|
Fantastic lighting! |
The other day my sewing machine (mum's old one that was about 25 years old) died and so my husband let me spend on a lovely new one! I am used to sewing on a semi industrial Bernina, so my expectations of a new machine were very high as I set off to find a replacement. There are many different brands on the market these days from Brother to Toyota with a broad range of prices to go with them. The cheapest machines appear to start around the $200 mark and head way up into the $1,000s. My local sewing centre had the range all set out for me to see and try. Initially I was after another Bernina, but I quickly realised that they are the most expensive and exclusive of all the sewing machines with the most basic machine starting at about $1,100. I wanted to spend under $1,000 so I started thinking seriously about the next best machine brand, Pfaff. The Pfaff Ambition 1.0 is modern and highly functional. In it's price range it is the best of the sewing machines on offer. After some thought, I excitedly bought my machine and began to experiment. My findings are recorded below.
PFAFF ambition 1.0
Features
- IDT (Integrated Dual Feed) System provides even feed of fabric from both the bottom feed dog and a top feeder. It is part of the machine and can be engaged or disengaged at any time. Many of the different presser feet can be used with the IDT System such as the zipper foot and some specialised stitch feet.
- The most spacious sewing area among competitor machines at this price. It has a long free arm and large space between the needle and right side, perfect for large projects such as quilts and dress making.
- Fantastic lighting on the entire sewing area as shown in the picture above. This machine was literally the only one in the sewing centre that had a well light sewing area and wouldn't need an additional light source such as a lamp to sew with!
- 136 different stitches for you to use and play with including general use stitches, quilting stitches, satin stitches, cross stitches, button holes and decorative stitches. It also comes with an alphabet setting.
- 29 needle positions for precision.
- The ability to sequence up to 20 stitches or letters in a pattern.
- Two accessory trays for storing bobbins, feet and other tools
- 6 feet attachments including 0A Standard foot, 1A Fancy foot with IDT, 2A Fancy foot, 3 Blindhem foot with IDT, 4 zipper foot with IDT, 5B one step buttonhole foot.
- Many other standard features that come with most modern sewing machines such as top loading bobbin, hard cover, adjustable thread tension, free motion sewing, high resolution screen, speed control and a needle threader.
Stitch Examples
Below are some examples of the stitch quality of the machine. I haven't given an example of all the possible stitches, but the images give a good representation. Generally the stitches as neat and clean with no puckering of the fabric. The zigzag stitch shows some side ways puckering, but this is due to the fine cotton fabric (with no facing) and slightly high thread tension. The overlocking stitch is great for someone who doesn't own an overlocker (but very slow!).
|
Some of the utility stitches |
|
Some quilting and cross stitches |
.
These satin stitches would look amazing in rayon embroidery thread on a special project. I am very impressed with the selection of decorative stitches on the machine. The possibilities are almost endless as the machine has a mirroring capability, allowing it to mirror decorative stitches side to side and end to end.
|
Some satin stitches |
|
A selection of the decorative stitches |
|
Alphabet stitches |
POSITIVES
Overall I am very pleased with my new purchase. I have sewn several different project, ranging from clothing to baby essentials to toys and mending since swapping machines and have quickly adjusted to the slight differences in operation to the Bernina.
The computerised system is straight forward and easy to use though it definitely pays to read through the instruction booklet while working out how to use different stitches and functions. The machine is very helpful when changing stitches as it provides all the needful information about thread tension, presser foot type, IDT system, and whether reinforcement is needed on the display screen before you begin sewing. This has prevented me from using the wrong foot for some fancy stitches and possibly damaging my machine.
The machine speed settings are great for anyone from a beginner sewer who needs to move slowly to an experienced seamstress who just wants the job done fast.
DOWNSIDES
I have virtually no negative feedback on this machine. So far it has preformed very well for me (having completed several projects utilising different sewing techniques). I have a few minor concerns and I have listed them below.
The presser feet of the Pfaff Ambition 1.0 clip up into the shaft of the foot. This makes for easy swapping of feet for different stitches, as you simply pull down on the foot and it un-clips and press up to clip the new foot in place. This does concern me a little though as the mechanism may not last a long time with constant clipping and un-clipping. Luckily the machine has a 2 year warranty for all parts.
While using the font setting of the machine for writing I have found that you cannot turn off the function without switching the machine off to reset it. I have tried many different ways of cancelling the font after using it, but none of them so far have resulted in another stitch coming up to sew with. This may be some strange glitch in the machine as even the instructions do not show how to cancel the font stitch once it is selected. Maybe it's a user error??
Conclusions
I am very pleased to say that changing to a Pfaff has been a pleasure and I will no longer remain an exclusively Bernina fan. There is much more that can be said for the machine, and I may do so at some later date when I have tried out some of the more advanced functions. For now, be content to know that if you go ahead and purchase a Pfaff Ambition 1.0, I don't think you will be disappointed!