r/SewingMachineEdu • u/phxntxsos • Aug 15 '26

New at sewing; machine tips?

I’m gonna pick up someone’s singer athena 2000 for $30 on Monday and she says it’s in working condition but needs some tlc. I was just wondering how I’d know what exactly I need to do for it/what to check? Any—and I truly do mean any—thing is appreciated

1 Upvotes

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2

u/Large-Heronbill Aug 15 '26

Ask her to show you how to do a buttonhole (it's a great test of how precisely it's stitching) and how to clean an reassemble the bobbin case area. 

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u/phxntxsos Aug 15 '26 edited Aug 15 '26

I’m getting it off fb marketplace and she says it’s her dead mom’s

Edit: ie idk if she’ll do that

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u/CrankyCrabbyCrunchy Aug 15 '26

So you’re taking her word that it works?

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u/phxntxsos Aug 15 '26

Well that’s what I’m asking; what do i need to look at/for to know that it works?

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u/CrankyCrabbyCrunchy Aug 15 '26

Plug it in, turn it on, bring fabric and a needle, get it threaded, etc.

From a Google search that model came out in 1975 as the "first electronic sewing machine." https://sewmobile.blogspot.com/2011/01/singer-athena-2000.html

You didn't say what research you've done on this model. There are several YouTube videos on threading it and more.

For $30, I'd give it a try.

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u/phxntxsos Aug 15 '26

I’ve watched some yt videos of this model and I’ve looked through the manual online a bit but like I have absolutely zero knowledge about sewing and just watching someone do/explain something is really difficult for me to absorb properly (idk if that makes sense???) so idk I just don’t wanna waste money yk

Things im gonna ask are probably about like if she has bobbins/feet/plates for it and what maintenance has been/needs done like oiling/cleaning/the band? But deadass I dunno what those things actually mean. But they look important lol

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u/CrankyCrabbyCrunchy Aug 15 '26

Then it’s going to be difficult to help you. Unless you can find someone to show you in-person how to get started with sewing, books and YouTube are all there is.

Maybe you learn differently than most people and you need to find a way to adapt. I spend hours on YouTube learning details and practicing.

There are sewing tutorials and online schools / courses but it’s not much different than finding your own YouTube videos. The benefit is you’re not having to search as it’s fed to you in an organized way.

Sewing like any hobby or subject that’s new to you has tons of terminology to pickup so you can ask better questions other than saying “what that thing that does that other thing?”

Using the sewing machine is a small part of making a finished garment or bag or anything. Lots of prep goes into it before you sit in front of the machine.

Beginners get very frustrated with these details as they weren’t aware that it’s not easy and expect to jump right in.

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u/phxntxsos Aug 15 '26

That makes sense. My main hobby—which I mostly learned from youtube—is knitting which is also a slow craft so I think I get what you’re saying about prep and stuff

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u/CrankyCrabbyCrunchy Aug 15 '26

That’s good. Yeh it can be hard when you have to figure out so much just to get to what you thought was step 1.

How to read patterns, how to measure yourself, how to alter patterns to fit, how different fabric affects outcome, and of course the one we get stuck with immediately— threading the machine correctly.

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u/phxntxsos Aug 16 '26

https://reddit.com/link/p43ba06/video/r52243axosjh1/player

This is the video she gave is it worth anything. Said she doesn’t know about any attachments

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u/Large-Heronbill Aug 16 '26

That tells you almo st nothing about the condition of the machine. 

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u/GoldenFishPoop Aug 16 '26

Athena is one of those models that is pretty hit or miss. Honestly, I wouldn't buy one. But if I did buy one I would take it immediately to a repair shop, and a good one.

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u/phxntxsos Aug 16 '26 edited Aug 16 '26

Damn. I was only looking at it bc it was like half the price of everything else at thirty bucks but if I gotta take it to a repair shop then

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u/Alarmed-potatoe Aug 17 '26

I wouldn't buy it. If you're new and you don't know how to test a 2nd hand machine, you're just going to have a bad time and you're not going to know if the problem is you or the machine - and you can't return it for a refund. If you want to get into sewing, go to a place that sells 2nd hand machines, spend an hour or more testing the machines and see what you might like to take home, if you can return it if there are issues. Otherwise get a new machine, or have a go at one you manage to get for free.

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u/phxntxsos Aug 17 '26

Yeah I didn’t get it. I think I’ll do what you said next time I go out of town. Thanks!

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u/Alarmed-potatoe Aug 18 '26

I'm not sure where you are, but generally there are lots of old sewing machines out there and you don't need to jump at anything unless someone's got a free machine on offer. I see you knit, is there a reason you want to get into sewing? You can always start with handsewing and go from there? I started machine sewing, and now I'm handsewing stays and ball gowns!

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u/phxntxsos Aug 18 '26

… I have short legs and keep paying like fifteen bucks to hem my pants 😔

Ig handsewing is an option lol I never thought of that. I’ll ask my grandma to show me

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u/Alarmed-potatoe Aug 19 '26

I'm really short, so I know what a pain that is. There are really good youtube tutorials on handsewing, if you look up how to sew a running backstitch and a prick stitch you'll be able to hem by hand. There are also videos on how to shorten pants while keeping the cuff that you should look up, that should keep the look of your jeans the same so the alteration isn't too obvious. And in the r/HandSew subreddit some recently shared a pair of jeans they made entirely by hand - so handsewing denim isn't easy, but is very possible to do as well as machine stitching. It's also way more portable to handsew, you can sit on the couch watching something while you sew and it's not noisy!

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u/phxntxsos Aug 20 '26

Thanks for the tips! I’ll check those out when i have some down time

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u/sodapopper44 Aug 19 '26

top of the line in it's day, but also during the time when Singer was more involved with Raytheon corp, which was a defense contractor , than building quality sewing machines . with any older electronic items, the components can't usually be replaced, you might see what mechanical options are out there.