Show us your sewing projects!

[slodat]

My main machine. Fully featured modern machine with direct drive servo, dual stitch length regulators, dual tension, selectable high step, auto back tack, thread trimmer and so much more.



This machine is almost exclusively used for binding.



Post bed twin needle. When you need it, nothing else compares. It has a split needle bar, so you can turn off one needle or the other to sew square corners.



25” long arm. Was my main machine until I bought the first one listed above.



I have two of these twin needle machines, one on 1/4 and 3/8.



Carpet serger.


Leather skiver.

 

[Swingpress]

Lol some high end rigs in here! Here is my humble set up. Juki DD-8700 with a servo motor. Not sure if it will handle leather but I'm gonna give it a shot. I would assume I'm not going to break it on waxed canvas am I? Making tool rolls and sewing thinner leathers. If it's not up to task I guess $75 is no great loss but I'm not sure what larger machines sell for.



This thing sounds like a jet engine getting ready to throttle up!

 

[Outlawmws]

I would say (in this area at lest) that was a steal of a deal. You won't get hurt on it...

 

[littleponderosa]

The woman owns an older (early 90's) Ferdinand bull machine. Since I knowledge is limited, I can just tell ya it looks like a bigass machine.
Was purchased for saddle repair and I'm "assuming" it can be used for nearly anything.
Before I stitch my finger to the table, is this machine workable for thinner materials?
I'm outta my comfort zone here, but I'd sure like to start making some outdoor related gear, tool bags, etc.
Thanks guys, any info is most appreciated.
Bill

 

[Swingpress]

I would say (in this area at lest) that was a steal of a deal. You won't get hurt on it...

It was a deal among friends so I wouldn't be bothered if it caught fire tomorrow lol. But I have to say, this thing has some scary speed to it!

 

[ndnchf]

Its too cold to work in the garage, so today I started refurbishing my old Singer 31-15 tailor's macine. Its in very good shape for being over 70 years old. But the table needs some work and the machine needs to be thoroughly cleaned and lubed. This onw will get a modern servo motor upgrade too. So I started on that today. I've refurbed many other vintage and antique sewing machines, but this is my first 31-15, its a beast.

 

[Outlawmws]

I've got one similar to that. (not sure of the exact model and its stored right now...) Big, Black, Heavy... No table however, and no motor; I used it a few times as a hand crank machine. Some where around here I have the manual (on paper no less! I gave it a tune up and it worked perfectly after that. But its been sitting for on the order of thirty years now... I keep thinking I'l dig it out and set it up, but time and space...

What kind of motor (HP & speed) does it need?

 

[ndnchf]

I have somehere over 40 sewing machines dating from the 1950s back to the Civil War. This one and a Singer 29-4 cobbler machine are the largest. I resurrected the 102 year old 29-4 a couple years ago. Its a lot of fun working on these fine old machines.

 

[ndnchf]

This thing was dirty. It's got a lot of parts, but the ultrasonic cleaner made short work of them.

 

[2mJps]

I have somehere over 40 sewing machines dating from the 1950s back to the Civil War. This one and a Singer 29-4 cobbler machine are the largest. I resurrected the 102 year old 29-4 a couple years ago. Its a lot of fun working on these fine old machines.

I have a machine like the one in the pic. It was droped on the hand wheel and broke the shaft i fixed it but right now its in storage. I also have a consew seting in my liveing room.

 

[ndnchf]

I finished refreshing the old Singer 31-15 I started a couple weeks ago. I repaired and refinished the wood, painted the frame and small bits, fabricated the thread stand, installed a new variable speed servo motor, and cleaned and serviced the machine. I think it came out quite well.

 

[piro222]

Looks great! The oiler and bobbin stand are special details!

 

[Outlander]

Any advice on cleaning my wife's machine...or should I just bring it to a shop and void losing 100 small screws? It is 10-1 5 years old I think, used for random projects like pillows and throws.

 

[Shootinok]

found another old machine on CL listed for $10

asked the guy if it worked at all, He answered with "I don't know, it makes noise..."

Decided for ten bucks it'd be worth checking out. well, it didn't work - at all. did not make noise. It was completely rusted up and really dirty.

I gave it a good soaking with Kroil and let it set of a week. Then a good cleaning and a little TLC from a buddy that knows a thing or two about them and it sews like a CHAMP!

Really tough old machine.

Very happy with my big investment

 

[slodat]

Made this today. First attempt at molding thick leather.

