He'p me! Sewing machine advice

[Warlock]

That's ok Navyguy. I've been wanting to use it myself. Oh yeah. Totally forgot about Pfaff.

[Navyguy]

Steve,
Your pics showing the kilt pleats held together with safety pins is a huge tip in itself!!
I'm going to be getting a big box of them this weekend.

They make safety pins that are curved, so it doesn't distort the fabric. I use those and love them. They are called quilters pins, or dressmaker pins, I think.

[The Wizard of BC]

Please don't get me wrong, I was not suggesting you get an industrial machine.
At $2000.00 each they are way out of the range of the normal user and a waste of money. I need them because I do this for a living.
I was trying to show the table extensions and pressure foot height. The two things I consider in a machine over every other feature.

The curved "quilters pins" are what we use. Don't get the small ones. We also use alligator clips for those quick bastes. But you need a lot of each. I have a large metal ash tray in the shop that contains perhaps 200 quilters safety pins, another with about 100 alligator clips and literally thousands of straight pins in pin cushions all over the shop. You know, the ones with the big plastic ball on the end.

OH Yes, if you get the safety pins, always, ALWAYS, take the time to close the pins before you throw them back into the dish. That little few seconds of time it takes will save you many minutes untangling the open pins when you need to use them again.

[Erisianmonkey]

OH Yes, if you get the safety pins, always, ALWAYS, take the time to close the pins before you throw them back into the dish. That little few seconds of time it takes will save you many minutes untangling the open pins when you need to use them again.

Now if I could only get my wife to understand that, I'd have a lot happier time when opening my sewing supplies!

[Lily]

He guys didn,t think finding a thread to sewingmachines!

Last year i bought my thirth sewingmachine( no i,m not that old i started very young sewing)hahaha.
The last one i bought wasn,t very expensive because i don,t use heavy materials(mostly cotton for my quilts).
But as The Wizard says, if it,s your living you need an industrial machine, but i do like your table where you work on !
And just working at one piece at the time!
And yes, quilter pins and aligatorclips work very fine.I use them too.
My latest quiltdesign is one from different tartans.

[mddock58]

I have a Bernina (bought for my wife 23 years ago, she quilts, sews, does reverse applique) and it does quite well. This is one that has metal internal gears and manual levers to select the stitch. Her mother bought one at the same time and has never really used it, and will be giving it to us as well. These were $1300.00 machines at that time.

I agree with Steve, you do not need to go with an industrial machine, but you may want to keep your eyes open for one. Sometimes you can pick one up reasonably priced used.

[JimB]

Please don't get me wrong, I was not suggesting you get an industrial machine.
At $2000.00 each they are way out of the range of the normal user and a waste of money. I need them because I do this for a living.
I was trying to show the table extensions and pressure foot height. The two things I consider in a machine over every other feature.

The curved "quilters pins" are what we use. Don't get the small ones. We also use alligator clips for those quick bastes. But you need a lot of each. I have a large metal ash tray in the shop that contains perhaps 200 quilters safety pins, another with about 100 alligator clips and literally thousands of straight pins in pin cushions all over the shop. You know, the ones with the big plastic ball on the end.

OH Yes, if you get the safety pins, always, ALWAYS, take the time to close the pins before you throw them back into the dish. That little few seconds of time it takes will save you many minutes untangling the open pins when you need to use them again.

Steve,
Thanks so much for your advice. I will probably never do this for a living, but I want to make a lot more for myself and for my sons, and this sort of advice is invaluable.
Can I ask what size alligator clips you use and where I can get them? Are they a hardware store kind of thing or are they at fabric stores?

[Dreadbelly]

**Does funky Dreadfoo Voodoo™ and causes topic to rise up from the grave**

I just bought one of those Pfaffs... They can be had for cheap if you are lucky!

[Kid Cossack]

Well done O Dread One!











NOW WHERE DE PICTS?

[Dreadbelly]

Umm... I don't have it yet. Different kind of jones, same kind of pain.

I still need a table and a motor, but from what I understand the machine I got comes with some kind of knee controls, some kind of feed system, some sort of auto bobbin thingamajig, and some other stuff that I don't even understand yet.

I have also found out that the package being shipped to me weighs ONE HUNDRED AND TEN POUNDS. Bloody hell.