Categories

BABYLOCK As agents for the excellent range of Babylock products, we can supply machines and accessories.

BERNINA I’ll never forget the first Bernina sewing machine I came across in 1958. It was a model 600 brought to me for repair at the small shop I had then, about 200 yards from our present much larger store. I was already selling Viking, Necchi, Novum and my own branded Bamber machines. As a mechanic I was much impressed with the superb build quality of the Bernina 600 sewing machine. After minor repairs it ran like a Swiss watch and the stitch quality was superb! It took some time to track down the distributor, (no Google in the fifties), Bogod, in London. I wrote to them but was immediately rebuffed as “they already had a dealer in Manchester”. Undeterred, I closed the shop and drove to London in my Ford Anglia Van, parked on the street outside Bogods premises – no meter maids then – and spent two hours convincing them I “was a good thing”. They again mentioned the Manchester Stockist but I told them that my shop was in Patricroft – they asked where Patricroft was and I said, “Between Manchester and Liverpool”. For some reason they took this to mean it was equidistant between the two Cities. They then reluctantly agreed to supply me with just one machine to sell at £65.00. They offered me 30 days credit but I plonked down the trade price in cash, which cheered them. I then said I’d take it with me thus saving them the transport cost, and I finally drove away with one Bernina 600 machine. Not a bad days work. By 10.30 next day I sold the machine, rang Bogod to order another 5 machines and posted a cheque to cover the order. The machines arrived a week later (after my cheque had cleared). Bogod, a family concern like ourselves, have told us over the last few years that we sell more Berninas than any other shop in both the UK and Europe. Not entirely all my own work as after my two sons, Alan and Steven, had joined me in the family business, I made sure I sent them to Bogod in London, and Bernina in Switzerland for training. They have also been to Pfaff in Germany and did factory mechanics courses with our other suppliers. Nowadays they run the business and sometimes even tell me what to do. I take absolutley no notice of them of course, and consequently, we three get along amicably and the business ticks over nicely. Roy Bamber

BROTHER As main agents for Brother, we stock a wide range of machines & accessories. If you don't find what your looking for please phone us on 0161 707 7786

CRAFT DEPARTMENT We stock a wide range of craft items, just the thing if you like quilting, patchwork, sewing and lots of other craft hobbies and pastimes.

DESIGN & TECHNOLOGY As well as supplying sewing machines to Schools & Colleges throughout the UK, Bambers also supply a wide range or products for your Design & Technology department. Have a browse through our listed products and if you don't see what you want please phone us for a competitive quote.

ENGLISH COUTURE PRODUCTS We now stock a range of fusible interfacings from the English Couture Company. The company is run by Michelle Pye and Michelle has kindly agreed to supply us. We asked Lorna Knight to provide an expert opinion. "This family of fusible interfacings fuse to the wrong side of the fashion fabric adding body and support to jackets and other garments. The fabric is not restricted or stiffened by the addition of the interfacing and the fabric moves as easily as it did without. Having used these interfacings in your sewing projects you'll never choose to use anything else again."

FABRICS We are steadily building up a range of fabrics in our haby/fabric department. Watch this space or call in and have a browse! Got any questions? just email or phone 0161 707 7786

HABERDASHERY We stock a wide range of haberdashery for all kinds of sewing, quilting, patchwork and general craft projects. We stock the Hemline range of haberdashery

HORN CABINETS HORN SUPERCENTRE This means we have a good range of Horn cabinets on display in our showroom. DELIVERY All Horn cabinets are delivered free of charge (except the Cub) by Horn themselves. Delivery on most cabinets is usually 2 - 3 weeks. READY BUILT They are not flat-packed. They arrive ready built. When you order your Horn cabinet you will also receive a Free plexi-insert (except with the Cub & 1031 Versatile). This will fit around your sewing machine to create a flat bed when you have set your cabinet. So please specify the Make & Model of your sewing machine. Horn Cabinet Colours

JANOME JANOMEhave become one of the most popular makes of Sewing Machines and Overlockers. BAMBERS stock the full range, and of course, we stock the entire range of accessories and attachments.

