Normally I would ask this in the Upholsterer's group, but I need a quick answer, if possible... I'm going to look at an older Industrial Juki single needle, straight stitch machine and I THINK it has a walking foot as well as reverse, but not a 100% positive. Not going to make a habit of doing upholstery, but I have a couple seat cushions to make and my lady needs a heavy machine for the interior stitching she does (quilts, drapes, that kind of stuff). I know a walking foot is a GOOD thing for upholstery work, but what about for general sewing like she'll be doing? Any input would be appreciated?? THANKS!! P.S. I know very little about sewing machines
Hey Scooter, I sawed a leather hammer bag with my Wifes standard machine and broke it. I now have a walking foot medium duty machine. You could try it sometime if you want to. Gordon
Usually an industrial machine is too heavy for lighter fabrics that are used for cloths etc. Leathers and denims are ok but the light stuff that dresses and blouses are made of need a small home type machine.
I would think she would be ok but I have never tried regular stuff with it. However I think my wife wants to sew some pants with it soon, I can report back. You are always welcome to try it. Gordon
If it has a walking foot get it for what you want to do. If it doesn't, pass. A walking foot will be needed for what you want to do, but will need to be adjusted for thinner/lighter material. But she might still need to pull the material through by hand, lighter material has a habit of bunching up if the foot can't pull it through properly.
Crap... So is it that they can't take lighter gage needles? What effect does the walking foot have on lighter materials? I thought lighter, general purpose machines have a walking foot also, is that true? Does a walking foot simply assist in moving the material along as the stitch is made, or is that false?? Trying to get something that will work to make some vinyl covered seat cushions (and potentially a full interior later that would involve foam backed material), but my lady is trying to do side work with all sorts of materials, primarily quilting. Guess I'm not really sure what features I will need in a machine, then.
Just did a little research and the first thing that comes up when I Google "walking foot" is an article about quilting with a walking foot being a big bonus. This could be a good thing then. She has a lighter machine (a few actually) for "domestic sewing" as well as a vintage SUPER heavy Zig Zag machine, so maybe this machine WOULD be a good choice. Can a walking foot be adjusted in any way or is it just something that is in place and always operates the same??
The walking foot will keep your stitch constant and at an even tension, i think the problem will be with the 'teeth' that come up to meet the foot on a heavier industrial machine to pull the material through. They will need to be properly adjusted to bite on to the material without smashing together when you run a thinner material through it. As well as the right size needles/thread Some bigger machines don't like having a very fine thread through them because the tensioners won't keep the thread tight. It will benefit you greatly if you can find one with reverse also. The walking foot will move longer/shorter depending on what stitch length you have the machine set at, but the bottom plate can be adjusted for different tension on the material
My Consew sews silk just as well as it does 4 layers of leather and it does that super well. Buy the walking foot and your wife will love you forever. The walking foot pulls the top material through at the same rate as the bottom layer so no puckers in the material. .
I would think that 45+ years in the upholstery trade should make a difference. It's not the walking foot that is the issue. The issue is that a commercial machine can not be adjusted to handle thin materials without bunching it up. A needle change is not possible because the bobbin pickup also would have to be down sized to match a smaller needle and that is not an option from the manufactures. The upper thread tension adjustment is made for one size of commercial thread and a smaller needle will not have a hole big enough to handle the thread a commercial machine is designed to use. The commercial walking foot is longer and wider as well as the lower grip plate for heavy material use. The same reason a home machine is not capable of sewing through 4 to 6 layers of heavy vinyl or upholstery grade fabric. The home machine is not capable of setting the stitch length long enough to sew vinyl without cutting it. The both have there uses but have their limits.
I answer this with 27 years in the upholstery business, shop with 10 employees and 3 sewing machines. 95% of what we sewed was done with a singer 111W walking foot machine. We sewed the finest of silks with it, as well as 6 layers of leather. Very versatile machines. Look at photos of your typical sweat shop where they are sewing clothing...... Walking foot machines. This is like using a welder. Wire size, speed, technique all make the difference. Sewing machine adjustments will be needle size, stitches per inch, thread type, tension and thread twist. Also presser foot pressure and a myriad of other thing make them so versatile. Home machines are made for easy, so you do not have to adjust much and it just works "easy". Power machines (thats what we called them) require learning. If you are in to taking the time, they will do just about anything and she will love it. My 2 cents.
I've got an old Consew with no walking foot - I'd LOVE to have a walking foot machine. I really have to 'help' the material thru and it's difficult to keep thicker materials going straight and to keep the stitches even, jsut as mentioned above - have a friend who's a real old timer tell me he doesn't know how I do anything with it. I pretty much stick to making door panels, etc. although I did make a headliner for my chopped Caddy from scratch. Here's the last set of door panels I stitched up:
If you type 'walking foot sewing machine' in 'you tube' you'll get lots of vids! Sailrite give a lot of free info for their gear! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X72ybCf1BYg http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7zBdMFAtLYM&p=5ED11E2917FA75F1
I'm no guru but I'd think if you try to use a heavier duty machine for heavy and light work, you will be fiddling with the tension a lot. I don't have a walking foot so can't answer any questions on them but I do have a few older direct drive singers and they will do a wide variety of stuff. I like the slant needle models and use a 500 series "rocketeer" and have sewn several layers of upholstery type leather with no problems. If you just want to do a few seat covers and have a machine the wife can use you might consider one. I have bought really nice ones for as cheap as $10. The 301 is great for straight stitching as is the 400, 403 and 404. The 401 does all the different stitches as does the 500 and 503. They are all direct drive and have all steel gears, lots of sellers on ebay tout them as industrial strength but they really were not intended for industrial use.
I have sewed on Singers over the years but mostly Pfaffs. I have owned my Pfaff 545 for 30+ years. The only thing I had to borrow my wife’s home Singer for was to sew light materials when I was doing work for a couple interior decorators. The silks were just too fine and slippery to run through the Pfaff. And yes a walking foot is the only way to go.
I am a seamstress. I have used my viking on upholstery for my daughters car with no problem. You need a heavy size needle for leather. A walking foot just lets the fabric on top and bottom feed through the machine at the same pace. That's why it's good for quilting. You don't get the bunching and puckers in the back. She would love a walking foot and a free motion foot for quilting. (just finished some quilting with mine right now). My two cents!
Hey Scoot, I did not know that "Zig Zag'' made a machine, I only remember the manual "papers'' model, the one with the "Jesus-like'' cat on the lable. I haven't sewn any auto interiors in thirty years, but I remember how easy it was to sew piping to seats & trim & cushions with a walking foot machine. I don't recall a problem when sewing thin material, but than I don't recall alot of things from the 70s! " Humpty Dumpty was pushed "
I'm using an Artisan commercial walking foot machine, and have never had a problem. Has sewn everything from tee-shirts, to 1/2 inch of cowhide, with nothing more than thread, needle, and tension adjustments. The walking foot makes "sewing life", a lot nicer!
Going from a home machine to a commercial one is like going from a 4 banger to a big block. you just have to control your foot speed. there are a few adjustments that can be made like pully size. Stitch length is the most critical. Sewing two layers of vinyl together, I have 4 stitches per inch. Add foam and welt it shortens the stitch length. If you have to many holes in the fabric or vinyl, it`s like- tear along the dotted line. This can happen with older commercial machines that have a shorter stitch length. Some can be adjusted a little for a longer stitch length.
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