Sewing machine for scrapbooking

A sewing machine is something I would suggest investing a little money into. I have worked in fabric and craft stores before, and trying to troubleshoot the cheap machines for customers was beyond frustrating and just not worth it, in my opinion. I would recommended looking into Singer or Brother branded machines. A decent machine will cost about $120+, but they frequently go on sale, especially around Black Friday.

I would recommend getting a machine with the reverse function as well. You are correct, running over the stitch a couple of times forward and backward helps hold it in place at the beginning and end of the stitching itself. Also look for a machine with a few decorative stitches, such as a zig zag to give you some fun options while working with paper.

Disclaimer: I have not sewn on paper, *yet*. All of my experience has been with fabric. I hope to pull out my machine soon to test it out though! Once my new desk is put together and my craft room is less of a disaster.

I’m not an expert by any means but I’ve had several sewing machines from Brother, Janome, a Kenmore rebranded Janome, and Pfaff.

I’ve had my Janome SewMini (the smaller Hello Kitty one) for over two decades. When I decided to go back to school I took it to university with me to alter clothes.

It’s not as smooth or quiet as my other machines but I’ve never had a problem with it and I’ve used it on paper repeatedly. I don’t know if they are still made with the same quality but it’s worth looking into if you want something relatively inexpensive.

YES and also different scissors. Paper will dull needles and scissors very quickly

I bought this Brother sewing machine a little over 2 years ago and it's been great. It does have the reverse stitch function but I've never used that for sewing on my layouts. I pull gently on the last stitch on the back side of the layout until I can see which thread is going through to the top side. I pull that through to the bottom and adhere it down with my atg, add a little washi.

Also, there are tons of videos on youtube that are helpful when you're setting up your machine.

paget that is one I was looking at as well. Joann has it for $109 and it is in stock at my local store!

i sew on paper all the time.  you don't need a special paper specific sewing machine. personally, i think the mini/crafty sewing machines they market to scrapbookers are crap. i got sucked into that Sew Crafty machine many years ago and it was sheer and utter crap. all the mini crafty machines are made of plastic.  they are small so they are flimsy, unstable, and the stitches are not that great.  in fairness, all machines have plastic components these days but the standard machines have better stability and durability.

i suggest you buy the cheapest, most basic regular sewing machine and use that.  95% of you stitching will probably be straight stitches and the rest will be zig zag or some simple decorative stitch. you don't need all the fancy stitches because, while the more elaborate stitches that look good on fabric, all the close set needle holes will chew up your paper.  

if you have never owned a machine before, buy a new basic Brother or Singer.  you can easily get one for under $100.  used machines from goodwill are cheap but you don't know if anything is wrong with the machine and most time, the accessories, feet, and even foot pedal are missing. at least the new machines come with paperwork and basic accessories.  

i can't imagine a machine not having a reverse feature.  that's a pretty basic feature.  

ETA:  Brother machines are great.  i have owned two of them.  i have also owned a Singer machine.  today i own 2 Bernina machines and i use both of them to sew on paper all the time.  i just change out the needles when i go back to sewing on fabric.  paper can really dull a needle.

I agree. Normally I give different advice when someone says that they want to learn to sew, but it just doesn’t apply here. Find a name brand machine at JoAnn’s or a similar store. I don’t see why you would need it to reverse for paper, but I wouldn’t buy a machine without that feature. 

But don’t be tempted to sew with it! It won’t last.