Posted: 10/22/2015 11:11:52 AM EDT
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So, THIS thread got me thinking about purchasing a heavy duty sewing machine. Either for my wife or my mother. My mother sews all the time but does not have an HD sewing machine and well...my wife doesn't know how to sew and she said it'd be fun to learn. Hell...I'll admit I'd try to use it too; if it doesn't just go to my mother as a Christmas gift.
Anyone that knows how to or uses a sewing machine what is the go-to machine these days? My mother has always used Singer. I'm looking for HD units only because yes, I have a project I'd like done with some heavy straps that need to be sewn. |
| I make cool crap all the time. Like my rifle sling system (where there are two Fastex female connectors sewn on to the rifle itself, one at the gas block another at the end of the stock), some lanyards, and now that dog collar. Webbing and buckles are super cheap. |
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Quoted: Wife has a Bernina,well several,the older 930 is a bulletproof geardrive solid brick of a machine. Pfaff also make good machines as well as viking. 500-1000 for decent NON computer,sad that I can contribute to THIS thread on this forum.  |
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I make cool crap all the time. Like my rifle sling system (where there are two Fastex female connectors sewn on to the rifle itself, one at the gas block another at the end of the stock), some lanyards, and now that dog collar. Webbing and buckles are super cheap. This is the main reason why I'd like to learn. I made a double to single point quick adjust sling and had my mother sew it in a few spots. Problem was her sewing machine couldn't get through the webbing so I bought her a stitching kit that she can do by hand. Problem is, it looks like crap and if I try to use it I'm sure the stitching is going to pull out and my rifle will end up on the ground. Figure if I get a machine I can either learn to do it myself or just give it to my mom and see if she can do it again on the machine. |
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Quoted: Why is that sad? Sounds like you are miles ahead of the many guys here who wouldn't have a clue how to repair their own soft gear. Quoted: Quoted: Wife has a Bernina,well several,the older 930 is a bulletproof geardrive solid brick of a machine. Pfaff also make good machines as well as viking. 500-1000 for decent NON computer,sad that I can contribute to THIS thread on this forum. This. I was assigned to a unit in USAJFKSWCS for several years. We had several heavy duty sewing machines the instructors (Rangers and Special Forces guys) made and repaired gear with. If the SHTF it could be a valuable skill to have. I have my own Singer featherweight I taught my wife to use. Mom and grandma still have a couple old treadle operated Singers that still see use. |
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most machines you pick up cheap will have plastic gears and such, these can break just doing 3 layers of denim
I have done car seats with spousal units singer, I also worked in the sewing industry and understand limits and by the way...your next purchase will be a serger and then a button hole machine 
spend $500 and get a used 120v industrial type w/table, make sure you have a local shop that can set the timing etc and then make everything you want 
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My old company had 16 stations. We had, in order from smallest to largest, Berninas, Consews, Jukis, Singers, and Eagles.
They were all good machines in their own right. The Jukis were class 5 which might be a little much for what you are trying to accomplish, but they are bulletproof. The old Singers we had were more like nuke-proof, made from cast iron, and would sew through anything, including fingers and hands as one of my employees demonstrated for us. Unfortunately, the Singers were so old they didn't have a reverse and you're going to want reverse. The Eagles were class 7 with pneumatic reverse and they are WAY overkill for anything the normal person is going to do. When the machine was running, the table would move across the floor if it wasn't bolted down. The only machines we had regular problems with were the Consews. If I were buying a new machine today, I would buy a Juki without hesitation. They are fantastic. |
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This is one that my Mom currently has. She is really into sewing.
http://www.sewinginsight.com/viking/husqvarna-viking-designer-diamond-deluxe-review/ |
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This is one that my Mom currently has. She is really into sewing. http://www.sewinginsight.com/viking/husqvarna-viking-designer-diamond-deluxe-review/ Is she able to sew thick material with that? |
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I was just laying out a costume for my daughter, and will sew it up later. My usual suggestion to anyone looking to get started cheap and possibly well is to hit up a few church "rummage" sales. Around here there is always at least one older, steel, Singer/Kenmore/White in a cabinet that nobody wants. You can go pretty far with something from the 70's or earlier. |
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Is she able to sew thick material with that? Quoted:
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This is one that my Mom currently has. She is really into sewing. http://www.sewinginsight.com/viking/husqvarna-viking-designer-diamond-deluxe-review/ Is she able to sew thick material with that? She mainly sews quilts and has made quite a few. A couple 1st places, 2nd, and a 3rd place. Quilts can have multiple layers in areas. |
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My girlfriend in college was a home economics major. She had a really nice Viking sewing machine.
