sewing/art

[exitwounds.livejournal.com]

pardon me if this is retreading of obvious ground, because i know there are a ton of sewing machine posts already in this community (believe me, i've read them all), but i have one anyway and i hope it doesn't bother too much.

okay, so for my twenty-first birthday i told my mother i'd like a sewing machine. she's asking me to research brands so i get one that's geared to what i want it for, but she put the price limit at about $200 for one. which is fine, of course because i'm not an industrial worker going to be using it, but i want a versatile enough machine that won't break down within a week. i'd like it to last a fair while until later on when i probably will upgrade it (unless i fall in love with it already).

now here's the thing: i plan to use this not just to make quick little projects like skirts or purses (though that may happen too-- i have plans for making some with my own silkscreen designs). i have been working with silkscreen and fabric on paper for the past few months in my art classes, and believe me handsewing through printmaking paper is a pain (i utilized a thumbtack as a punch and then threaded through the holes-- talk about time-consuming!). i want to have the ability to work with a variety of materials: paper, fabric (probably nothing really heavyweight), vinyl even perhaps (as i cross my fingers and hope such a thing can be sewn with my upcoming machine). while i will be constructing objects, like clothing or sewing pages of books together i would also utilize it as a drawing/embroidery tool after a fashion, but i don't want an embroidering machine per se.

i'm pretty certain any machine can be used for this purpose, but i was wondering if anyone could suggest a good quality machine for this price; i hear both good and bad about certain brands so i'm wondering if anyone can provide help and i apologize about asking a common question.

thanks!
-meg, who is currently drowning in summer allergies