Sewing Machine Review – Singer Stylist 7258

Today’s sewing machine review is from Cyndi of The Nosey Pepper. (Don’t you just love that name?) Cyndi’s work is awesome and I am sure you will enjoy a visit over to her blog to checkout the wonderful bags she has made BUT…before you do….let’s see what she has to say about her machine…..over to you Cyndi:

1)      Please share the brand name and model number:  

Singer Stylist 7258

Is your machine classed as Domestic or Industrial? 

Domestic

How long have you had this machine, did you buy it new and what was the purchase price or approximate price range? 

I received this machine as a gift Christmas 2012. I’ve seen the price about 200 USD, but I’ve seen it as low as 167 USD.

What made you decide to buy this particular machine?

It was a gift from my mother, who chose it for me based on the consumer reviews and the features for the price point.

Approximately how often do you sew with it and what types of projects do you sew? 

I sew with it several times during the week and “binge sew” for several hours at a time on the weekends. I mostly make bags, which require it to handle several layers of interfacing and stabilizers. I have made a few garments on it as well, mostly for my four year old but a couple for me as well. As for garments, I’ve made full winter coats for my little guy, but more simple and less bulky skirts and dresses for myself.

Does your machine have any special features which you enjoy or any special features you do NOT like and drives you bonkers?   

The Singer has a crazy (to me) amount of decorative stitches, which I’ve only used a few of. They work well as decorative top stitching for bags. The Singer 7258 also comes with 10 presser feet: and although I’ve only used a handful of them, I like knowing that if I need a specific foot for a project, I may already have it on hand. I love the automatic up/down position of the needle, I don’t have to guess if the needle is going to stop in the fabric or not. I also LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the automatic needle threader, it takes like 2 seconds to thread the needle.  Now that I’ve figured out the button hole attachment and stitch, it’s super easy sew button holes. Although, it’s a pretty small range of sizes and any button bigger than a nickel sized, doesn’t fit in the button hole foot. I really don’t understand why they couldn’t have allowed for slightly bigger buttons.

It also has an automatic tension setting, which is both a blessing and a curse. It’s wonderful when it works as it’s supposed to, but it is quite finicky and I find myself adjusting the top thread tension much more than I’d like to, even sometimes several times during one project. Also, I’ve noticed that it will often skip stitches when I’m sewing at  the highest speed, so I have to usually dial it back, especially when top stitching. Also, when sewing through several layers, I find that the bobbin threads breaks at least once during the project, I don’t know if that’s related to the tension issue but it makes me bonkers lol.

I like the clear bobbin cover, so it’s rare for me to run out of bobbin thread, only to find this out after I’ve finished my seam (cause is there anything worse?!)

Are there any features you really wish your machine has BUT is lacking?

This machine has all the features that I currently have a need for, however, aside from features I really wish it was a bit heavier duty and would handle sewing through thicker layers easier. Also, it says it has a variable height presser foot, but that’s really only a partial truth, in that you can raise it up lol. It would be nice to actually have one that would raise a bit higher to accommodate thicker layers. A walking foot has helped tremendously, but it very much limits the space between the presser foot and the machine (it’s a low shank), combine that with a small throat space and it has felt like wrestling alligators through my machine on several occasions lol.

How about features it does have BUT you find you never use? 

It is listed as having 100 stitches, but I find myself really only using a dozen or so of them. Aside from the automatic button holer, it also has a manual stitch for button holes (which if I was smart enough to figure out, could probably accommodate my bigger button issue lol) that I’ve never used.  I’ve never used the applique stitches, or the darning plate, but I can see myself using the applique stitches at some point. I’ve yet to use the invisible zip foot or the rolled hem foot.

Would you recommend this machine to others and if not, why?

I think this is a great machine for a beginner or even intermediate sewist. It has an amazing amount of features and being fully digital makes it very user friendly. However, I think that someone who does a lot of sewing could quickly outgrow this machine in terms of power. I find myself often wishing my machine could handle more, and would stop going haywhacky with the tension.  I think this machine would be better suited for a garment sewer or quilter than someone who makes bags and heavier duty home décor items.  I would recommend it to a beginner but not so much to an advanced sewist.

If your machine suddenly vanished, would you replace it with the exact same machine or a different one? Why?

It depends on if this replacement was free lol! If cost wasn’t an issue, absolutely not. But, since most machines do in fact cost money, I think this is a great machine for the price point. It is about 200 USD, give or take. I’ve seen it on Amazon for as low as 167 USD and as high as 225 USD. I doubt that I could find a better machine in that price point, but if I had a little more to spend, I would opt for a heavier duty machine and keep this one as a back up! 🙂

Do you have any interesting stories to share about your machine? 

This was my first machine of my own, I started to sew in 2012, and I first started with an ancient Brother that was a freebie and then a borrowed Kenmore (which I absolutely adored!). I feel like I’ve learned a great deal on this machine and its ease of use has made learning much, much easier.

Do you have any special projects you made with this machine you would like to share with us here?

I love making bags! They make up about 95 percent of what I make on my machine.

Any Sewing Machine hints or tips you would like to share?

Read the manual, seriously lol. So many “problems” I have had have been fixed by me simply reading the manual. Also, I’ve discovered that my machine is finicky on what thread I use, and from what I’ve read, this is fairly normal. When I cheap out on thread, my machine skips stitches more, or the thread breaks easily. A lot of problems with stitch quality can be fixed by using a good quality thread, cleaning your machine and needle….oh and taking a step back when you are about to throw your machine 😉

If you won the lottery and could add ANY new machine to your collection, which one would it be?

I don’t have an allegiance to a specific brand, so I’d be heading to a retailer for help lol. I know that I would be looking for a machine with various stitches, that can handle sewing through several thick layers and a built in walking foot would be great…I don’t even know if such an elusive machine exists that doesn’t cost a million dollars lol.

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Thanks for a fun review Cyndi! You can find out more about Cyndi by visiting her Blog here and on Facebook too!

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Would you like to share your thoughts on YOUR machine in your own review? We’d love to hear them! Please email me and we’ll chat! 🙂

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