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Husqvarna Emerald series - can it handle rugged material?

Hello,

We are planning on picking up a sewing machine for the home. We would like to use it for basic sewing (modifying clothes, making pillow cases, etc). However, we would also like to use it to make some more rugged outdoor gear.

For instance, a good rugged messenger bag, which we would love to be able to make would involve sewing together polyester-coated vinyl and Cordura or ballistic nylon. We'd also want to use a strong thread like nylon-69.

The saleswoman at Jo-Ann's recommended a Husqvarna Emerald 118 or 183. We both like the 183 a lot. It is very easy to use, and has a lot of stitches. However, we are unsure of whether it will handle Cordura and vinyl well. Searching on google, I could not find many people's experiences with these Husqvarna's sewing outdoor gear.

Does anyone have any advice? Thank you very much for your help!

Reply to
valtysdottir
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to be

vinyl and

thread like

[trim]

Yes, take a roll of #69 nylon thread and a pack of 110/18 or 120/19 needles and some significant scraps of this heavy duty material you want to sew (several 1-2 ft strips) and ask the Jo-Ann's salesperson to demonstrate how to setup your prefered machine to get a balanced stitch. once you get a good tight and balanced stitch then run a couple of feet of typical seams you will want/need to make (eg. straight, flat felled seams, nylon web binding and bias binding, nylon straps, bartacks )

maybe take an example piece of equipment that has stitches like you want so that you can compare

Don't let the salesperson cheat, you want #69 on the bobbin too.

note any difficulties with setup such as installing heavy duty needle, winding bobbin with #69, stitch balancing, thread tensioning, loose or uneven or skipped stitches, funny noises from machine (cracks/ knocks/ pops/ sputters/ squeals/screeches/ grinding), smoke or heat or fire , any hesitation to sew or maybe getting stuck or stalling and needing lots of manual help to get it going again , any fabric feeding troubles, etc

any one of these maladies is a bad omen :( robb

Reply to
robb

The thread will be more of a problem than the materials

69 is to heavy for most home sewing machines
Reply to
Ron Anderson

Nylon 69 is too heavy for most home machines. On the other hand, I know from experience that a pack well sewn with plain ol' polyester "dressmaking thread" will handle 85 lbs in the pack and random slings and arrows of outrageous fortune. I have been known, however to pay the local shoe repair shop or upholstery shop to put on heavy webbing and the like. I don't cuss, they get a few bucks, and the job looks professional.

Recommended reading for you, from someone who's a pro with outdoor goods:

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Reply to
Kay Lancaster

Thank you very much for the suggestion. This is a very good idea. I may see if they have #69 nylon and cordura at the store. Otherwise I will see if I can order some myself.

Reply to
valtysdottir

goods:

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I also believe I can make a lot of what I want withoutnecessarily using nylon 69. However, I believe it might be wise to geta machine that can at least handle it. Thanks for the book suggestion,looks like it is worth a read!

Reply to
valtysdottir

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