Sewing Machine Review: Singer Promise II upgraded to Singer Heavy Duty
I think finding your sewing machine can be a love story. When I started sewing, I used a machine that was borrowed from the costume mistress at my ballet studio. It was a pipe dream of mine to own my own sewing machine and so I absorbed all the information that I could. She said the more metal the better. Motherboards can cause troubles. You don’t really need all those stitches. Once you start on a certain brand, it might be hard to switch. Grade school Siri wanted to soak up all the knowledge she could get her hands on. Not only was Winnie our costume mistress but she did dress alterations for pageants. I have a mental picture of me in awe of all the lovely dresses that she had queued up.
Then I went to university, graduated, and moved to Richmond, Virginia. Those dreams of my own sewing machine floundered. After 4 years in Richmond, I moved to Atlanta and no longer worked weekends. I discovered a Singer Promise II machine had been packed up and travelled with me to Atlanta. If this was a fairytale, it would’ve been a fairy godmother who snuck it into my moving truck. In reality, one of my friends brought it to my house for a project. She moved overseas, and I moved. I will be forever grateful for that happy accident. I started sewing again in 2018.
That Singer Promise II was used like a workhorse. I started with quilting and then moved back to sewing clothes. That’s when I took the plunge and bought a serger. It felt like a real risk because I hadn’t been back sewing for very long. Getting a serger felt like the best next step. I got the Brother Lock 1034D. It is an understatement on how much it changed my sewing. I felt like I was given a confidence boost. I could sew clothes that I wanted to wear.
For a while, I felt untouchable working with my Promise II and serger. Then my trusty girl got squeaky, and I figured it might be time for some sort of upgrade. Okay, it is overwhelming thinking about upgrading. I decided on a Singer Heavy Duty. I can do free motion if I want to. It checks all those boxes of long-ago comments from Winnie. It has a decent amount of metal; no mother board and it has a straight stitch and zigzag. Do I sometimes feel like I am not as cool or that I should have a different sewing machine? Yes, but I am very happy with the choice that I made. My Singer Heavy Duty does the work and that’s all that I can ask for. Maybe this is a little different than a normal sewing machine review, but I am a firm believer in each person can have their right machine. I would say you could love the Singer Heavy Duty but you might end up with another option. I think someone and their sewing machine is another kind of love story.
About Author
Siri Nordlund
Hi! I am Siri Kate. I live in Atlanta, GA with my two standard poodles. Sewing and knitting are my og hobbies. You can follow along with my journey at @siri_kate on ig. We are all about mental health and making art.Leave a Reply to Nancy Solla Cancel reply
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12 Comments
Ginger Wells
What a beautiful Love Story, I love each and every one of my sewing machines and I can’t seem to part with one even if it doesn’t work all that great anymore
Kathleen Keen
My sewing adventures began with my mother’s Kenmore. She still has it and uses it. I’ve requested it for when she no longer wants it. My mother-in-law bought me a New Home machine that I used for about 10 years, finally burning it up. Then on to a spare newspaper-ad no-brand machine my mom had in the basement, which lasted about 2 years. My current electric is a Singer that can do almost everything I need. And my most recent addition is my mother-in-law’s Davis treadle. I have been able to complete projects on it that were a nightmare on the Singer, so they compliment one another perfectly. My plan is to acquire a serger next, as I’ve wanted one for years.
Ramune Arlauskas
Love, love my Singer Heavy Duty! If anything goes wrong, just rethread it and then sews perfectly again. It handles the heaviest and most light linen fabrics. I love the loud heavy sound of it sewing. For the price it is an incredible machine. I want nothing else except maybe a serger to compliment it.
