| Gidget II Sewing Table with custom insert |
| Viewed 735 times |
|
Review rated Helpful by 1 people Very Helpful by 12 people |
| Reviewed by: |
emg |
|
| About emg
|
| Member since: 5/10/06 |
| Reviews written: 8 |
| Sewing skills:Intermediate |
| notions reviewed: 4 |
| |
|
| Posted on: |
3/9/13 5:35 PM |
| Rating : |
 |
| Approx. Price : |
$250 |
| Bought from: |
Online Store |
| Category: | Sewing Room Furniture [ Reviews]
|
Arrow 98611 Gidget II Sewing and Craft Table
Arrow Custom-Fit Insert for 98700 Series and 98611 Cabinets
Purchased from http://www.sewvacdirect.com/
price $250 (The table alone is $179)
Folks on this board are probably familiar with this product. It is a sewing table that is portable and has a drop-down section in the middle if you want to have your stitch plate flush with the table top. I also purchased the custom acrylic insert for my Pfaff Expression 3. This allows me to drop the center section of the table and set the machine inside the well. If you remove the accessory box, the acrylic insert fits right around the free arm providing a flat surface.
I do my sewing in my unfinished basement (it does have heat!) I don't need nice-looking furniture that folds up into cabinets and I long ago solved all my storage needs with inexpensive plastic bins and shelving. For layout and cutting I have the dining room table my family used when I was growing up -- 7 feet long by 42 inches wide with the leaves in. It's up on blocks so I don't have to bend over so much when working. This setup works great for me but once I raised the table having the machine up so high was not comfortable. So the only thing I needed was a table for the machine itself.
This table comes in 2 sizes . . . if you have a large harp machine (like my Pfaff) then you need the table with the larger size cut-out if you want to drop the center section. I also purchased the clear acrylic insert to fill in the space around the machine so there's no gap between the table and the machine.
You adjust the depth of the center cut-out by adjusting the length of the chain on the underside of the table and then adjusting a screw. The desired depth depends on the height of your machine. There is a metal rod that keeps the cutout from dropping below a certain level so it's not going to dump your machine on the floor. I did not have any problem adjusting this although I did fuss with it a while to get it where I wanted. The Pfaff has the horizontal "drop-in" bobbin and the plastic bobbin cover wraps around the edge of the machine a little so I had to raise the machine slightly above the acrylic insert at one end using a folded piece of fabric. Otherwise I would have to remove the insert to get the bobbin cover off and that defeats the whole purpose of the top-loading bobbin.
If you order the acrylic insert, you want to make sure your machine sits low enough so the insert is resting on the table edge provided for it and not the edge of your machine. If you machine is sitting too high and the insert is not laying flat against the table edge, the insert will rattle while you sew.
I am very pleased with how stable the table is while the machine is running. The manufacturer did a fine job of cutting the acrylic to fit around my Expression exactly and the insert arrived in perfect condition.
Did you get your money's worth after the purchase? Yes
Is this notion easily available? The table is available from many websites. I only found 1 or 2 sites that would also order the acrylic insert along with the table and that is why I bought it from sew-vac direct. The table arrived within 2 days and the insert (which is a custom job from the manufacturer) took 2 weeks to arrive (this was mentioned on the website so I knew it would be a while.) You could probably call around to get it somewhere else but I didn't want to deal with 2 separate orders.
Would you recommend it to others? Definitely. There's a lot of very nice sewing furniture out there but it can be quite expensive and more complicated than what I wanted. This is a compact and practical solution -- exactly what I was looking for.
|
|
|
5 Comments
Login to Add a Comment
|
| Previous review by emg |
| Viewed 1171 times |
| Delonghi PRO300 Iron with Boiler |
| Reviewed by:
emg on 1/18/09 |
| Steam Generator Iron purchased from Amazon.com
I have looked ...
Read Review |
|
|
| Previous Review for Other |
| Viewed 595 times |
| Bendable Bright Light |
| Reviewed by:
Doris on 3/3/13 |
| What is this notion used for?
Extra lighting around sewing machine.Read Review |
|
|
|
|Login|Help]
I am glad you posted about the insert. You are right about it being hard to find a supplier to order.
3/10/13 6:47 AM
Thank you for your very thorough review. Enjoy your new table!
3/10/13 11:01 AM
Thanks for adding this review! I love my Gidget tables, and have three, one of which is the Gidget II and holds a large machine. Indeed - love these.
3/10/13 3:00 PM
I love my Gidget II table and take it with me to sew on a retreat. The inserts are made by one company and you can buy them direct or through another company like allbrands.com. Just make sure the measurements are correct.
3/15/13 6:12 PM
I just received my Gidget II Sewing Table with custom insert last week and I echo emg's comments. I appreciate the rounded corners (I've made painful contact with my Koala cabinet sharp corners more than once) and the ease of moving the table: remove machine, collapse the legs and it has two wheels at one end to roll it around. Quick delivery from the online supplier.
4/2/13 6:45 PM