SINGER 3116 Simple Sewing Machine

My mom bought me one of these machines three years ago so I could teach myself how to sew. Right away, I had problems with the bobbin case. The machine snarled the thread, frequently broke the thread, and jammed. I was so new to sewing that I chalked it up to my inexperience with using a sewing machine. I kept fighting the machine, adjusting the bobbin, trying to sew at a slower pace, feeding the fabric very carefully, and taking breaks to swear like a drunken sailor at it!

However, in the years that I've been working with this machine, the bobbin issue has only worsened. This machine has nearly ruined several of my projects recently by jamming, tangling up the thread, breaking the thread, and gnawing on my fabric. I recently started looking for a new machine and I checked the Amazon reviews for this one. There were none, but a nearly-identical model, the 3116f, has many reviews and most of them complain about the same thing: the poorly-designed bobbin case! Clearly, the...Read more

The other reviews are right on! The front loading bobbin is such a pain, good luck putting it in. In addition, the bobbin frequently jams up for no reason. Keep looking, there are better machines out there!!

Bought this at Joann's one year ago because I was having issues with the machine I had first learned to sew on--an old Kenmore.

What a terrible purchase! The first time I used it I could tell it was poorly made--it's loud, the bobbin holder is screwy, it's hard to thread, the needle didn't line up well with the foot, the self-threader is a joke, and the reverse sewing lever has to be twisted backwards before it will work. I thought, well, I'll give it time--maybe it's just me getting used to a new machine. Nope! I gave it its fair share of time. None of the problems ever went away. The button maker does not work, period. I watched the DVD multiple times to follow step-by-step instructions, it simply will not do buttons or buttonholes! I had to go back to my old machine to make buttonholes, and sew on buttons by hand. What a joke!
I've learned my lesson: don't spend less than $120 on a sewing machine if you want it to hang around for very long! Very...Read more