Nancy Solla
I agree that finding *your* dream machine is an important part of sewing, and that everyone has their own idea of what that “dream” is. In my early life as a grown up, I sewed on a low-end (but plastic) Singer, and a low-end Janome, and they were ok, but what I really wanted was my mother’s 1961 Singer 327, which she sold in a yard sale when she bought a new machine, and didn’t tell me until later. (sob) I found a Singer 328K (made in the UK) and found the repair manual for free online. I christened her Mable, and I’ve already given her a tune up, and know how to clean, oil, and lubricate her. People complain about how loud this model is, but I find the thumping to be part of her charm. She’s heavy as hell, she’s my only machine, and doesn’t have a free arm so sewing certain things can get tricky. I’ve taught myself to handstitch some things if I can’t do it neatly with Mabel. I plan on learning how to repair and maintain her myself, with the help of the repair manual and a few awesome sites that sell replacement parts. I want to keep her running for as long as possible. I like knowing that I could fix my machine myself, with a little reading, time, and patience. Sewing is all about slowing down for me, and Mabel’s on board with that.
Nancy Solla
Oh, and the buttonholes I can get with her space age buttonhole attachment?! They are a DREAM.
Charity Karstetter
I started off with a Singer as well sharing it with my Mother in the 90s. Unfortunately, I loved sewing but that particular machine had too many plastic parts. Between the two of us, we burned through that one in a matter of 6 months. After that Mom bought a Viking Diamond I and I bought a Viking Freicia. That machine has been wonderful. I still use it occasionally but moved over to the Viking Topaz. I love it so much I have 2. Now I have a Brother Sergee and it sews like a dream. The two together are a match made in Heaven.
Tom S.
I’ve been sewing for decades and have a total of 7 machines: 2 servers, coverstitch, blindstitch, Brother sewing machine (bought to do buttonholes), small heavy duty machine and my absolute favorite……. my Juki industrial (talk about all metal). So yes, I understand love. She’s never let me down these past 25+years. If you ever have an opportunity to get an industrial, do not hesitate. Until then enjoy your Singer. My first was a Singer, too.
Nilda Lehmann
I have 6 sewing machines also. Old metal Bernina, Brother straight stitch industrial, 2 Brother sergers, Esante embroidery, small Brother digital embroidery, and my first sewing machine (40 years old) a metal Brother straight and zig zag stitch. Yes!!!!! I use them all!
Elizabeth Barron
I’ve had a Singer Heavy Duty for 7 years now and have never had a problem with it. I’ve done a lot of sewing with FS linen which leaves a bit of fluffy residue over time on prewashed linen. . I can usually tell from this slight build up on foot that it’s time for me to disassemble it to clean things out and oil it and that, I think, is what has kept trouble at bay. This machine is tough and a workhorse with no frills which is fine by me. I bought it to sew slipcovers and feel confident that whatever I throw at it, it can do the job just fine. I love it!!
Lara Stahler
The 180 from my experience with a Singer Heavy Duty made me chuckle. I’m glad you ended with a to-each-their-own sentiment. I owned one of these for exactly 24 hours before I was ready to throw it out the window. That would have felt more satisfying than calmly returning it. I’ve never had to stop every few minutes to un-jam a machine and have also never blown through almost a full package of needles in one evening. I couldn’t wait to get it out of my presence. It’s pretty impressive if a sewing machine can make you remember a single evening of sewing from almost a decade ago because it was THAT infuriating! Glad you’re having better luck. I’ll keep my trusty Viking that I swear by and not at ;). Happy sewing!
Kate Fischer
Lara I’m having a similar experience with a baby lock Brilliant I bought a year ago and am ready to sell it on Facebook and find a friendlier machine. Far too fussy for me. Actually thinking about a sailrite machine.
Lara Stahler
Kate, I have a Sailrite Ultrafeed LS! Absolutely amazing machine and worth every penny. I’ve had it for 10+ years (bought it after my Singer Heavy Duty catastrophe) and it’s genius. I use my Viking for everyday general and semi-heavy duty sewing and my Sailrite for truly heavy-duty needs (I’ve used it to make over 13,000 dog collars and leashes for my Etsy shop). I swear the thing could sew through wood if I asked it to ;). Sailrite’s customer service is excellent as well. Highly recommend.