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From: maopopo
Date: 04-02-2006, 05:03 PM (1 of 8)
| Hi, I Was Wondering If Anyone Had Any Suggestions On Which Machine To Buy To Sew Leather? I Love Some Of The Older Singers, Looking For Something Fairly Simple But Heavy Duty. If Anyone Has An Opinion Or Experience Good Or Bad About A Particular Machine That Would Be Great!! Thank You So Much! |
User: maopopo
Member since: 04-02-2006 Total posts: 2 |
From: Tom Land
Date: 04-02-2006, 10:51 PM (2 of 8)
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I get the impression you are talking about the old household model Singers. If you are planning to sew lightweight leather they might do the job. If this is the case look for a vertical hook machine rather than a top drop-in. Those models are the Singer 15 class. Other machines to condider are the old Itallian made Necchis, & Pfaff 130. If it is heavier leather or you will be sewing a lot of it you really ought to be looking at a Walking foot machine.
Have fun or don't do it, Tom
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User: Tom Land
Member since: 09-21-2005 Total posts: 514 |
From: Melanie T
Date: 04-03-2006, 09:22 AM (3 of 8)
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I belong to several old sewing machine groups and this question has come up several times within the last month due to some scams on ebay of sellers selling older model regular household machines as "heavy duty, industrial strength". Here is a link to one ebay guide written by a member of the wefix it yahoo list (about 1500 old sewing machine fixerup enthuiasts) http://reviews.ebay.com/WHAT-TO-THINK-ABOUT-WHEN-BUYING-A-H-D-SEWING-MACHINE_W0QQugidZ10000000000765178 The best place to ask this question is on the wefix it yahoo list, as many of the people there have these older machines and know which ones will do the best job on your specific task. The link to the yahoo site is http://groups.yahoo.com/group/wefixit/?yguid=145440205 Hope these links will help answer your question and good luck with your sewing. Melanie
4 little sewing machine mechanics (6, 4, 2, Born June 14) Ontario Canada |
User: Melanie T
Member since: 09-21-2004 Total posts: 155 |
From: toastydeath
Date: 04-03-2006, 12:02 PM (4 of 8)
| You can get a brand new, industrial straight-stitch walking foot machine for between 600 and 700 dollars. You won't have to worry about trouble stitching very heavy fabrics or machine longevity under that workload. You also won't be able to beat the simplicity of the machine or quality of the stitch at speed. |
User: toastydeath
Member since: 03-11-2006 Total posts: 13 |
From: maopopo
Date: 04-03-2006, 02:48 PM (5 of 8)
| any suggestion on a brand for a new straight stitch machine? THANK YOU!! |
User: maopopo
Member since: 04-02-2006 Total posts: 2 |
From: toastydeath
Date: 04-04-2006, 02:52 AM (6 of 8)
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any suggestion on a brand for a new straight stitch machine? THANK YOU!! I'm going to apoligize ahead of time by saying I'm not able to help you out on your question. I can't give a really good reccomendation on specific brand - i have an industrial serger, but not an industrial straight stitch (yet). As long as it has the features you are looking for, it's an industrial machine and it's going to be around for awhile no matter what brand/model you choose. They're also completely adjustable for the user in ways one doesn't readily imagine, so sitting down and running the machine isn't so important as it is with a domestic. http://industrial-sewing-machines.com/ is where i bought my serger, and I plan on buying my straight-stitch from them as well. Browse the lockstitch machines, and scroll down to where the prices are listed. There's quite a vast selection. For someone who plans on sewing leather, a machine designed for medium weight fabrics will do the trick (heavy, in industrial terms, is if you are sewing live bears made of concrete together - you will lose the gentleness necessary to do things that are not denim/leather weight and above). I wouldn't worry about the stitch speed, as it will be around 2000 spm for the lower end of the price range. I would definately, definately get a model with a walking foot. I would reccomend you do a bit more research on this variety of machine before making the leap. If you plan on doing a lot of leather, this will probably be the machine type for you. Personally, I read into it and decided I would never buy another home machine. But I am strange, and this style of machine just does not fit a majority of users. The machine, completely assembled (table, head, motor) will weigh between 135-200 lbs. The table is about 2x4. If you plan on taking it anywhere, you will need a van and an extra set of arms. They eat needles for breakfast - for every time a needle sticks, flexes, or shimmies in a home machine, the industrial breaks one. It's just what happens when you put a 75 pound, 400 watt electric motor on a sewing machine. |
User: toastydeath
Member since: 03-11-2006 Total posts: 13 |
From: Patty22
Date: 04-04-2006, 11:55 AM (7 of 8)
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I am spoiled and I have been spoiled since 1983 when my husband bought me a sewing machine for Mother's Day. All I wanted was a straight stitch machine that would sew different weights and types of fabric without bunching, skipping stitches, or having the bobbin pull. I wanted to sew without the frustration that I had experienced with an old Kenmore and an old White that my mother had given me. We went to a local fabric/sewing center (with three little ones in tow) and my husband told me I could have any machine in the store (bwahahahahaha).  Too good to be true? Was I in sewing machine heaven? He kept standing by a standard Singer (probably thinking to himself, my wife has always been so frugal, I can expect her not to be extravagant) and I looked at the saleswoman and told her "I'll take that one," - a top of the line Bernina 930. His jaw just about hit the floor  over the price sticker - but it was the best investment we ever made. I never had a problem - never - with sewing from chiffon to several thickness of jean material. Ten years later, I decided to upgrade, and I was able to sell my machine for 3/4 of what my husband paid for it. Currently I own a Bernina 801 Sport and Bernina 1230, Bernette Serger (first one they came out with) and 2 Singer featherweights. I have sewn on all kinds of machines, and Bernina has suited my needs. Which is the key to your question about getting a straight stitch machine. You should really take all the kinds of fabrics that you sew with machine shopping and sit and sew your fabrics. You need to really think about what kind of performance you expect the machine to provide you. Will you get technical support from your dealer? How good is the warranty? Do you really need your machine to be able to do 100's of other stitches - will you utilize this feature or pay extra for something you may never use? Research the brand you are anticipating purchasing by checking them out on the web. Check out the machine's resale value (eBay searches). I think the sound of a sewing machine humming away is the most beautiful lullaby! Good luck machine shopping. Patty Patty
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User: Patty22
Member since: 03-29-2006 Total posts: 1194 |
From: Tom Land
Date: 04-11-2006, 12:40 AM (8 of 8)
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Most of my customers insist that the Juki 1541 is the best compound walking foot(what you really want if you're planing to do serious leather sewing) machine on the market today and I agree. You can get it for $1199 complete with stand and motor. An economical way to go is the Tacsew T111. I ussually discourage people from purchasing Tacsew products because I have had so much trouble out of various models. However I have not had a single complaint on this model. It sells, depending on the quality of table you want, for around $720 complete. If you're' able to find a used one the Pfaff 545 or 1245 are excellent, but please do not trust e-bay. Find one locally that you can test-sew on. Have fun or don't do it, Tom
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User: Tom Land
Member since: 09-21-2005 Total posts: 514 |
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