Having an odd time finding the right machine.
I have been looking for awhile now for an industrial machine that can do both denim (making pants) and light leather for wallets and other assessories. I have been eBaying and Craigslisting for awhile now and I can't seem to find anything between an industrial machine and a learners machine. I'm tempted to buy a juki ddl7800 from eBay but I'm leary on pulling the trigger on a setup that is 650. Is there anything g less than this around that can handle what I'm trying to do?
Thank you in advance.
Posted Jul 26, 2015, 10:03 PM UTC
29
Likely the reason nobody has floated an answer is because nobody is sure what you're looking for, or what your skill level is - asking for something "between an industrial machine and a learners machine" is confusing - do you know how to sew, or are you just learning? If you're just learning, any industrial machine is going to be... big guns. Industrial machines move so fast that inexperienced sewists are in real danger of sucking their fingers and/or hands up under the needle.
They often work with a knee bar or pedal, which takes some getting used to, and the speeds on them are basically as follows;
a) barely touching the pedal - one stitch at a time
b) a hair more pressure - look, ma, I'm sewing
c) just a wee bit more pressure - OH GOD I JUST SEWED MY FINGERS TOGETHER THROUGH THE FINGERNAILS!!!!!!!!!!!
As for a machine that can handle making pants and doing light leather work, go to a sewing machine store and tell them what you need. They can help point you in the right direction. You can get a brand-name machine with no fancy features (no computer, manual knobs and switches, no auto threading) that can make jeans for less than $300.00. Light leather work, as long as you are choosing the right needle, can be done, but the thicker leather you use, or the more layers of lightweight leather, the more strain you're going to put on a machine.
If you're serious about trying leather work, and are on a budget, I'd suggest picking up a vintage machine from the 60's or earlier - their guts are normally steel rather than nylon or plastic, and they're just more likely to be able to deal with heavy jobs. You'll still want to pick up a bunch of leather needles, and go slow, but at least you won't be breaking the bank.
Hey I really appreciate your response. I realized now that it was a very vague question and I know how to sew a bit, but would still consider myself a beginner in terms of patterns and sewing actual pieces of clothing from scratch. I will look into a sewing shop and see what they have to offer.
Again, thank you.
No problem! Often your local sewing store will also have vintage machines with steel guts, which they service before they sell, so they'll be a good price and reliable. You could probably pick up an older machine like that for less than 150 and it should be able to do all you're after.
I've found that if you want to do a bit of everything, a vintage machine is a good starting point, but honestly, I have two sergers, a coverstitch machine, and three sewing machines set to do different things. My 3 year old Pfaff is my go-to day to day machine, and then I have a 70's Kenmore set up for buttonholes and a 50's Castle for heavy duty leather/pleather/multi layer denim. You might want to pick up a good machine for pant making (and other clothing projects) and an old tank of a machine for leather and hemming jeans.
I've been looking around on craigslist to see if I could find a vintage machine that would have been an industrial machine to handle the heavier materials, but I'm not really coming up with much.
Some examples: http://pittsburgh.craigslist.org/atq/5141719519.html
http://pittsburgh.craigslist.org/jwl/5132829291.html
http://pittsburgh.craigslist.org/atq/5080280009.html
http://pittsburgh.craigslist.org/bfs/5106844683.html 241-11 with a broken belt for 275.
If you wouldn't mind, do any of these look worth getting? I know you can't judge them without being in person, but are these deals that wouldn't be bad to jump on?
Well... here's the thing. Those are all lovely machines, and if you are a sewing machine buff who is comfortable maintaining / fixing your own machine, I'd say go for it. The thing about these REALLY vintage machines is that often, they're straight stitch only (I'm going to reply to your next post about the Juki separately, and talk a little more about straight stitch machines) and it can be a little more difficult and costly to come by parts for them.
When I recommend an older machine, I'm generally recommending something from the 50's to the late 70's, like these;
http://pittsburgh.craigslist.org/for/5080380920.html (watch this video - this machine is built to do buttonholes, which are often heavy duty https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZWNyQzgcRc)
http://pittsburgh.craigslist.org/atq/5125932241.html - which from what I'm seeing in reviews, can work through two layers of leather without too much fuss
http://pittsburgh.craigslist.org/for/5119617333.html - a singer which is fairly basic - my basic rule on Singers is that I don't buy Singers newer than 1970 for heavy duty work. At some point the company changed hands or something, and the steel gears started getting replaced with plastic and nylon. Singer has one of the best websites for finding information about old machines though, so if you're looking for an older unit, Singer's often a good choice.
You'll see a lot of kenmores locally - those machines tend to have a bit of a following, because they were the Sears brand, and they were pretty ubiquitous - pretty much every older kenmore model has a youtube video or two made by someone who loves their machine.
This also means that parts and service is relatively cheap and simple.
The upside of getting a starter machine like these ones is simple - you can pick them up for $100 or less, google about them and watch youtube videos on how they work and how to maintain/repair them, and they all essentially function in a similar way, so if you can't figure out how to do something just by looking at the machine, the internet can help.
Also, once you've decided that you're ready to commit to a big industrial machine, you can set one of these machines up for ONLY buttonholing if you want, and your money still won't be wasted.
This is the Juki I was looking at. 650 shipped seems like a really good deal.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Juki-DDL8700-Industrial-Single-Needle-Sewing-Machine-New-Servo-Motor-and-Table-/271888790583?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3f4dd5b437
It IS a great looking machine. Here's the thing, though - when you buy something from ebay instead of from a local dealer, your options for returning a lemon or getting service are limited.
There doesn't appear to be a Juki dealer in PA, which means that while almost any sewing machine store will be able to offer parts and service for any relatively current machine, you're buying a specialty machine, but getting it serviced will mean driving more than an hour round trip.
Like... like buying a Mercedes and then taking it to Volvo for repairs. Both are wonderful, and it's going to cost a premium price regardless of which place you take it, but the Mercedes dealership is likely to find the problem quicker, and be equipped and stocked to fix it and get you back on the road faster. The Volvo dealership will always need to order parts in, and then read manuals about how to install them.
The other thing about this machine is that it's a straight stitch machine. Which is great, but if you're looking for a multi functional machine, this is not that. It can go forwards and backwards only. Quickly, and with great power, but only that. This is where having a small older machine would come in handy - something that will do a zigzag, which I never ever think I will need, and then I remember that doing buttonholes is not possible with a straight stitch machine.
Also, if you plan on sewing pants with fabric with stretch, a straight stitch machine may not produce the results you expect - a plain straight stitch isn't very stretchy - most stretchy jeans are sewn with a straight stretch stitch, which sews two stitches forward then one stitch back, so that the thread is less likely to snap than it would be if it was a single stitch by itself.
All in all, this is a machine that I would add to my sewing room if I could. I think the price is good, it looks like it functions well, and I have a Juki dealership in my city. But it couldn't be my only machine, or even my main machine, unless all I was sewing were curtains and tablecloths and leather goods and non-stretch articles of clothing.
All that said, fashion schools use machines like that regularly. If you worked in a factory, you'd probably use a similar machine. But then, if you were in a factory, or in a school, maintenance would be someone else's problem, and you'd also have other machines to work on to complete your projects.