon so I will be able to save up for a proper machine. Untill then, Sy will do, it's better than nothing. I was starting to get some serious withdrawal guys! And the charity shops here don't seem to sell any sewing machines.

20-02-2014: Now that I have sewn with Sy a little more I can say that he performs much better than expected. I have had no trouble with him anymore in regards to wonky stitches, or threads getting stuck. My opinion has definitely improved and I would recommend buying him if you're on a tight budget, like me.

Let me just give you some pro's and con's of Sy:

Pro's:
- Small
- Heavy (very stable)
- Cheap (£45 / €55 / $75)
- Thread cutter
- Seam guides in both cm and inches, on both sides of the plate
- Decent set of stitches
- Lots of room under the presser foot
- If you do get the stitches right, they look pretty good (better than my mom's machine)

Con's:
- The stitch selection dail doesn't really 'click' into place, and when it's not in the right position the stitches are all wonky
- You have to pull out the hand weel to wind the bobbin but it's often pretty stuck
- Small and cheap feeling plastic pedal
- Often decides not to cooperate, no matter what you try


The top two rows in grey (bobbin thread) are supposed to be a straight stitch and zigzag stitch..

So what am I sewing then? I am currently working on a blouse from Simplicity 3450, dated 1940, with the long sleeves. I hope to make the skirt and jacket as well, eventually. I actually already started working on this blouse before I left my previous home, right after finishing my other two blouses. So far I've top stitched the yokes to the front and back, sewn the sleeves and top stitched the cuffs, put the facing in the back neck opening and sewn the shoulder seams.






Now I have to either put a zipper in the side opening or a placket for snaps.. I'm indecisive.