Sewing Machines

[JamesT1]

As I am looking into buying a new sewing machine, I was wondering if any of you had any recommendations. It will most likely be for person use. I have come to the conclusion that since I cannot find a lot of items in my size I will start making them on my own. I don't want anything too fancy just a good solid machine. Any help would be great, Thanks.
-James

[Cufflink79]

Dear James:
My Grandma had a Singer sewing machine for years and loved it. I am not sure what price rage your thinking of, but they tend to do good work. Here is there web site hope it is of help. www.singerco.com

Best Regards,

Cufflink79

[mathew]

Buy an industrial sewing machine if you can.

[pchong]

My mother has a Juki industrial machine. It works perfectly, is extremely fast, can sew very even stitches. But is quite a monster, and sometimes scares people from using it. Also I think there is some charm in a leg or hand powered domestic machine.

[lancepryor]

I have an industrial machine I picked up for shoemaking; as PChong writes, these machines are EXTREMELY fast, and as such are fairly difficult to control. You may want to pick up a machine designed for the home sewer, in order to gain experience in using a sewing machine, before getting an industrial machine. If you decide to go straight for the industrial machine, you may want to look into getting a speed reducer, which at least will somewhat decrease the sewing speed.

Also, you need to think about what stitches you will be sewing. Most industrial sewing machines only sew one type of stitch (e.g. a lock stitch vs. a zig-zag stitch vs. a serge stitch vs.button-holes, etc.), but they sew them very well and can do so for hours on end; they are also typically designed for specific weights of fabric (denim [heavy] vs. leather [very heavy/tough] vs. cotton/wool), so knowing what you plan to be making is relevant. Finally, industrial machines need a separate table and motor, whereas home-oriented machines can be stand-alone devices and thus require far less space.

It probably makes sense to buy a used machine from a reputable seller, rather than buying a new home-oriented machine, since the new machines seem to be made from less durable materials and are designed to do an incredible variety of tasks which many are probably not helpful to you. Used industrial machines are a good way to go also, as they are incredibly expensive new. However, it is often advised to make sure to test a machine before buying it, since repairing machines can be a difficult and expensive proposition.

Also relevant is what type of machine to purchase, in terms of how the fabric is fed/moved through the machine; there are machines with roller-wheels, some with a 'walking foot,' some with 'needle feed,' others with some combination of the above, and perhaps others with some other type of feed. These different approaches have strengths and weaknesses that best fit with certain applications.

It can all be pretty confusing.

Here is a vendor of used industrial machines; their prices are good, but I have no personal experience or knowledge about the quality of their machines or their customer service.

http://www.miamisewing.com/specials/canvas.htm

Good luck and let us know what you decide. If I can be of any additional service, please do let me know -- though my knowledge in this area is limited.

[AlexanderKabbaz]

If you can find one, the best machine for general use is a Singer 491. For less money, you can find a Singer 95 ... but these do not have the reversing lever for backstitch locking.

Pfaff makes better machines, but finding good quality used ones in the U.S. is difficult.

Don't buy a machine for speed. Not only do you not need the speed, the faster they sew, the poorer the quality of the stitch.

[JMurphy]

My wife loves her Pfaff. Although there is no way in hell I could ever reach the skill level of a tailor I have regretted not learning to sew. Some the stuff I've seen parachute riggers and sailmakers stitch up is unreal. Upholsterers, too.

[Romualdo]

We only use Juki machines in our shop. The older the better!

[RWS]

When, in the early 1980s, I investigated the sewing machines most recommended by skilled amateur seamstresses and tailors, I found that older, American-made Singers and then-contemporary, Swiss-made Berninas were the best regarded.

[JamesT1]

First of all, thank you all for your help. I ended up buying an older Singer from e-bay for about $100. I am unsure of the model number offhand but it is pre-computerization. So far it's been working well, now I suppose I will be spending the rest of my money on fabric...
James

[JamesT1]

bringing this back from the dead...

The sewing machine I currently use is a Singer 28. It has a rather interesting feature in that instead of a bobbin, it has what is referred to as a "shuttle". Does anyone know anything about this style of machine and the benfits or drawbacks?

Thanks,
James

[AlexanderKabbaz]

Singer Model 28:


The Bobbin (looks like a spool) goes inside the shuttle (the metal device). If there is no bobbin in your shuttle, the machine will not stitch. If a bobbin didn't come with the machine, you will have the darndest time finding one:



Here is a bit more information:
http://www.sewitgoes.net/smcoll/vs/sngvs28.html

Your machine is a real collector's edition. If it has been electrified, you may want to try it ... but they are extremely difficult to use and maintain. More an item for a mantelpiece than a sewing room.

You can probably find a used Singer Model 95 - for decades the 'standard' shirt and tailoring machine - for under $100 which will last forever and for which parts are easily available.

[JamesT1]

Thank you very much Mr. Kabbaz

It is electrified. I suppose I was rather confusing in my previous post. I have the bobbin for this machine (thankfully, because as you said, they are not easy to come by), but I was curious as to if it were any better or worse than the standard bobbins.

James

[AlexanderKabbaz]

Theoretically, the concept is worse. Round-shuttle machines use a rotating method which is virtually vibration-free to lock the stitch. In the Model 28 the shuttle locks the thread by moving side-to-side in a lateral plane. This is the reason it is referred to as a "vibrating shuttle". When stitching at the speed of the intended hand crank, the vibration would have been minimal. Electrification permits speeds higher than the design was originally intended for.

My oldest machine, a treadle type from Wilcox & Gibbs, is circa mid 1800's and uses a round shuttle. Do you know the manufacturing date of the Model 28?

[T4phage]

Here are some pretty old ones I saw when visiting a tailoring shop in Italy.