New machine happy dance!

Me thinks me has to learn this rolled hem trick....I have some beautiful silk from India that is crying to turn into some great curtainy type things in my bedroom....on my canopy-style bed and across my window!!! Is that a good fabric to use a rolled hem on?

Dannielle

Kate Dicey wrote:

If it's light weight... Rolled hems work best on things like crepe de chine and light weight cottons. No good for tweed! ;)

Hope you continue to be happy with your purchase.

me

Congrats

Congratulations Kate! I still like the Bernette 234 I bought used several years ago, but the Huskylock 936 I won (well, traded up for) at the sate fair last year is a keeper, too. I bought a stand-alone coverstitch machine two years ago, so I suppose I should really sell/donate/eBay it one of these days.

Beverly

"cea" wrote in message news: snipped-for-privacy@b28g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...

3/4, differential, almost instant rolled hem (which is good - I just used it on a customer's dress!).

NOT as heavy duty as the Bernina I'll order next week, but a good little back-up machine, which is what I want it for. And it has he free-arm, which is great for neatening things like set in sleeve seams and finishing cuff and trouser hems.

Hi Beverly............

Why are you getting rid of the coverstitch machine? ......You just don't use it or something?

Well, the Huskylock 910 is the one I wore out! I have to say it was a VERY good machine while it lasted, but I did hammer it to death on some serious projects! If Brother hadn't brought this little gem out, I'd have had another, probably the 905 as I never used the memory aspect of the 910, and scrolling through the options on the stitch advisor took as long as looking them up in the book! I do use that free arm... As it is, I'm getting the Bernina as the main machine, and this one will be the stand-by back-up and used for the free-arm aspect.

The Toyota I have on my web site was bought as an emergency back-up, and I wouldn't be replacing it except that I really do USE the differential, and I have seriously missed it! It makes a HUGE difference to some of the fabrics, for straight sewing as well as fancy effects and rolled hems. It is going to live with a friend. Unfortunately for her, I cannot afford to just GIVE it to her, much as I would love to. She's very excited, and really looking forward to having it.

I keep looking at blind hemmers and cover stitch machines, but so far I can't see that I'd use them enough to justify the expense. If a good one comes up in a pre-loved state, I might be tempted, but so far the wide double needle and the blind hem stitch on the Lily and others I have have done me proud.

I'm more likely to find house room for another basic pre-loved sewing machine that the kids can use, and have a bunch of folk keeping eyes peeled for a (third!) Elna Lotus for me, a Stella Air Electronic.

I swore at it last night... ;P

Like all these beasts, it takes a while to get into the swing of threading it. I can do the Huskylock in seconds, and up until recently it set off to do whatever I told it every single time. The Toyota is a bit more picky, especially about wooly nylon and textured poly... Doesn't like them much at all! And I have to change the stitch plate and the foot for rolling hems, a ten minute job by itself. This one I got set up and it did a PERFECT sample rolled hem on the silk with the white thread on it when it came. So I just re-threaded with the peppermint thread... BUT! The peppermint is Empress Mills 120's polycore, not some anonymous poly from Taiwan. Getting the tension adjusted and the lower looper set up just *so* took an hour! GRR! I must have re-threaded it six times! Ho hum... I got there in the end and it did a perfect hem on both the crepe de chine and its silk habotai lining.

Later this evening I shall reinsert the stitch finger (it just clips in and out: quite neat, but not as swish as just sliding it on the Huskylock! But one must make sacrifices when one buys a cheaper machine!) and play some more. I want to experiment with the blind hem foot (you can lock the blades down for this operation: a refinement my Huskylock did NOT have) and the others. And I need to compare prices for things like beading feet for the Bernina and the Brother. I can't see me beading the edges of veils etc. all that often, so I may go with the cheaper foot...

One thing that amused me was the video that came with it: it's some years old now, and for a previous incarnation of the machine. It does everything the same way, but the numbers and some of styling have been updated. I kept referring to the book, and thinking , 'Oh, yeah, right... That's this bit!'

So far I've only found one fault with it: when I was going really fast, the thread tree vibrated so much it shook loose and collapsed! I kept having to pull it up again. I shall have to watch that: it doesn't seem to click into place like those on all other sergers I've used, but is relying on friction.

I feel like I've really slaved for this one! It may be a bit of an indulgence, having two new ones, but with what I do I cannot afford to be without if one needs care or servicing. The Toyota its replacing was a panic buy when the Huskylock went belly up in the middle of a HUGE bridal project two years ago: the Rainbow project with 16 bridesmaids!

First, that should have read "state" fair. Dang!

The Huskylock 936 serger converts to a coverstitch, so I don't need a second dedicated machine. And, oddly enough, I'm running out of room in my sewing area. Lets, see, three Singer 401As, two 500As, two sergers, Singer Press, ironing board, cutting table, washer, dryer, ... Yup, something has gotta go. ;-)

I donated the BabyLock blind hemmer (I purchased for DD's wedding sewing two years ago) to a professional sewist on the SewBiz list several months back (she was going through a rough patch). I find I prefer a hand-stitched hems on fine work, and the 401A blind hem is fine for everything else.

Now if I could just find a place to set up my Mom's Studio knitting machine. So many machines, so little space....

Beverly

I bought a Huskylock 910, and I loved it, but like you I didn't use the memory screen much. would still have it, but I won a

905 at the OR state fair, and the company who donated it allowed me to upgrade to the 936 (which I wanted for the coverstitch). I gave the 910 to my older DD. She and I still haven't found the time for a training session. :-(

I bought both, after I received the 936 I gave the blindhemmer to one of the participants on the SewBiz List. I still have the coverstitch, but I think probably shipping would be prohibitive. ;->

That's exactly why I have so many 401As and 500As. I like having a backup machine immediately available in case anything goes wonky, and I also like to have a couple set up with different color threads for major projects. Small savings in time add up. I could be convinced to part with one or more of the 500As... ;-\

Beverly

Kate, congrats on your new addition. I'm glad you are confidently 'tooled' up again for the remainder of your wedding season. I didn't realize you are planning to get a Bernina serger. Which model are you looking at? Sharon

The 1150 MDA. Niiiiice machine, but doesn't have the free arm, which I

*do* use.

The Toyota went to its new home today! So there's another happy sewist! :)