This review is from: Hello Kitty Chainstitch Sewing Machine (Toy)
This toy works great. I purchased it specifically for the chain stitch. It sews through two pieces of heavy felt with no problems. Just what I needed. I do not know about battery life yet. There were some criticisms in other reviews and I almost did not buy it. I would like to address two of the criticisms 1. The stitching pulls out. Yes, that is characteristic of a chain stitch. If you do not want the stitch to pull out, you must purchase a lockstitch machine or tie the stitch down by pulling the thread back through the chain. 2. One person complained that she could not find the bobbin…again this is a characteristic of chain stitch machines. They do not have a bobbin. I do not know if these two things are true of the surgers that make a chain stitch but for the price this little machine is better than I thought it would be.
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This review is from: Hello Kitty Chainstitch Sewing Machine (Toy)
This toy is great. It sews extremely well. My daughter is making purses, dice bags, doll clothes, you name it! She wanted to learn to sew like me, so now we sew together. It’s so great!
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
This review is from: Hello Kitty Chainstitch Sewing Machine (Toy)
I did not read any reviews before buying this product for my 6 1/2 year old daughter. I wish I had been more clear with myself about what I was looking for, and from the other reviews, it looks as if others may have been in the same place.
I knew I wanted to find out if she would really take to sewing before putting very much money into the purchase. For this reason alone, this was successful. But after using it to make a little pillow with the fabric that comes with it, and now a skirt and top for her teddy bear, I will make the following comments.
Chainstitch: I didn’t ‘get’ the difference before buying the toy, but this is probably the most frustrating part. The stitches need to be manually tied off before you have a secure stitch. That’s assuming you can get your fabric out of the machine before losing the entire seam–which I’m finding I have to struggle to find the exact point at which the thread and needle are ready to let go of the fabric. I want a bobbin thread.
Mechanism: Instead of relying on feed dogs, this toy moves the fabric along by pushing it with the needle. It looks pretty fragile, hasn’t broken….yet.
Needle: Another reviewer was complaining about threading the needle. There’s actually a slit to insert the needle threader that comes with the machine, so it shouldn’t, in theory, be necessary to unscrew or take off the needle guard. I haven’t tried this yet, but will say that I’m not sure I will be able to see what I’m doing when the time comes. In addition, it doesn’t look like they prepared for any needle replacement.
Speed: Also noted by another reviewer: there is only one speed, VERY FAST. My kid is intimidated by that, so she is just turning the handle.
I would recommend this toy, as a TOY, (clearly intended to be disposed of), and not as a training device for sewing. I think a child less than four could be very happy playing with it. I’m fortunate that this one is basically a happy kid, and not getting frustrated. However, I’m the one really doing the sewing. We will quickly either move on up to my Pfaff, or get a basic 6 or 12 stitch machine with buttonhole capabilities.
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B. Reeves
September 29th, 2011 at 8:23 am
Great product for the price,
This toy works great. I purchased it specifically for the chain stitch. It sews through two pieces of heavy felt with no problems. Just what I needed. I do not know about battery life yet. There were some criticisms in other reviews and I almost did not buy it. I would like to address two of the criticisms 1. The stitching pulls out. Yes, that is characteristic of a chain stitch. If you do not want the stitch to pull out, you must purchase a lockstitch machine or tie the stitch down by pulling the thread back through the chain. 2. One person complained that she could not find the bobbin…again this is a characteristic of chain stitch machines. They do not have a bobbin. I do not know if these two things are true of the surgers that make a chain stitch but for the price this little machine is better than I thought it would be.
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|Rachel L. Phelps
September 29th, 2011 at 8:36 am
My daughter loves this!!!,
This toy is great. It sews extremely well. My daughter is making purses, dice bags, doll clothes, you name it! She wanted to learn to sew like me, so now we sew together. It’s so great!
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|Julia S. Hernandez
September 29th, 2011 at 8:45 am
Be clear what you want out of this,
I did not read any reviews before buying this product for my 6 1/2 year old daughter. I wish I had been more clear with myself about what I was looking for, and from the other reviews, it looks as if others may have been in the same place.
I knew I wanted to find out if she would really take to sewing before putting very much money into the purchase. For this reason alone, this was successful. But after using it to make a little pillow with the fabric that comes with it, and now a skirt and top for her teddy bear, I will make the following comments.
Chainstitch: I didn’t ‘get’ the difference before buying the toy, but this is probably the most frustrating part. The stitches need to be manually tied off before you have a secure stitch. That’s assuming you can get your fabric out of the machine before losing the entire seam–which I’m finding I have to struggle to find the exact point at which the thread and needle are ready to let go of the fabric. I want a bobbin thread.
Mechanism: Instead of relying on feed dogs, this toy moves the fabric along by pushing it with the needle. It looks pretty fragile, hasn’t broken….yet.
Needle: Another reviewer was complaining about threading the needle. There’s actually a slit to insert the needle threader that comes with the machine, so it shouldn’t, in theory, be necessary to unscrew or take off the needle guard. I haven’t tried this yet, but will say that I’m not sure I will be able to see what I’m doing when the time comes. In addition, it doesn’t look like they prepared for any needle replacement.
Speed: Also noted by another reviewer: there is only one speed, VERY FAST. My kid is intimidated by that, so she is just turning the handle.
I would recommend this toy, as a TOY, (clearly intended to be disposed of), and not as a training device for sewing. I think a child less than four could be very happy playing with it. I’m fortunate that this one is basically a happy kid, and not getting frustrated. However, I’m the one really doing the sewing. We will quickly either move on up to my Pfaff, or get a basic 6 or 12 stitch machine with buttonhole capabilities.
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