I’ve been lurking, did a few searches here and at tlb, but haven’t found the answer i was looking for.  I want to get a sewing machine to make some of my own gear.  I was told at a repair center i should invest in something heavy duty like a pfaff 130.  I’m not sure i’d get enough use out of the machine to justify buying one.  I had my mom help me with a ray-way quilt and it was tricky feeding it through her high end bernina, and the machine also didn’t seem to like it very much.
I may be doing a kit or two in the future using Syn insulation, like a vest, or maybe a jacket.

so my question is, can anyone recommend a machine that will sew through the light weight nylons with ease and not cost me $500+?

been searching craigslist for things like a pfaff 230 or maybe an older singer that does more than just straight stitch.

thx.

awesome. 186 views and no one has anything to pipe up about.

Stick with the Bernina.  Turing out good gear depends on the skill of the operator.  Get more practice and you won’t have problems feeding insulation anymore.

My wife and I made a quilt and a Momentum/Sil bivy using a $20 singer from Goodwill. The seems on the first project (quilt) vary in appearance from dodgy to quite nice - but all are functionally sound. The quilt was great this summer for backpacking in Seven Devils and Wallawas. I use it at night at home now that it is cold enough inside. The bivy finish was much better as we got used to the machine.

In my experience, going cheep worked. I would recommend the lowest cost machine that does the few seem types you need.

AYCE - 22 November 2009 09:12 PM

Stick with the Bernina.  Turing out good gear depends on the skill of the operator.  Get more practice and you won’t have problems feeding insulation anymore.

i would love to steal my mothers bernina, but it’s hers, and she’s a traditional quilt nut.  so i was looking for a machine for my self.  i know the pfaff 130’s are supposed to outlast time, although they are hard to come by.

The first tent I made was on my Mom’s very old Singer.  It didn’t even have a reverse.  When I switched to my wife’s Bernina (with reverse) I thought I’d died and gone to heaven.  I’ve since made a half dozen packs and tents on that machine.

My point is that almost any machine will do.  Simple is good in my opinion.  A good used machine should meet your needs.  Just make sure it is working and making a tight stitch before you buy it.  Maybe someone will even give you a free one.

I’d recommend the Pfaff Hobby 1122.  It’s got the same quality motor and feed system you’ll find in the $800 model but this one comes for a little over 200.  It doesn’t have any fancy stuff, but it’s been a great machine for me and I’ve put hundreds of hours on it so far sewing mainly light nylon fabrics.  Stitch length’s are consistent over variable speeds, feeding is smooth and even and thread tensions are good and stay put.  It never misses a stitch and I can’t get the thing to jam for anything.

I just finished a synthetic quilt on a “new-to-me” machine. A collector/repairman gave me a circa 1948 Sears Kenmore. It’s cast iron and weighs a TON. He said other than thick tanned hide (the stiff type of leather) it will sew anything. Forward and reverse with a straight stitch only. It tends to pucker ripstop easily if you don’t keep tension on the fabric with your hands. How did my quilt and a few stuff sacks turn out . . . awesome. The point is that unless you are doing some very specialized stitching, it’s more about the operator than the machine.

walkin’ Doc - 01 December 2009 06:53 PM

The point is that unless you are doing some very specialized stitching, it’s more about the operator than the machine.

I would definitely agree that with enough work you can make the machine work for you and do anything you want it to.  I used to have an old “Blue Jeans” machine that was the same thing.  It would put a straight stitch through anything but fed poorly unless I “worked” most of the fabric through.

I don’t think it takes any sort of specialized stitching though to justify a new machine.  If you do enough gear making going to a new quality machine will simply make your life alot easier throughout the day.  Then again I’m putting a good 8hrs behind my machine nearly every day and since tossing the old machine I’ll never go back to something that required so much work to make things look nice.

I see that Costco has a Brother CE4000 for $119.99 including shipping.  I checked some reviews and they were mostly favorable.  I have no personal experience with the machine, however.

djnew - 04 December 2009 02:43 AM

I see that Costco has a Brother CE4000 for $119.99 including shipping.  I checked some reviews and they were mostly favorable.  I have no personal experience with the machine, however.

I tried out one of the Brother’s a while back.  Might be the same model, not sure.  A problem I found with the machine was that the stitch length would vary depending on the speed at which you were sewing the stitch!

whoa, I haven’t looked here in a bit.  Good to see more follow up’s.  I’m not doing anything specialized, but I know that nice machinery is great to have.  I’ve been looking at used machines from the get go, mostly old full metal body ones like pfaff 130 and 230, singer slant-o-matics.  things i can find that came out wwII and slightly after, mostly because a metal body will last longer, but also because I’m seeing lots of these old machines selling in their wood cabinets/desks.  the slant-o-matics seem to have a wide variety of stiches built in, but i was looking at pfaff’s on a recommendation from a repair guy at a sewing machine repair shop….although i think he was under the impression i was going to be sewing a lot of heavy cordura or canvas materials.  hearing that I can get away using less industrious machines is great.  helps me stay at a lower price point.

I got a Kenmore 385.16221300 (impossibly long model number, I know!) from Craigslist for $25 and it has worked really well on the 1.1 nylon so far (Nice looking stitch, no tension problems, no feed problems).  The automatic button-holer is giving me a few fits that I’ll post about separately though, but I’m sure I can work through those.  The LR pants that I’m working on are my first experience with sewing, so I’m no expert, but I’d guess that just about any semi-modern, reputable looking machine can get you started.

I have two Bernina machines. An old purely mechanical one (802/803 Sport) and a new fancy one (Artista 185). The mechanical one tends to do a better job “out of the box” but the newer machine has some features (knee lift for the presser foot, needle up/down stop, wider feet available) that gives it a slight edge over the older machine.
For the money, however, I’d hunt down an older completely mechanical Bernina (the only circuit board is in the foot controller). The only way I’ve ever broken my old machine is by dropping it off a table and having the controller pedal on the floor in a flooded basement. I cannot tell you how many times I’ve had the new machine in to the shop for adjustments. I’ve lost track.
Unless you are making cotton canvas tents I do not think you need a heavy duty machine/industrial machine.

finally got a machine. picked up a singer 401a on craigslist for $100.