MACHINE EMBROIDERY SUPPLIES We stock a wide range of machine embroidery supplies to help you produce good quality embroidery, from a needle to stabilizer. You may also be interested in: Embroidery Frames for Brother Sewing Machines Embroidery Frames and Hoops for Bernina Sewing Machines Freehand Embroidery Hoops Brother Embroidery Machines

MACHINE SPARES A selection of general accessories.

NEWS For the latest news from Bamber Sewing Machines: Visit our sewing blog Join our Facebook page Follow us on Twitter

OVERLOCKER KNIVES Overlocker knives.  As main agents for a wide range of makes and models, we stock a large range of overlocker knives. Care should always be taken when you are fitting a knife to your overlocker. Always follow the instruction in your manual, failing that, phone Bambers for more information. If you don't see the overlocker knife you want please phone us, we may have what you need in stock.

PATCHWORK GALLERY We've moved our Patchwork Gallery to our Sewing Blog.Find a selection of sewing, patchworking & quilting work like this one at our Sewing Gallery.

Reconditioned Sewing Machines Reconditioned Sewing MachinesWe do have the odd reconditioned sewing machines for sale, every now and then. Steve will quite often have a real bargain tucked away in the workshop. You should phone him and see 'what's avaialble'

REPAIRS Sewing Machine Repairs As main agents for all the top brands of sewing machines and overlockers, Bamber Sewing Machines can offer you professional repairs and service to your precious machine. Every year we carry out hundreds of repairs and services on sewing machines and overlockers bought from us, and elsewhere. And as main agents for Bernina, Janome, Brother and Pfaff we carry huge stocks of genuine spares. We always offer a Free estimate to private customers. Report a fault If you have a got a fault or problem with your sewing machine or overlocker email us for help and advice. Tell us the Make & Model of your machine and the problem you are experiencing. We will email back with our suggestions. Alternatively phone us on 0161 707 7786 Schools and Colleges We offer a repair and routine maintenance service to schools and colleges, please phone Alan Bamber for more details. Check Progress of Existing Repair Log in to the customer management area A Few Words From Roy Because our business was originally founded on sewing machine repairs and maintenance, in the days when fully rebuilding machines was necessary as none were being made or imported for the home, we specialise in the service side of the business. So much so that our workshop alone is twice the size of the whole area of most sewing machine shops. It is also very well equipped and we have a properly set up and organized spare parts department to cope with the thousands of repairs we cover each year. Of the machines brought to us for repair there are three main causes of problems. All machines create fluff in use which solidifies to the stage where machines begin to seize up. Second, many modern sewing machines require special lubricants, and using normal cheap 'sewing machine oil' on your machine soon gives trouble. Third and most damaging is your local cowboy advertising 'expert repairs' and subjecting your pride and joy to the tender mercies of his entire range of 3 screwdrivers, one hammer and a large can of sewing machine oil. (And his aunt Mary once showed him how to adjust the tension!). Since the demise of the clothing industry in the U.K., there are no longer any serving apprenticeships on sewing machine maintenance. All modern day kids want to do is sit at computers and hope to make a foryune without actually working. Mind you, we shouldn't complain. Getting a machine in that's been messed about by your local cowboy, nearly always means a bigger repair bill than normal, just to undo the butchery. When you are in the area, you are welcome to come in and have a quick tour around our workshop. You'll soon see what we mean. And have a quick gander at our classroom where we run various courses all with our own computers and sewing/overlocking/quilting machines. There's also a machine dispensing free coffee, tea, soup, cold drinks and gin, whisky and rum etc. True, we sometimes run out of the gin etc.

RIBBON Our range of ribbon is increasing.

