Okay it was just a matter of time before I started creating my own hammocks and gear. In order to do this I need a machine (I can't find the wife's). I was looking at the Brother CS6000i since it gets good reviews but there are so many machines I have no idea what I need it to do as far features etc. Even Brother's site has like 100 machines. I am lost... Can you guys help me narrow it down. Maybe outline the features I need for it do. Thanks!
check the "guidelines" post in my sig. Others seem to have found it helpful. All you really _need_ is a good quality straight stitch. Reverse is nice to have but there are work arounds. Zig zag is handy at times but by no means essential for gear making. Anything else can be a pearl necklace on a pig. It might look good but it will never get used in making gear. Older machines usually deliver a higher ratio of quality to price.
I may be slow... But I sure am gimpy.
"Bless you child, when you set out to thread a needle don't hold the thread still and fetch the needle up to it; hold the needle still and poke the thread at it; that's the way a woman most always does, but a man always does t'other way."
Mrs. Loftus to Huck Finn
We Don't Sew... We Make Gear! video series
Important thread injector guidelines especially for Newbies
Bobbin Tension - A Personal Viewpoint
Do you want a new or warrantied working machine or a 'handyman special'?
What's your hoped-for budget?
I'd suggest starting with your local sewing machine shops to get some ideas.
If you want a 'needs oiling'(and sometimes that is all they need) machine, you could check your local Craigslist and then ask for advice here. EDIT: Just checked the Spokane listings, and IMO there aren't any great buys jumping off the page (I'm cheap..) . You may need to watch and wait.
Rev's approach is a good one, but I won't use a machine that doesn't have reverse and zig-zag. Any new machine will have a bunch of stitches you won't use much, but that is a separate issue from the basic quality.
Last edited by VictoriaGuy; 06-19-2014 at 00:03.
Thanks guys! Yap I went to Craigslist and didn't see any either...
Okay, I have great news! After digging through boxes in storage I found a sewing machine! It is a Bernina 1000 Designer. I am guessing its a late 90's model. I have been looking at reviews and seems to be good for basic use. I must say that it is built like a tank, all metal. More good news. After looking for dealers through Bernina's site I found one close by that is a full service center. I am going to go check them out tomorrow...
To clarify... I am not recommending machines that do not have reverse or zig zag. I am saying if you run across one like that for free, or they pay you to take you don't need to turn it down for gear making. I read the OP as asking what was _needed_. Reverse was not a standard feature on many industrial machines until relatively recently. Those beasties will sew through tin cans and ask for more. Zig zag is a 70's addition to the home machine market. It was not needed for anything other than industrial use until Stretch and Sew hit the fad radar. So... if you like those features... nothing wrong with that. But for sheer price... _for gear making_ they are not NEEDED.Originally Posted by VictoriaGuy
I may be slow... But I sure am gimpy.
"Bless you child, when you set out to thread a needle don't hold the thread still and fetch the needle up to it; hold the needle still and poke the thread at it; that's the way a woman most always does, but a man always does t'other way."
Mrs. Loftus to Huck Finn
We Don't Sew... We Make Gear! video series
Important thread injector guidelines especially for Newbies
Bobbin Tension - A Personal Viewpoint
Nice find! Keep looking in the storage unit- there might be a Rolls Royce in the back!
Berninas are great machines - I found a 730 a while back and it is a smooth stitching machine.
That is the exact machine I bought for my wife and I to use from Amazon. She uses it for crafts and such; I use it for gear making and what not. There are a crap ton of options on it yes, but, it is the same price as 'lesser' option rich one. I'd say go for it. We have not had a problem with it yet.
Zig-zag is on most of the 'home' European machines I've found from the mid-50s/1960 onward. Examples:Bernina 125:1945, Elna:1952, Pfaff260:1960...not counting the Pfaff 130, which had ZZ in the 1930s..
One of the big attractions of the zig-zag machines was that buttonholes didn't require a separate attachment, though many sewers (before the digital/electronic era machines) prefer the BH attachments as it's easier to get consistent sizes and alternate (keyhole) shapes are possible as well. Once the zig-zag (side movement) technology was in the machine, the craze for decorative stitches took off.
I like using zigzag in some gear making - there's a reason that practically all the stitching on a sailboat sail is zig-zag, not straight: better performance under strain. And bar tacks are nice sometimes as well.
But...not necessary.....
Last edited by VictoriaGuy; 06-19-2014 at 11:58.
I can remember my mom getting the first machine she had that did zig zag. Probably in the late 60's early 70's when she started getting into the Stretch and Sew program. While this is not to say the technology wasn't there before (after all Merrow was making side moving operations on an industrial level in the Civil War) It was a feature designed for the wicked high end machines. Mom was a Singer snob for most of her life until Singer hit the skids. There was no real need for a zig zag stitch until the knit fabrics became popular and available for home use. She never did latch on to the zig zag for buttonholes. The mechanical adjustments just never met her expectations like the accessories did. She also did a lot of tailoring and keyhole button holes are superior for that. No doubt my time frames are off some. But the 70's is when the feature became widespread and ubiquitous.Zig-zag is on most of the 'home' European machines I've found from the mid-50s/1960 onward. Examples:Bernina 125:1945, Elna:1952, Pfaff260:1960...not counting the Pfaff 130, which had ZZ in the 1930s..
One of the big attractions of the zig-zag machines was that buttonholes didn't require a separate attachment, though many sewers (before the digital/electronic era machines) prefer the BH attachments as it's easier to get consistent sizes and alternate (keyhole) shapes are possible as well. Once the zig-zag (side movement) technology was in the machine, the craze for decorative stitches took off.
I like using zigzag in some gear making - there's a reason that practically all the stitching on a sailboat sail is zig-zag, not straight: better performance under strain. And bar tacks are nice sometimes as well.
But...not necessary.....
I may be slow... But I sure am gimpy.
"Bless you child, when you set out to thread a needle don't hold the thread still and fetch the needle up to it; hold the needle still and poke the thread at it; that's the way a woman most always does, but a man always does t'other way."
Mrs. Loftus to Huck Finn
We Don't Sew... We Make Gear! video series
Important thread injector guidelines especially for Newbies
Bobbin Tension - A Personal Viewpoint
Well, I just returned from the Quilt shop and spent quite a while talking to Dave the Bernina tech. Nice guy! I purchased some #80 and #90 needles, a package of bobbins and some oil. I also went to the hardware store and purchase some machine oil for the bearings. All I need to do now it take out some screws, add some oil in the right places and I should be good to go for a while. :-) Tomorrow, I'll go get some cheap cloth to practice on and order some ripstop. Let fun begin!
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