Cast Your Vote - Mechanical vs Computer

I have both, use both, and love both sorts! :)

The electronic wizard is great for things like buttonholes (precise to a T) and blind hems, zips (especially my favourite concealed ones!), and other processes where having 26 needle positions can make an amazing difference to the ease with which a thing is done. It also gives me the option of lots of stitches for different things that would take forever to do by hand or I just couldn't do on the mechanicals - such as the blanket stitch across the back of the 18th C Town Crier coat and the Red Jackets: this was both stronger and MUCH quicker than doing it by hand! And I can also stitch proper eyelets on this machine! :) (I have a bee in my bonnet about stitched eyelets vs nasty metal grommets on costumes and wedding dresses! They look so much better and are so much stronger... )

I'm not interested in the rows of pretty decorative leaves and things - though they come in handy every now and again!

The mechanicals are great teaching machines for the kids and I to use, and I have a good one (Viscount 2000) as my back-up for when the Lily goes in for servicing. It has a good selection of well formed household stitches, but the buttonholes are NOT as good as Lily's... They are damned good, but not as brilliant as the Lily! For looooong boring straight seams at speed, the Singer 99 is fantastic! Eats up curtains faster than any of my other machines...

For the sheer joy of an unmatched straight seam nothing beats the smoothness and quiet, elegant clicking of the 1909 Jones family CS... Ah... the sweet small of cast iron! ;)

So you see, one type is not better than the other - they are different and complementary!

The BIGGEST advantage of the treadle and the hand cranks are that they will sew still when the electrickery fails. I can sew on into the night by the light of the Tilly lamp!

A picture comes to mind of you in an Andersen shelter sewing by lamp light! *LOL

Candide

Oi! I'm not THAT old! That would be my mother... ;)

Actually, probably my grandmother, sewing for mum and her sister during the war...

I have and use both mechanical and computerized machines and love them all for various reasons.

I have computers and computerized equipment that range from 6 to 15 years old and have never had a problem with fried motherboards but power surges aren't the real killer of motherboards. This was explained to me years ago when I was talking to a techy guy I was buying some more memory from when a customer came in with ANOTHER %$#$% worthless motherboard. This particular customer of his wouldn't shake loose with $150 to protect his equipment with a UPS, after all he "had a surge protector" and he wasn't buying anymore gadgets. The fact that he'd spent many times over that for repairs and replacements seemed to not sink in. I've found with most people I try to explain this to have the same attitude.

Unfortunately so many people have bought into the "power surge" theory. OK, power surges aren't good and a really good surge protector will take care of some, not all, power surge damage. One of the biggest killers of motherboards is the powerdump-brownout-drop. For this you need a UPS 'uninteruptable power source'. This piece of equipment keeps the power supply steady protecting it from both spikes (surges) and drops. When the power drops, and you can't tell when it does most of the time unless you have a full on brown out, everything in your computer (or computerized sewing machine) slows down, when the power comes back up to speed so do things in your computer gadgets BUT they don't all come up to speed all the at the same rate or time..........this little glitch fries more motherboards than power surges but since it is almost always undetectable by us humans we have no idea it's happening and believe all the stuff about the surge spikes screwing up the machines.

These UPS units that will work for your home computer and for your sewing machines run in the $100 and up range. Mine cost about $250 and all my machines and computers go through this. I have r4eplaced the battery once in all these years, that was about $75. Now, I hear all the gasps about the cost, however to replace a motherboard or a $5,000.00 + embroidery machine I'd say a good UPS is a bargain price for insurance to make sure your machines keeps running a long and healthy life.

I finally talked a friend into buying one of these things after she'd spent a few thousand dollars in repairs in the past several years and she has been amazed that all the crashes she blamed on programs and mechanics have also disappeared. It's amazing how smoothly things work with a consistantly smooth power supply, and nobody anywhere actually has this even under the best of conditions. It's also amazing how the lifespan of expensive computer equipment is extended.

If you want to look into this equipment type "uninterupted power source (or supply)" into your search engine.

Val

Carol's a very precise in her sewing (and extremely nice to talk with)... I suspect she can do the sewing equivalent of spinning straw into gold, but I think she'd favor whatever works precisely, no matter what the inside mechanism is.

