SINGER Start 1304 Portable Sewing Machine | Lightweight, Beginner-Friendly with 57 Stitch Applications, Automatic Bobbin Winding & 4-Step Buttonhole | Includes Accessory Kit

I took a sewing class in high school over 50 years ago. I haven't sewn much in many years, but needed a good basic machine for household mending. The first one I bought was advertised to be easy, but definitely was not! The Brother cs6001 was extremely complicated, and even with a so-called "self-threading needle," I found it almost impossible to thread that needle. The light was a harsh blue LED, which made it hard to see. The number of steps needed to sort through 60 stitches to find a basic stitch was confusing. I began to wonder what happened to the simple, mechanical sewing machines from high school days, and voila, I found the Singer 1304! I was a little hesitant because it was advertised for beginners, and also had references saying it was suitable for children, but I finally took the plunge and ordered it. I am so glad I did! Even though I've only hemmed 2 pet towels and mended a stretchy undergarment so far, I am in love with this little machine! It is lightweight, has a built-in carrying handle, sewing light which is easy on the eyes, and just the basic stitches - several straight and zigzag stitches, a blind-hem stitch, a scallop stitch, and a buttonhole stitch. Even with a bobbin case, I find it much easier to insert the bobbin than the drop-in bobbin of the previous machine. And as for threading the needle, my senior eyes and fingers have been able to do so the first time, every time. I am writing this review mainly because I don't feel adults should shy away from this machine. 60 or 100 stitches may be necessary for a professional seamstress or tailor, but the average person will find enough here to do mending or make clothes, curtains, etc. with this machine. The machine is very intuitive, and Singer even provides online videos to help you get started, so the learning curve is short. And at under $100, the price is right.

My initial reason for purchasing this machine was to simply re-attach buttons to my dress shirts. The quality of even expensive dress shirts seems to have declined in the last few years and after just a few washings, buttons are coming off. I have tried hand sewing but could never seem to get it right. So I was looking on YouTube for tutorials and came across one that showed how to use a sewing machine to reattach buttons and the machine she was demoing was the Singer Start 1304. It looked so easy I decided to check the price on amazon and was surpised by the low cost. I mean this thing is about the cost of 2 or 3 of the shirts I buy for work. The machine is very simple but offers some really nice features like double needle support, reverse and 6 different stitch types and of course, a foot-pedal. It is very light weight making it very easy to setup and store. Now honestly I haven't touched a sewing machine in over 40 years and that was in an 8th grade home econmics class, but with in 10 minutes I had the bobbin wound, the machine threaded and was ready to go. After repairing 2 shirts, I was pretty pleased with my purchase and put the machine away, confident I could repair any of my shirts in the future. Then a day later, I was looking at my tablecloth on my dining room table. It has never fit right and hung way to far over the edges. So, I watched a quick tutorial on hems and then I trimmed the tablecloth down to the overhang I wanted (plus 1/2" seam allowance), got the machine back out of the closet and within 15 minutes it was done! It now fits perfect with an exact 8" over hang on all sides AND it looks incredible! I'm convinced that this machine is the gateway drug into the sewing hobby, because now I'm thinking custom throw pillows for the living room. Maybe a laptop sleeve, (yes this machine includes a "zipper foot"). As the headline states, be careful, this is a very addicting activity!

I have been wanting to learn how to sew since I was a little girl, but never had the occasion to do so. Now as a mom, I am determine to teach myself this skill so I can make cool halloween costumes for my kids and a few other goodies along the way (like those cute holiday PJs all these familes keep posting on social media). My grandmother gifted this machine to me for my birthday, which is close to Thanksgiving. I downloaded the manual (to save space, it doesn't come in the box, but some picture instructions are in there. For those who know what they are doing, the picture instructions make sense. For someone who was literally just starting, reading the manual was better). The manual gives nice, simple, step by step instructions with pictures on how to set up and care for the machine. Since I am at the beginning of my sewing journey, I jammed the bobbin 1,000 times before I could actually so a (semi) straight line. Some folks on other reviews report that the machine jams a lot and it's hard to use, but as someone who was doing the same, that is user error. Once you get used to the way things flow: make sure your thread is threaded correctly, make sure your bobbin is inserted and threaded correctly, check your tension, PUT YOUR PRESSER FOOT DOWN! then the jams get less and less as you learn what you are doing and how the machine actually functions. In the time between Thanksgiving and new years, I have been able to go from jamming the machine constantly, to making a pair of fleece pants for my middle son, and a complete sweater outfit for my littlest (a girl). The machine functions as designed and I am thankful that it just has the basics so that beginners like me can gain confidence! Now I'm planning to try for bigger and dare I say more complicated projects for 2020.

