If you have a fancy sewing machine....

[mala]

I'm trying to decide on a new sewing machine. I'm looking at straight stitch only machines, something that will go through at least 6 layers of vinyl. I want to make handbags but my domestic machine is just not up to snuff, it's a Kenmore and while it's a higher end for a "cheap" domestic it's just not quite cutting it. So what do you have? do you love it? does anyone here have an industrial? I'm still trying to decide on my price point, which is going to determine if I make the jump to industrial machine or not. On the one hand, it's a bigger initial investment, but it will also take me a lot further if I decide to continue in this hobby. But if I don't continue, I've got a $1200+ decoration.

[statgirl]

I have a mid grade Janome and my MIL has a high end Janome. We both went through a local sewing/quilting store to find a good fit for us. Our store (at least) didn’t try to upsell me and recommended a good fit machine and offered lessons for a year on using it appropriately.

[aprilsails]

I seriously considered the Janome 1600P-QC when I was shopping 7 years ago. I have a few quilting friends who own them and they are a very solid and heavy workhorse of a machine. They also seem pretty unproblematic in terms of maintenance. Since I do sew with knits and would need a zigzag, and my old Kenmore was officially dead, I decided instead to get a Janome Horizon 7700, which was about $1500 US with all the bells and whistles and a table to boot. I valued the larger throat space over the ability to go through more layers (I was in the middle of trying to quilt a queen size wedding quilt when I gave up on my Kenmore and went shopping).

My machine is pretty robust but it cannot go through over 5 layers of canvas and the foot doesn’t lift up high enough to do some of the leather work I would have liked to have been able to do. I also have to hand crank it through really thick seams, Which isn’t surprising.

I have also worked in a sail loft back in 2001/2002 where we used crazy built in to the floor industrial machines. If I were you and you really wanted to work with leather or canvas I would contact some local sewing machine repair shops and ask them if they have any refurbished industrial machines available. They will still last forever and ever and be amazing. A coworkers Mom has industrial machines from her upholstery business (she’s now retired) and she knows that I am waiting in the wings if she ever wants to sell one of them. Apparently she uses them to sew dresses for her grandchildren. Lol.

[schrodinger]

Is there a makerspace close to you that you has sewing machines? Ours has an industrial sewing machine available for rent. It might be worth checking into, membership + rental might be a cheap way to trial and see if this is something you want to do longer term.

[adhdfashion]

I would take a look at Juki they make some really nice industrial machines.