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machine preferences

Started by shaunalee, September 12, 2008, 09:58:25 AM

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mieljolie

#15
Quote from: gypsylakat on September 18, 2008, 11:14:22 PM
...THere is no reason SHE would need to sew 8 peices of leather or 20 peices of denim. (or whatever it was)

But, you know, now that you talked her out of buying it, she will find a project she just has to make that requires sewing 8 pieces of leather and 20 pieces of denim!!  Hehe  Then, it's all your fault.  :)

This is why I don't help friends purchase computers!

Maybe this comment should have been posted in "Murphy's Laws of Sewing" thread.
Royal Order of Landsharks - Guppy No. 85

gypsylakat

Lol, no she won't find a project like that, because she'll make me sew it and I'll creatively talk her out of it.
"A kiss can be a comma, a question mark or an exclamation point.
That's basic spelling that every woman ought to know."

Bugsy

I have a Singer touch and sew, I love it.  Before that, I had Brother ..... something, it was old, but worked really well too.
Elvish dragonfly
Castleteer
Bugs'n M'Crack Clan O'Maille
sister of Lady Pegos

Sweet T

Greetings all,

I love my Husqvarna most because of the bobbin. I love that it drops in from the top, needs no casing of any kind, and has the see through cover that lets me see when it's getting low. The power is also fabulous.

Regards,
Sweet T

RumbaRue

When I was starting to make costumes I asked around to all the professionals I knew who were in the film business and they all said Bernina.

Bernina is made in Germany and is all metal. They are heavy and they are expensive, but worth the money.

So that's what I bought in 1990 with a discount at the Pomona faire. My Bernina is an older model - 1010, but it still works well (though sometimes it can be tempermental) and I buy the regular stock needles to use on it - though I have had some say that's bad and I should use only Bernina needles and such - uh the problem is the Bernina stuff is very expensive as opposed to the regular items sold. So since I'm not full of money, I go the cheaper route and things work perfectly fine.

If you have county faires near you where dealers sell all kinds of stuff, you might be able to find a Bernina dealer and you can almost always get a discount if buying.
Being Blond means I have the right to walk into any wall.

Kate XXXXXX

#20
Bernina needles, like those of Elna, and a few others, are made by Rhein.  They are exactly the same quality as Shcmetze, Klasse, and Groz-Becker.  There is no point in paying extra to buy them in a tiddly box with a fancy name on it.  Buy good needles in bulk packs of 100, and save money that way.   :)

Rahne

I've been watching e-bay as well, there are some great deals there on new and used machines.  I'd suggest going to the specialty store and trying them out and finding out about pricing and which models you like best. Then keep an eye on e-bay and see what pops up.   This is what I plan on doing.  I currently have a brother xr65 that I picked up for $130 at Wal-mart about 3 years ago. It was OK at first, but it is a bit temperamental and the bobbin has a habit of getting messed up, any way it is time to get something better.  I've been sewing almost non stop (except for breaks to go to work and to faire) since June.  The projects are getting bigger and more complex and I need a better machine to keep up with them.
"Don't part with your illusions.
When they are gone, you may still exist, but you have ceased to live"
Mark Twain

Lady Grape

Since this is machine preferences can I find out which embroidery machines everyone prefers.  I made the mistake and went to a sewing machine store and now I have to much information on brochures about them.  I would like some actual user advice on ease of use and friendliness.  My only requirements are that I would like a machine that I can digitize my own patterns into.

Although I must say I want the Baby Lock Embroidery Professional.  Oh yea!!! But since this is not a business for me I think the cost and the machine are over my head.  It looks real pretty in the store though  ;D
Be the change you want to see.

Sweet T

My Husqvarna is also an embroidery machine. Reasons why I like it:

1. Easy to convert from sewing to embroidery
2. Large hoop size
3. Software is user friendly
4. Great tech support

My problem:
There does not seem to be a dealership in all of New Orleans or surrounding areas.

DragonWing

Well reading all the responces to this thread I am now very interesed in buying a new machine. The on I have is a White and it can do the basic stitches but it won't go through leather. Darn it! 

Thank you everyone.  ;)  I may be buying a Husqvarna
Dragon rider and mage,
(aka Vince)

mollymishap

Quote from: Rahne on October 08, 2008, 12:51:09 PM
I've been watching e-bay as well, there are some great deals there on new and used machines....

Yup!  That's what I did, and it was agonizing to put it mildly, but persistence and patience paid off and I got a used Husqvarna Designer I for a song on eBay...or maybe I should say "an operetta" since it was still a lot of $ and I had to save up for literally 5 years to be able to get it.  (I paid about $1,200 for it.)

And as to Lady Grape's question about digitizing, you need separate software for that.  A high-end embroidery machine should be able to accept your own design diskettes (or through a USB port), but you need to have the capacity to manipulate your designs on the computer and then transfer onto diskette/USB, etc.. 

The software I got was the 3D professional and it was another $2K or so.  I got it during a super-special around Thanksgiving time, and because the upgrade was due to come out within the year, I got a free upgrade to the 4D software when it came out.

So now you can see where I had to save up for years to be able to treat myself to those goodies.

And speaking of which: I LOVE the machine and the 4D software is much easier to use than the 3D was.

HTH and good luck!

Danni

I use a White from the late sixties, maybe even the early seventies. It was my grandmothers, and it still works like a champ, but it is INCREDIBLY loud! My mother has a Bernina (probably spelled that wrong, forgive me) and she LOVES it!

I find myself doing a lot of my faire sewing by hand though, covering grommets, hemming, etc. Call me old school! I think the only reason I haven't looked to up-grade is the sentimental attachment I have to my grandmother's machine!

LaurenLee

Well. I just got a $600 bonus at work (waaaay less than other years), and was ready to go buy myself a new machine, and now the transmission is slipping in my truck   :(  So I think I'm stuck with my cheap Singer for another year... I have to do alot by hand because it won't sew through the thick canvas lining I use on bodices...    I got a quote for a Babylock Grace machine for $399, and I'm really tempted to let the truck slide (I can drive the old car for awhile instead).... and get the machine!

Boy it's a good thing I'm not doing the "food or machine" debate in my head, or I might starve! :D

Kate XXXXXX

Granny's old workhorse is probably much tougher and more able to cope with the thicker fabrics and greater weigh of garb than many a modern machine, other then the TOTL jobs from Bernina, Husqvarna and Pfaff...  Keep it going!

For going through the thicker layers of canvas, use a new Jeans needle in a size 90.  $600 would buy you a nice new mid range machine from these companies.  $500 would get you the darling workhorse Bernina 1008, and possibly the eyelet kit as well.  That would certainly cope with the canvas.