ROYS THOUGHTS We've moved Dad's thoughts to our new Sewing Blog click the links below to read a bit of Bamber history. Penny Farthing Vera Jollie Dad's Super 7 Fair do's My First Bernina Quiet Day on Regent Road Still got gas in the tank! Errand Boy

SEWING BLOGS Please visit our own Sewing Blog for sewing news, tips, online guides and various external resources for anyone interested in sewing and embroidery.

SEWING COURSES IN MY AREA This section has been moved to our Sewing Blog. Please see: Sewing courses in Manchester Sewing courses in London Sewing courses in Glasgow Sewing courses in Cornwall Sewing courses in more areas can be viewed here: Sewing Courses in My Area

SEWING PATTERNS We stock a large range of dress patterns from famous name like Vogue, McCalls & Butterick. We'll gradually add more patterns to the site but in the meantine why not call in for a browse, or phone us if you need a particular pattern - 0161 707 7786, please ask for Maggie or Janet. We keep very large stocks of patterns and in most cases your online order will be despatched the same day. You call also email us with details of the pattern you are looking for. WE NEED YOUR REVIEWS Some of our sewing pattern customers have been kind enough to post reviews, but we need more. THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY Posting a review about your experiences of making up any pattern (good or bad) helps everyone. HOW DO I POST MY REVIEW? When you look at any pattern on our site please look at the bottom of the page, you will see a link to the review section. Click it and feel free to post your thoughts.

SEWING THREADS Choose from our large selections of sewing threads suitable for machine sewing, hand sewing & overlocking.  

SIRDAR WOOL & KNITTING PATTERNS We are now stocking SIRDAR knitting wools & patterns.We've got a range of Sirdar wool and knitting patterns in the shop, so call in and have look. We will also be offering the entire range of Sirdar wool on our website, although this will take some time. As this is a new product range, delivery times may take a little longer.Please bear with us.

SPECIAL OFFERS

TRIMMINGS Keep your eye on this 'growing' section of our site. We've already built a small stock of trimmings in the shop, but we do plan to add a lot more!

VIDEOS This section has been moved to Sewing Videos on our sewing blog. Also visit our YouTube channel sewlessons123.

VINTAGE SEWING MACHINES Over the years we've managed to collect a reasonable selection of old vintage sewing machines. Some have been traded in for new machines, others have just been given to us. Our collection always causes some interest so, slowly but surely, we'll add them to our site.

WEEE Regulations WEEE Regulations: The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive is now UK law. The legislation aims to make producers pay for the collection, treatment and recovery of waste electrical equipment. The regulations also mean that suppliers of equipment like high street shops and internet retailers must allow consumers to return their waste equipment free of charge. The amount of WEEE we throw away is increasing by around 5% each year, making it the fastest growing waste stream in the UK. Much of the UK’s WEEE ends up in landfill, where the lead and other toxins it contains can cause soil and water contamination. This can have a harmful effect on natural habitat, wildlife and also human health. Many electrical items that we throw away can be repaired or recycled. Recycling items helps to save our natural finite resources and also reduces the environmental and health risks associated with sending electrical goods to landfill. Distributors of new Electric and Electronic Equipment (EEE) have a part to play in reducing the amount of WEEE going into landfill sites. Bamber Sewing Machines is obliged under these regulations to offer our customers free take-back of their WEEE on a like-for-like basis when they buy a new Electrical or Electronic product from us. For example, if a customer bought a new Sewing Machine from us we would accept their old Sewing Machine and prevent it going into a landfill site by disposing of it safely. Customers must return their WEEE item to us within 28 days of purchasing their new item. Under the WEEE Regulations, all new electrical goods should now be marked with the crossed-out wheeled bin symbol shown below: Goods are marked with this symbol to show that they were produced after 13th August 2005, and should be disposed of separately from normal household waste so that they can be recycled.

WORKSHOPS All our workshops, clubs and courses etc. are held in our classroom, which is on the first floor of our store. It's light, spacious and a nice place to work in. We also have a car park at the rear of our building.