http://www.husqvarnaviking.com/ |
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Both of my machines were hand-me-downs. http://i.imgur.com/mq6KNfM.jpg This one is a beast, it can sew through pretty much anything. http://i.imgur.com/0xI3SHW.jpg?2 If you can find one in good working condition, antique machines are amazing. My sister has one like that one in the bottom pic and she says it's a beast. When my mom gave it away I was single and said I had no use for a sewing machine. Now I want one. |
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Quoted: Is she able to sew thick material with that? Quoted: Quoted: This is one that my Mom currently has. She is really into sewing. http://www.sewinginsight.com/viking/husqvarna-viking-designer-diamond-deluxe-review/ Is she able to sew thick material with that? Berninas are rebuildable too. Wife got a non working one for free. Took a few days and she had a > $1,000 machine. |
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Unless you're planning to sew leather, a quality consumer machine from Bernina or Pfaff will do. I have repaired canvas bags, made very thick cordura support bags, etc. with the Bernina. Berninas are rebuildable too. Wife got a non working one for free. Took a few days and she had a > $1,000 machine. Quoted:
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This is one that my Mom currently has. She is really into sewing. http://www.sewinginsight.com/viking/husqvarna-viking-designer-diamond-deluxe-review/ Is she able to sew thick material with that? Berninas are rebuildable too. Wife got a non working one for free. Took a few days and she had a > $1,000 machine. I was looking at Bernina machines earlier when I get home from work I'm going to look at them some more. |
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Quoted: I was looking at Bernina machines earlier when I get home from work I'm going to look at them some more. Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: This is one that my Mom currently has. She is really into sewing. http://www.sewinginsight.com/viking/husqvarna-viking-designer-diamond-deluxe-review/ Is she able to sew thick material with that? Berninas are rebuildable too. Wife got a non working one for free. Took a few days and she had a > $1,000 machine. I was looking at Bernina machines earlier when I get home from work I'm going to look at them some more. |
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Quoted: Is she able to sew thick material with that? Quoted: Quoted: This is one that my Mom currently has. She is really into sewing. http://www.sewinginsight.com/viking/husqvarna-viking-designer-diamond-deluxe-review/ Is she able to sew thick material with that? The review said "No" on leather, canvas, plastic, rubber, etc... Here's a review of the one I was looking at from Singer. Looks like it will hold up to heavy fabrics. |
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As with guns a budget needs to be specified for a sewing machine as you spend $100 or $30,000+ on a machine.
Most Bernina's are still quality machines and can cost lots and lot of money. My wifes 440QE w/ embroidery module was over $4000. If looking at a Pfaff make sure it is was still made in Germany as many of them are now made in China. The 6152 and 6122 are great machines for multiple layers of denim. Here is a site that has lots of industrial machines available. Most will be straight stitch only though so take that into consideration. |
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I worked at a sail loft when I was in college. We had Pfaff, Adler, and Singer machines. The Adler was a newer machine and the singers were pretty old. We had a mix of newer and older Pfaffs. They were all great machines. It's difficult to compare them fairly because they were all for different tasks, but the Pfaffs were the most reliable. |
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last time i was at goodwill they had a bunch of machines there. sewing is just not as popular as it was in the past. Why spend $10 - $15 a yard for fabric (when you need 2 - 3 yards for a single garment) when you can get a shirt already made from Wal-Mart for $5? Most people would rather just buy it and be done with it. Part of the reason I taught myself how to sew was to make cute clothes for cheap. My first trip to the fabric store disabused me of that notion real quick (but I still love to sew things, I just know going in it's not going to cost less). |
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I have sewing machines, and it's a big part of Parachute Rigging
Singer- the old black ones. or maybe the 301/201's (slant needles) from the 50's Pfaff - the metal ones, made in Germany. (I have 3 in my house atm). One is a commercial unit.. sews everything. Necchi - The SuperNova, with cams, if you can find one, is a good machine (maybe others, but make sure they're the ones made in Italy) Elna Bernina ETA: comercial machines: Singer, Pfaff, Juki, Consew |
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My Aunt did a lot of sewing and used a Brother. I bought the same model and have been happy with it. My previous Singer jammed up a lot. The brother will do everything just short of vinyl. With a better needle, it may do that well too, as it had plenty of power. I really need an upholstery machine. I have a couple cars to do........... Craigslist is your friend here. Buy a good used system and have it tuned up. Often people just buy them for a few jobs. |
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Two singers both mid 60-70s models and a brother.
I paid for one machine in less than a year selling light weight tarps in earth tones before it go cool ... Now I just do it as a hobby and to fund side projects. Though id love a juki. Since I'm sitting on 15 yards of 1000d...LOL the other machines can do it...but it beats them to shit over time. I've had all of my tuned and serviced each year it seems.. Stitch bitches unite..... Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile |
