Another sewing machine to buy

Donna in WA asked: How about you? Have you got/boughten anything for Christmas 2010 just for yourself?-

----------------------------------------------------- I never get Christmas, Birthday, Valentines gifts, etc., so I bought myself a present this year, a 4 foot tall sock monkey. I have a collection of regular sized sock monkeys and he'll be a good addition to the group. My pup is very upset about the new monkey, though, barks every time he looks at it. The first evening I had it, I placed it on the footstool and whenever the pup woke up he would bark hysterically, then fall back to sleep, only to freak out again when he woke up. My other dog just sniffed its foot and made peace with it.

Denise

You answered your own question. It never looked OK. This machine has only thread in the bobbin. No top thread. It uses a complicated mechanical method of making the running stitch. It looks like a hand done running stitch, when done. Not like a jury rigged up sewing machine stitch that looks not at all like a running stitch. Other than that, it is just the same. Sort of. ;>)

John

Dogs, don't you love them?

John

But of course we are! :-)

Michelle in Nevada

I was really interested in finding out how this machine worked, and an 'official' Babylock video for it on You Tube.

If the link doesn't work, search YouTube for "Baby Lock Sashiko Machine Presented by Nancy Zieman."

It's very cool.

-Irene

Denise

To cute! do keep us updated as to who wins! :)

Donna in WA

On Sat, 2 Jan 2010 15:06:57 -0600, Denise in NH wrote (in article ):

Piggy backing here, since I somehow missed the initial.

No I haven't, but am seriously considering doing it for Christmas 2010. Because some day I'd just like to get what I want for Christmas and not a gift card or what someone else thinks I should want.

Maureen

It is a true running stitch, it is similar to the top stitch. Just a single thread in an over and under continuous pattern. The difference is that with this machine, you can adjust the length of the stitch on the bottom versus the length of the top. It has only one thread on the machine, that is fed off the bobbin. No top thread. So, it is a true running stitch, which is the true stitch of Japanese Sashiko quilting. I know it is kind of hard for us westerners to get our heads around the lack of a thread locking interface that is a part of our quilting process, but they have been doing it for centuries, by hand, and it seems to work for them. Now this machine allows for us machine centric Westerners, and those Japanese who are similarly inclined, to reproduce the same stitch as done by traditional methods. I think that is the thing that caught my eye, when I first stumbled onto it. I do fear that the price puts it into the realm of a curiosity except for those that want to experiment and have a larger budget than most people would have. I have heard prices of about $1600 so for this single purpose machine, so it may not have the status of a must have. John

After watching the video it seems like the perfect machine for a machine-made hand quilting stitch- when the stitch length is adjusted properly for that look. They even mentioned quilting in the video. Now I have to wonder why BabyLock didn't include a larger harp and market it as a mock hand quilting stitch machine? I wonder if it can free motion???

Leslie & The Furbabies in MO.

It is a true running stitch, it is similar to the top stitch. Just a single thread in an over and under continuous pattern. The difference is that with this machine, you can adjust the length of the stitch on the bottom versus the length of the top. It has only one thread on the machine, that is fed off the bobbin. No top thread. So, it is a true running stitch, which is the true stitch of Japanese Sashiko quilting. I know it is kind of hard for us westerners to get our heads around the lack of a thread locking interface that is a part of our quilting process, but they have been doing it for centuries, by hand, and it seems to work for them. Now this machine allows for us machine centric Westerners, and those Japanese who are similarly inclined, to reproduce the same stitch as done by traditional methods. I think that is the thing that caught my eye, when I first stumbled onto it. I do fear that the price puts it into the realm of a curiosity except for those that want to experiment and have a larger budget than most people would have. I have heard prices of about $1600 so for this single purpose machine, so it may not have the status of a must have. John

I really need to see some kind of slow-motion action on how the stitch is formed. But it can't be the same running stitch even the Japanese do by hand, since the needle doesn't go all the way through the fabric and up the other side. (It's attached to the needle clamp!) So the thread comes up from the bobbin and then threads through the needle? The video showed some sort of hook on top that made a loop of thread. Some genius invented that mechanism, for sure! Roberta in D

It clearly says in the video that the stitch on the back is continuous, but doesn't actually show you what it looks like!

Anne

Howdy!

I did Sashiko embroidery 35 yrs. ago. "everything old is new again..." This machine example looks okay, but it doesn't look like it was done by hand. Why do the machine makers keep trying to fake their way thru' this? Machine work is machine work, and that's just fine. Hand stitching is by hand - period

Quilting? I piece the tops by machine, and am happy to have the Janome for this. I handquilt while I still can.

Funny that they're just now coming out w/ a machine to try to mimic this technique. If I wait long enough, maybe they'll come out w/ a sewing machine that also dispenses Dr.Pepper. ;-P

R/Sandy - some th> >> Howdy!

I don't know about this machine. If I understand the workings of a sewing machine, and I think I do. There is no way a machine could provide a running stitch with one thread passing over the upper surface of the fabric, then passing through the fabric and then carrying the same thread along the bottom surface and then passing through the fabric to repeat the process along the upper surface. This is what is done with the hand made Sashiko stitch. I have a feeling that the stitch it does make, looks like the Sashiko stitch on the top but the bottom must have some sort of chain stitch to hold it in place, on the bottom. I will need to be convinced by sight of the back and front of the material to verify it is a running stitch, and not some clever interlocking stitch on the bottom. Until that time I will remain skeptical. If anybody has a dealer who has one of these machines and can get a picture or brochure which explains clearly how this machine does whatever it does, it will clear up a lot of confusion, at least for me. John

Road trip for John to see the machine. Stash raid on his sewing room while he is out. I think it would more likely be a funrniture raid at his house though! ; )

I'll have to see which dealer nearby sells babylock so I can go look myself. Taria

I don't know about this machine. If I understand the workings of a sewing machine, and I think I do. There is no way a machine could provide a running stitch with one thread passing over the upper surface of the fabric, then passing through the fabric and then carrying the same thread along the bottom surface and then passing through the fabric to repeat the process along the upper surface. This is what is done with the hand made Sashiko stitch. I have a feeling that the stitch it does make, looks like the Sashiko stitch on the top but the bottom must have some sort of chain stitch to hold it in place, on the bottom. I will need to be convinced by sight of the back and front of the material to verify it is a running stitch, and not some clever interlocking stitch on the bottom. Until that time I will remain skeptical. If anybody has a dealer who has one of these machines and can get a picture or brochure which explains clearly how this machine does whatever it does, it will clear up a lot of confusion, at least for me. John

I think it is just classic and has been around all that time. I know it shows up at guild show and tell times occasionally. Always has here. Machine makers are trying to sell machines. They need to come out with new product to get our old money. This one seems more sensible than those felting machines some folks 'had to have' a few years ago. I am flat out of I wants right now. Well, unless I get to really thinking on it. : ) Taria

I think we should do both! :-)

Michelle > Road trip for John to see the machine.

Hey!! Guys!! Count me in!!

Nana..........freezing here!!

Taria, right now I'm drooling over a pasta attachment (for hollow shapes) for my mixer. ;) Quilting wants? Nothing comes to mind at the moment! :)