Machines for quilting or garments, opionons wanted

I do a lot less actual sewing on garments than quilting. I am up and down to the iron and pinning and fussing a lot more with clothes and such. Maybe curtains and stuff use the machine a lot. Keep track of how many bobin changes you make to see just how much actual sewing you are doing. Most machines should do fine for household use unless you are doing stuff in really massive quantities. Taria

Joanna wrote:

Now there's a puzzle. I can't much imagine garment construction being lots of seams one right after the other, pedal to the metal. When I'm putting a garment together it's usually: stitch one seam, grade it, clip it, press it. .. figure out what comes next, pin it, (maybe baste) and stitch some more. Quilting, OTOH, could be constant stitching for as long as I can - stopping only for letting the dog out, letting the dog in, putting another load in the dryer, tossing some food at the stove, ... answering the phone. Garment construction and quilting are not races. Of course, if you must make a Halloween costume to be worn in ten minutes, that's quite another adventure. You did ask for opinions, didn't you? Polly

I make clothes, I make quilts. My machines don't seem to particularly care which I am doing. Of course my oldest machine is 80, and the youngest is at least 40 (that is when the company that made it quit making sewing machines).

If somebody told me that a machine wasn't up to a particular common sewing task, I would be looking at a different machine. That would be like a kitchen stove that wasn't up to baking. It might be pretty, it might have a bunch of fancy features, but if it isn't up to the job what is the point?

NightMist

When I am really into my quilting I have been known to keep at it for 14-16 hours with pretty much only breaking for nature calls. When I'm in The Zone, I am usually sewing many strips together and that's at full speed and chain stitching. I can sew almost non-stop at full speed for 3-4 hours if I have all the strips pre-cut and a dozen bobbins pre-wound. That's a lot of work for any machine. And for that kind of sewing you want a machine with some weight to it so it's not bobbing and weaving all over the place and one that has enough power in the motor that you aren't overheating it. I still stand by my opinion that a new $100 machine cannot perform to those standards. My Janomes (currently a 6600) have always met the challenges of quilting with me.

Leslie & The Furbabies in MO.

Aha! Methinks this could need a peaceful compromise much like pre-wash or not. I love bells and whistles and I love Bernina . . . but I don't think the Bernina would stand up to Leslie's or Kate Dickey's manner of stitching. They might. John would probably know. Polly

"Leslie & The Furbabies in MO." When I am really into my quilting I have been known to keep at it for 14-16

I think whether the machine is mechanical compared to computerized would make a really big difference. I just don't see how a computerized machine can be as tough as an old mechanical workhorse. I've been wrong before though. LOL I have to say one of the things many of us can be grateful for is a sewing machine that works well for our individual needs. That really is a good thing. I really am appreciative of that. Taria

Polly Esther wrote:

I think when people say quilting, they mean freemotion quilting a quilt sandwich, I don't think piecing can be any worse than garment sewing and as you say probably better. But with a heavy sandwich pulling every direction, it's probably easy to get the timing off and things to wear unevenly - I know more than one off us has had machines that sewed fine, other than when freemotion quilting, when they skipped, so it does sound like that is a trickier thing for a machine.

Cheers Anne

On Wed, 17 Dec 2008 14:07:08 -0600, Joanna wrote (in article ):

I usually end up with more lint in the machine and the bobbin case when I'm quilting. So by that standard, I'd say quilting.

And machine quilting is definitely a little harder on my body, if I'm not taking breaks.

But I find garment sewing more difficult. All those long seams and fiddly curved bits and buttonholes/zippers.

Maureen