Shopping for Sewing Machine

[Alan H]

Bernina makes good stuff. so does Husqvarna...yes, the same company that makes motorcycles.

Hers' the thing, you don't need a $700 sewing machine to make an X-kilt. If you WANT a $700 sewing machine, then go for it.

If it were me and I was goinna drop those kind of bucks on a sewing machine, this is what I'd get... the Ultrafeed LSZ-1 Walking Foot Sewing Machine... $800.

http://www.sailrite.com/Sailrite-Ult...Sewing-Machine

All it does is straight stitch and zig-zag. But it has a walking foot... a DREAM for stitching up sailcloth and heavy canvas, and it has a brutal amount of power. Five - six layers of canvas in a canvas kilt waistband?...this machine will laugh at that. It also will happily sew leather.

....but that's a lot of money. you can make two-three X-kilts from a low-end singer from JoAnne's that will cost you $175, or from a used machine off of ebay. Check your local areas Craigslist, too.

[BEEDEE]

If it were me and I was goinna drop those kind of bucks on a sewing machine, this is what I'd get... the Ultrafeed LSZ-1 Walking Foot Sewing Machine... $800.

http://www.sailrite.com/Sailrite-Ult...Sewing-Machine

I have an Ultrafeed LSZ-1 machine and love it, but I bought it primarily for my yacht so that I can reapir sails and canvas. You can sometimes find them on e-bay so keep looking.

Brian

[The Wizard of BC]

This is about the third thread on the same subject so I'll give the same advice as before.

Go to your local sewing machine dealer. One that sells a couple of different brands. Look over the used machines and find one that does straight
& zig-zag stitches only. One that is at least 20 years old and feels like it weighs a ton when you try to pick it up. There should be four or five to choose from. Then lift the pressure foot of each one and buy the one that lifts the highest.

It shouldn't cost you more than 100-150 bucks.

Then when you get it home find an old table or desk and mount the machine in the largest work surface you can fit in your room. Don't worry, that extra part of the table can be used as the lay-out surface/ironing board/whatever. And your will thank me forever for telling you you needed it.

Machine $100.00
Old desk from Goodwill $20.00
Having a surface to support all that fabric while you feed it into the machine, priceless.

[emolas]

Go to your local sewing machine dealer. One that sells a couple of different brands. Look over the used machines and find one that does straight
& zig-zag stitches only. One that is at least 20 years old and feels like it weighs a ton when you try to pick it up. There should be four or five to choose from. Then lift the pressure foot of each one and buy the one that lifts the highest.

Sigh... I miss my old Consew 206 RB3 and my Singer 111W100. Now THOSE were quality machines.

[Doc]

I agree with Steve. You can almost always find a good older machine with all the inside bits made of metal and not metal grained plastic I use a singer 15-91 that is older than I am and it works like a champ. If I can put it under the foot, it will sew it. My big machine is to heavy for kilts. It's a Juki 562 with a class 4 moter and tranmtter timed to run a size 22 or 24 needle with a max thread size of 207 or size F 3-cord kevlar. Shiner, PM me I may have a machine you can have, I'll have to dig. One last thing, walking foot is a incorrect, if the neddle moves with the feed dogs it's a needle feed, if the presser foot moves (walks) with the feed dogs it's called a unisen feed. Just to avoid shopping confusion. And I think I left may spelling and grammer in my other sporan. Theres my .02, good luck.