I've had this for over a year, and I am very pleased with it. Great as a beginner machine, or if you're like me and do few projects a year and mend. I could also see it as a "portable" option since it is so lightweight. I mostly use it for mending or small work - I think this machine's price point is perfect for this; you'll save money if you learn to fix your clothes. It does have an invisible hem for dress pants, so you can buy them unfinished and taylor them to what you want. This comes in handy for my the pants my tall and skinny fiance wears! I have used it on heavier fabrics, including denim and canvas duck. Because the machine is so lightweight, it slipped a little on the table I was using when sewing large pieces of canvas (Sprinter window covers). I wouldn't recommend this machine if the bulk of your projects is upholstery or quilting, I think a heavy duty machine would be more appropriate. It worked fine with the right needles on the heavier fabric, so if its an occasional thing it's probably alright. The main limitation is really stitch variety. There are other machines out there with same vary fancy stitches, which might be preferred on garments, especially baby clothes or lingerie. If you're headed that direction, you might grow out of this very quickly. All in all, simple to use and maintain, sews nice even stitches. A great little machine for the occasional or beginner sewer.

This machine is easy to use. It comes threaded already so you know exactly how to do it in the future. The YouTube videos are very helpful for the bobbin wind and insertion at the bottom. My order arrived the next day (Prime) and I was able to test it right away. I have some experience with sewing machines and I think this unit is easy to learn and use. I am left handed and some features feel weird but a matter of getting use to. I bought it to replace a Faux Leather collar in a coat and I was successful at it. It does sew thicker fabrics. I also use different stitches and they all work pretty well, and it easy to set up. I fixed several pieces of clothing, hems, skirt, and rips in only a couple of hours. No issues changing thread and bobbin. One thing new customers should be aware is that the mechanism in the bobbin is lubed. I used the a piece of paper to test the machine and the paper got small oils stains from the first stitches. I re run the paper several times to make sure the excess of oil was gone. When I did my clothes I had no issues at all. The bobbin wind is great and fast. The machine is light and portable. It does have a reverse function that is easy to use. Light is bright enough. Adjusting the thread tension helped me to work the machine better. My setting is a 3. The machine comes fully assemble, (you must connect it to the power source). Overall I am happy with the price I pay for this sewing machine and I am foreseeing using it a lot more than just some clothing fixes.

I used for light work and happy with its functions

I've been sewing over 30 years and have owned/used several machines. This one is super affordable, but does the work and I'm pretty happy. It's pretty simple with only 6 stitches but I really don't need to invest more on ones that have more because these stitches are what I normally use. Simple straight stitch and zigzag and button holes. That's it. Maybe I may have liked triple stitches for stretchy fabric and for top stitching for hemming, but it wasn't a deal breaker for me. I actually like the bobbin case (compared to those that do not need a case) because you can control the tightness of the lower thread (by tightening the - shaped screw head on the side) I don't think it gets jammed more than other machines. I like the smal size and light weight, it's portable and doesn't occupy too much space and still does it job! As for the power, it does not do a great job on denim, but I've owned a heavy duty one and it didn't do it well at all either. Only 60 bucks, totally worth it! Update after 3 months: I have used the machine for more than 10 small projects and it has worked so well. On the thick fabrics, the lower thread didn't look straight but I had that issue with a heavy duty machine. But surprisingly it sew better than expected.. without breakage of the needles or threads, on heavy fabrics.

I bought this machine about a year ago at Sears. I am not a beginner but I don’t plan on doing any big projects at this time. Just something simple to use for small projects. I had my last sewing machine (a Singer) for over 40 years so when it finally broke down I decided to get a new one rather than get the old one repaired. The good thing about this machine is that the stitches are beautiful, that is once you get the blasted thing threaded! The bobbin case is terrible! If I am not careful when opening the bobbin case, several small parts fall out and it takes forever to figure out how to put it all back in place. Also, filling it with thread is a son-of-a-gun. The thread keeps wanting to wind itself around the post. I gave it 3 stars because once you start sewing, it does a nice job. But a project that should have taken no more than 30 minutes took me all afternoon. Also, it did not come with an instruction book, although I could probably get one on line. So I ended up having to use the tutorial videos on YouTube - rewinding over and over! I do not use this machine everyday so every time I use it I have to learn it all over again. Very frustrating! I would not recommend this machine.