Sewing Machines

[SSDD]

For those of you who are new or old DIY'ers or the Pro's what sewing Machine do you use and why ?

Are you using a single or twin needle ?

What stich are you using ?

Do you use a walking foot ?

I am thinking about a Pfaff 546 set up with a twin needle and walking foot


Thanks

[Ralph]

I have made many pieces of gear with a $90 Singer 1120 and a heavy duty size 16 needle. This handles size 69 bonded nylon thread (the heaviest weight usable in household machines). I generally use the standard prssure foot, but do have a roller foot I use on "sticky" material.

This setup is capable of sewing through multiple layers of 1000d Cordura, coated ripstop (lining) and mil. spec. nylon webbing. It also handles (with tension adjustment) UL sil-nylon.

The only deficiency is the somewhat narrow throat, though planning the construction and thinking the problem through makes that a minimal problem.

I've always been tempted to get a commercial machine but then have to ask, "Why?" when the machine I have does everything I need done.

[HighMiler]

My machine is a $100 +/- Brother home model. Nothing special. I do use the heaviest needles & thread it will accommodate because I got tired of breaking both in the middle of bar-tacking or some-such maneuver. Not sure of the needle number -- probably like Ralph's. I have managed to get just about everything done I've needed to do, though I have had to resort to riveting and hand-stitching here and there. Wish my machine had a much larger throat. Wish it had a better foot. Wish the reverse wasn't right-hand activated. Wish I'd bought that commercial unit when I had the chance -- and the wife wasn't looking.
If wishes were horses, yada yada

[Kudzu]

Originally Posted by SSDD

For those of you who are new or old DIY'ers or the Pro's what sewing Machine do you use and why ?

I use a pink 80's Singer that I picked up for $50 on craigslist. I got it because most of the gearing is metal instead of plastic.

Are you using a single or twin needle ?

It depends on the job. For finishing things with grosgrain and stuff like that I like the double needle.

Do you use a walking foot ?

This has been on my shopping list for about 2 years but I have yet to get one. Maybe 2011 is the year!

[Rocketman]

I have several old sewing machines, mostly from the 1950-70 period and completely mechanical - no computer stuff in them. My favorite is a Husqvarna Viking 6430 model which has several fancy stitch cams and has a narrow freearm good for tailoring.

I own a bunch of double needles and never use them for any outdoor project.

I use different needles for different fabrics. A "sharp" piercing needle for silnylon in a somewhat small size. For heavier fabrics, heavier needles. Often there will be some sort of guide to this in your sewing machine manual.

I have acquired some walking feet for use with silnylon, and other seam applications, but have not used them yet.

For a while, I haunted the thrift shops looking for old sewing machines and ended up with more than I needed. Th most I ever paid for a machine was one mounted in a very nice cabinet with a matching stool, and that was $40. Needed virtually no work at all to sew, and it had a gob of sewing attachments and the manual.

I bought some service manuals (for repairing/adjusting) and a book or two on sewing machine repair/service and learned a lot. There are some good and bad YouTube videos on repairs for sewing machines as well.

Finally, I picked out five (5) of my least favorite machines and donated them to the Girl Scouts, along with some old backpacking equipment.

Be sure to oil your machine frequently, hitting the oiling locations indicated in the owner's manual. Change needles frequently as well. Get good lighting. Sew a lot. Look for old books on sewing, there are a ton of them around.

There are a bunch of books from the 1970's on sewing your own backpacking gear. The patterns aren't modern, but the techniques are still fine.

[architect]

I have used a few singers and was less then thrilled with results. One look up in the "Sewing Stitch and Textile Bible" revealed why. Ripstop nylon has the highest difficulty rating (3 pins). Silicon coated is even more difficult to use.

I went to the Pfaff dealer and tried sewing with a walking foot.....

Night and DAY!!!

I bought mine used. I am extremely happy with it.

All tools need attention to produce optimum results. A thread injector is no different.

Features vary on machines, but I have used most of my computerized stitches when making gear, especially outdoor clothing.

Advice: don't skip on the machine it will determine your future results.

[Bushwalker]

I don't have any machines myself here at this time, but over the years I have noticed two alternatives that are quite popular with the likes of saddlers, upholsterers and sailmakers down here :

* old Singer "treadly" (foot-operated treadle..) sewing machines, pre-WWII vintage, often converted to power with 1/4 or 1/2 h.p. motors added to them;

* and heavy duty industrial machines that they pick up at at a good price at clearance sales and auctions.

Some of those small scale hand-operated machines that one sees in shoe repair shops and "Minute Man" kiosks could also potentially be handy for small jobs in tough materials ?

[Ralph]

While I would like to have a commercial machine, my Singer 1120 sews multi-layers of 1000d Cordura, packcloth and webbing without a problem, is compact enough to sit on a small table in my apartment and cost less than $100.

The problem with commercial machines are cost ($400-600 used is common), bulk and weight (larger table and much heavier when moving time comes along), and most only come with a single stitch (you only need two, straight stitch and zig-zag (bar tack, but you do need both)

My Singer has sewn sil-nylon, small belt pouches and packs up to the size of the ZXR without a problem using #69 thread so it's hard to justify the cost etc. of a commercial machine.

Years ago I had an old foot treadle with a fairly heavy fly-wheel that worked fine - once you get the hang of using them - and these are just the ticket where electricity isn't easily available. I don't work tht much with leather anymore but when I do I use the saddle stitch. The tools needed are inexpensive (overstitch wheel, a saddler's awl and a few harness needles. Done neatly it's hard to tell a hand-sewn saddle stitch from a machine sewn one.