Going on 10 years for a BOL computer Viking here... still going strong, no sign of any issues. And I'm out in the country where voltage sags can be expected to do not-nice things to computer bits. Yes, this is not a machine for the ages, still be capable of being hand-cranked when the sun burns out, but ya know, I've gotten my $50/yr of use from it if it died tomorrow. Given the longevity of women in my family, I may still be sewing in another 40 years... and who knows what the machines then may be capable of... and that I might just want to buy a new one between now and then. I've also got my grandmother's old White straight stitcher, with one of the prettiest stitches around... but I'm sure glad I don't have to fight the buttonholer, and that I can toss a twin or triple needle in the Viking, or make up my own stitch patterns, or...

And because I've got a resident electronics geek, there's a fair chance I can fix the electronics even if they quit making parts available. Have VOM, will solder.

I sort of look on it the way I do calculators... I grew up with slide rules, and I can still run a slipstick for simple calculations faster than most folks can punch the keys on a calculator. I've still got my first calculator, a 4-function $150 wonder that got me through basic stats (it was so nice not to have to listen to the noise of a comptometer!). But when I need to sit down and do some other-than-basic calculations, I'm grateful for spreadsheets and SAS and similar things of newer vintage than my slipstick. Likewise, I'm quite capable of banging out a dress shirt on the White straight stitcher, but it's easier to use the Viking, and I'll be done sooner. And I'm very fond of my computerized washing machine... it won't last as long as the wringer washer I grew up with, but it also won't mash my fingers or take me all day to do a week's wash...

So my vote is for what works for you.

Kay

I have 2 computerized machines, and they are a dream to sew on. I have had not one problem with them. My serger is mechanical, but does lots of stuff.......I know everyone raves about the beautiful old-timers, but I feel my machines do a beautiful straight stitch, too.......................and so very much more!

This particular

I have had people that I deal with who work for the power company call them glorified expensive extension cords. Several years ago my son put an All house UPS in. BUT I still have my machines and computer on individual ones too. While we don't suffer too much from brown outs its coming with the increase in usage. People do not notice them and have indeed bought into the Surge of power hype. It does not happen as often as brown downs and outs.

As for the boards etc going in the computerized machines, yes some will but most won't and I have a couple pushing 20 years now with my main machines at 15, all are used daily sometimes for extended periods of time too. And as with the mechanicals the repair people do have backups and donor machines so that their will most likely be parts for some time to come. And if replacement is not feasible, then there are people who can repair them. We have one here in our small town who is a whiz at this stuff. He just did the 30 year old circuit board on my trailer.....The RV place wanted $600.00 for a new unit, this kid just fixed the old one. He does it with mother boards too for older computers that the local shop donates to charities. When asked about the sewing machines he said he had already done a couple of Vikings last year.....he is 15.

I see no sense in worrying about something that may never happen. I love all my machines, mechanical, computerized whatever. I would not want to go completely mechanical as I would not like to go back to writing letters. I love all the wonderful things all machines can do but these new ones just blow me away. Surprising thing is the majority of customers are sewist of long standing who are re-discovering the sheer joy of sewing again. Many buy these for themselves, saving for months or years to get one. I think they deserve that. My oldest customer of all time was 94, and she lived on Hot dogs for a year to buy her 7570, she embroidered everything in the house that she could get under that machine for 5 years. Her 70 year old daughter has it now and is doing very very well with it.

I have done that with the generator in the Motor Home. Set up camp in the bush, DH goes fishing I sew. I have a resident Singer 301 in the MH and often will take the Janome 300e for fun. I can sew while he drives and have done when I needed to complete regalia. You do get some looks though. Dog on bench watching , cat on table watching , crazy lady sewing away going down I-94.

Now THAT would be fun! Very few of our roads are smooth enough for that, however...

Actually its not that bad on the bumpy roads either. One of the highways in Michigan---either 69 or 696 is really bad---concrete lines every 50 yards or so. Its like kathump, kathump, kathump for miles and miles but the vehicle seems to handled it and I do have a rubber mat under the machine.

Though brownouts can cause some damage over the long term, power surges are, by far, the most frequent and severe cause of damage to and failure ofelectronics in residential settings.

Static electricity alone can fry any number of chips in your computer and peripherals.

There are computerized machines, mechanicals, and also "electronic" models that have circuit boards. All sewing machines are mechanical because they all have moving parts. ;) But some are simply electrically powered while others depend on human energy for power. Yet others have processors that regulate most or all of the machine functions.

If planning for a powerless catastrophe, I'd definitely choose a treadle. If I knew I could only ever have one machine and that it had to last, nearly problem free, for several decades, I'd choose a mostly mechanical.