 

[unknownroad]

I wanted a magnetic wristband so I could stop "mouthing" screws, and was surprised not to find one at any of my local hardware stores. So, I stitched up this one on my old Singer Mod. 15 using some leather and PC hard drive magnets I had around. Then I discovered that Amazon sells them for $10. Oh well, mine's leather

 

[ndnchf]

I made a set of turn signal gloves today. My '48 Willys Jeep doesn't have signals, so I have to use my hands. I got some orange work gloves. Then cut reflective material from an old safety vest. Then cut it into arrows. These were sewed to the back of the orange work gloves using my 102 year old Singer cobbler's machine.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

My son, 16, blew out the pocket of his catcher's mitt on Sunday. While I am pretty handy with rope, wire, and cord, there's a shoe repair shop one town over where everybody in this area has always taken their gloves for re-stringing. My older boys are 31 and 25 now, and I still remember taking their gloves over there when they were younger, but I didn't remember how cool the shop was. The shoemaker, in his 60's, the 5th generation in his family to own the shop, has his mitt, his father's mitt, and his grandfather's mitt on display in the shop. Sadly, he told me the line will end with him as his sons have no interest. Anyway, I was impressed with his sewing machines - two Champions and a Landis that date to the 1940's - that he still uses everyday, so I snapped a few photos. He picked two pairs of boots off the shelves that he just stitched today to show me his handiwork. When I asked him who repairs the machines, he pointed with a thumb to himself. Old school.

 

[bluebolt]

Private Lugnutz, you should show a before and after of the glove repair!

 

[cgrutt]

Any thoughts on Juki 1541S for newbie? Thinking about redoing my boat upholstery and possibly sidelining for others and maybe some leather craft. Also looking at Sailrite fabricator but Juki seems to be better machine. Any help or suggestions appreciated.

 

[frozen-stitches]

I did a set of seats for a small plane. Everything that was used had the burn certificate.

 

[Keyblazer]

I did a set of seats for a small plane. Everything that was used had the burn certificate.

Pictures!!!!

 

[twowheels]

This weekend I tackled replacing a couple zippers that had died on my sunbrella sailboat dodger. The zipper replacement went surprisingly well! I'm definitely an amateur and this is the biggest piece I've worked on yet.

However, there are a couple leather stopper patches at the top of the zipper that I had to remove to get at the old zipper. Replacing those leather patches is testing my sewing abilities (read: much swearing yesterday). The patches are very hard to access with my machine, and honestly I don't think my Sailrite will punch through two layers of the leather anyway (there is a leather patch on each side of the dodger).

After sleeping on it, I think my next angle of attack is to try hand stitching it. I've got a Speedy Stitcher Awl, and I'm going to give that a go with some new/not-dried out leather patches (I've never sewed leather). I read on the sailrite site that it helps to pre-drill the holes in the leather (they recommended using the sewing machine without thread).

Other ideas or suggestions? Below are a couple pictures of the dodger (pre-zipper replacement) and the offending leather patch. You can see the leather patch at the bottom of the first picture. Thank you for any ideas!

Tim

 

[cgrutt]

This weekend I tackled replacing a couple zippers that had died on my sunbrella sailboat dodger. The zipper replacement went surprisingly well! I'm definitely an amateur and this is the biggest piece I've worked on yet.

However, there are a couple leather stopper patches at the top of the zipper that I had to remove to get at the old zipper. Replacing those leather patches is testing my sewing abilities (read: much swearing yesterday). The patches are very hard to access with my machine, and honestly I don't think my Sailrite will punch through two layers of the leather anyway (there is a leather patch on each side of the dodger).

After sleeping on it, I think my next angle of attack is to try hand stitching it. I've got a Speedy Stitcher Awl, and I'm going to give that a go with some new/not-dried out leather patches (I've never sewed leather). I read on the sailrite site that it helps to pre-drill the holes in the leather (they recommended using the sewing machine without thread).

Other ideas or suggestions? Below are a couple pictures of the dodger (pre-zipper replacement) and the offending leather patch. You can see the leather patch at the bottom of the first picture. Thank you for any ideas!

Tim

Nice!

I would like to think the handy stitcher would work fine for those patches. You could also hand stitch them. To hand stitch run a needle on each end of the thread, start in a corner and run thread through hole to half-way point (equal amount of thread on each side) then go through the next hole from both directions (front and back), pull it tight and continue. Pretty easy and comes out nice if you keep the pattern straight and spacing consistent. You can punch the holes with a scratch all but make sure point is only about as thick as needle you are using. Sharp scratch all should be able to push through the leather but you could use a wood block underneath and give it a tap with a hammer if it's too tough to hand punch. (I'm sure you know this but be sure you use UV and water/salt resistant thread on repair.) Good luck.

 

[theoldwizard1]

Wandering around YouTube (what else do you do when the weather is crappy !) I ran across a guy who was a saddle maker. This lead to a short review of "walking foot" machines. Some of those are AMAZING ! 3 or 4 layers of thick leather, no problem !!