The thing is that while you can certainly do one heck of a lot of creative things more easily with a sewing computer (once you know how that is), they may have a steep learning curve, are a pain to maintain in perfect order, and are far more apt to have more things go wrong because they are far more sophisticated and have many more components. To me, it's somewhat like the difference between using a typewriter and a word processor on a computer. The word processing computer is far better & more productive but requires lots more tweaking to keep it running smoothly--- upgrades, updates, etc. Sewing computers are the same. Each individual must decide whether all those extra things you can do are worth the additional hassle and time spent on maintenance and tweaking.

Phae

Same here. I have a treadle which was my only machine for many years. I even made my wedding dress on it - since I was doing all the fiddly bits by hand, straight stitch was all that was necessary, and the perfect needle control you get with the treadle was a help. Oh, and you can put the thing anywhere you like without worrying about where the electric sockets are :o)

Since then I went to the other extreme and bought a high-end computer sewing/embroidery machine. I have to confess, I haven't touched the treadle since. I don't need all those fancy stitches, but they are fun. I have two little girls now, and they beg me to use all those stitches on their clothes. I like hand embroidery on my own things, but machine embroidery is the greatest for kids stuff. I don't have to wince every time they go out of the house :)

You will pry the computer controlled buttonholes from my cold, dead fingers.

-Liz

Same here. Have you been reading my mind perchance? ;) I'd never part with my mostly mechanical, semi-electronic, 20-something, 931 Bernina. But I am (mostly) enjoying my new Artista. The embroidery is fun and you're right... those fully automatic button holes are simply awesome. I'm going to be making a couple crib quilts shortly. One is a bunny applique and I can scarcely wait to get rolling with it! I haven't designed the other one yet. The machine is, however, more touchy as one would expect for such a complicated piece of technology. I'm definitely learning more about different thread types, lots of embellishing, stabilizers, tension adjustments and the finer points of precision sewing with a sewing computer. There's so much you can do with it that it's kind of like panning for gold.

Phae

One of the first things I did with my new machine was make a big pile of linen burp-cloths for my impending first baby. I did a single-fold hem and used a different fancy stitch to cover the raw edge for each one. I'm still using them as dishtowels, nothing dries like much-laundered linen.

The sewing machine has been a dream, no touchiness at all, but working with the embroidery unit took a bit of practice.

-Liz

I have a couple of copies (different editions) of Singer Instructions for Art Embroidery and Lace Work which was originally published 100 years ago or more. Everything in it was done on a treadle sewing machine. I recommend that everyone at least look at a copy. Just to see what is possible with a mechanical straight-stitch sewing machine.

Wow that is incredible.

Instructions

machine.

Book is named "MACHINE EMBROIDERY"

"The Artistic Possibilities of the Domestic Sewing Machine". published by the Singer Sewing Machine Company (Educational & Embroidery Department).

by Dorothy Benson

According to the introduction one will "need either a treadle machine or one fitted with an electric motor, as both hands must be free."

Borders in Plain Stitching, Quick Effect with Wool, Cable Stitch, Applique Using American Cloth, Quilting, Crazy Stitch, Granite Stitch, Working on Net, Raised Shadow Work, Applique with Darning Stitch, Lettering in Darning & Whip Stitch, Tinsel Thread Embroidery, Satin Stitch & Lace Work, Filling Stitch & Colour Work, Cording, Broderie Anglaise, Fancy Stitch Filling, etc

From what one understands these sort of books and techniques were as popular as Miss. Ahles book is today for "heirloom sewing". However with many ladies either living in rural areas and or lacking funds to purchase ready made, many ladies/girls did their own embroidery/fancy work for their own wardrobes, that of their children (especially first born), bed/table linens, christening gowns, etc.

Having a sewing machine must have been pure bliss to these ladies, but to be able to do embroidery/fancy work and mending/darning via machine probably sent them over the moon with delight. Being able to pretty up items, weather store/catalogue bought, hand me downs or home made must have given these ladies the same feeling of satisfaction we all feel today after a project well done. Then of course there was the possibility of earning pocket money ....

Candide

Not really, for years we did "Thread Painting" and sometimes I still do it with a straight stitch or a computerized machine. Most sewing machine manuals have pages of things you could do with a machine, but not many women actually did them on a regular basis....just took too much time. How many of you really used ALL the features of your mechanical machines or for that matter the computerized ones. Women will do what they have to to get the job done, but it is much more fun and quicker to use the embroidery unit for the Art part of it now. But then I like my dishwasher too and my automatic washer, and my gas stove. When we had the cottage it was fun--for a while--to get back to the purely mechanical way of doing things, but it takes so much time that I always appreciated coming home.