 

[rlitman]

Wandering around YouTube (what else do you do when the weather is crappy !) I ran across a guy who was a saddle maker. This lead to a short review of "walking foot" machines. Some of those are AMAZING ! 3 or 4 layers of thick leather, no problem !!

The Sailrite IS a walking foot machine, though a relatively small one.

I'd test out its abilities with some scraps, and if it's up to the task run it on the real deal. Otherwise, the idea of using it to perforate without thread seems to be a good one to me.

I don't own a walking foot machine, so I just use either a handy stitcher or a hook needle, or both. The result should look the same as two-needle stitching, if you take the time to balance the tension. I perforate my stitch holes with comb punches. You just buy a set in the spacing you want. I like to get the sets that come with a 1, 2, 4 and 6 tined punches. The 6 is used the most.

Oh, one thing. Leather punches come in two varieties. You want a solid pin punch that pokes through and displaces the leather (generally, the ones used for hand stitching have a parallelogram profile). Hollow punches are made to remove a hole, but aren't made for stitching, as removing leather makes the stitch weaker.

 

[twowheels]

Nice!

I would like to think the handy stitcher would work fine for those patches. You could also hand stitch them. To hand stitch run a needle on each end of the thread, start in a corner and run thread through hole to half-way point (equal amount of thread on each side) then go through the next hole from both directions (front and back), pull it tight and continue. Pretty easy and comes out nice if you keep the pattern straight and spacing consistent. You can punch the holes with a scratch all but make sure point is only about as thick as needle you are using. Sharp scratch all should be able to push through the leather but you could use a wood block underneath and give it a tap with a hammer if it's too tough to hand punch. (I'm sure you know this but be sure you use UV and water/salt resistant thread on repair.) Good luck.

Thanks cgrutt, makes sense... I've not done that type of stitch before. I think like you say, the key will be to keep the pattern straight and consistent by pre-creating the holes. What little hand stitching I've done before has looked lousy because my stitches are inconsistent lengths and on a crooked line. I might give this a shot while I'm waiting for a new smaller needle for my speedy stitcher!

 

[twowheels]

Wandering around YouTube (what else do you do when the weather is crappy !) I ran across a guy who was a saddle maker. This lead to a short review of "walking foot" machines. Some of those are AMAZING ! 3 or 4 layers of thick leather, no problem !!

No kidding, right? A buddy of mine was telling me about the "needle feed" machines. Both the foot and the needle reach out and "grab" the material. I've watched a few of the commercial machines on youtube and they are like machine guns. I can't complain though, my Sailrite is a million times better than my wife's machine!

 

[twowheels]

The Sailrite IS a walking foot machine, though a relatively small one.

I'd test out its abilities with some scraps, and if it's up to the task run it on the real deal. Otherwise, the idea of using it to perforate without thread seems to be a good one to me.

I don't own a walking foot machine, so I just use either a handy stitcher or a hook needle, or both. The result should look the same as two-needle stitching, if you take the time to balance the tension. I perforate my stitch holes with comb punches. You just buy a set in the spacing you want. I like to get the sets that come with a 1, 2, 4 and 6 tined punches. The 6 is used the most.

Oh, one thing. Leather punches come in two varieties. You want a solid pin punch that pokes through and displaces the leather (generally, the ones used for hand stitching have a parallelogram profile). Hollow punches are made to remove a hole, but aren't made for stitching, as removing leather makes the stitch weaker.

I appreciate the punch advice rlitman -- there are a heck of a lot of leatherworking tools available out there! The punches seem to be a pretty bulletproof way to get properly aligned/spaced holes. I think I'll give take a pass at running the leather patch through my machine without thread... if that doesn't work I'll buy some punches.

I don't mind the idea of buying some leatherworking tools... I'd love to try my hand at some leather projects once I get my never ending list of canvas/sail projects finished! Thanks again.

 

[cgrutt]

I appreciate the punch advice rlitman -- there are a heck of a lot of leatherworking tools available out there! The punches seem to be a pretty bulletproof way to get properly aligned/spaced holes. I think I'll give take a pass at running the leather patch through my machine without thread... if that doesn't work I'll buy some punches.

I don't mind the idea of buying some leatherworking tools... I'd love to try my hand at some leather projects once I get my never ending list of canvas/sail projects finished! Thanks again.

I picked up some used leather tools on ebay. Made a new belt loop for my belt a couple weeks ago with tools shown. I have some others but don't need much for a basic kit.

 

[IndyGarage]

I bought a bunch of leather hides on Craigslist awhile back, so I'm making some leather bags for my friends, wife and daughters for Christmas.

Pretty simple, but I've never sewed much and the leather is pretty hard to work with.

 

[Craptain]

That's pretty damn good for "never sewed much" Those would sell retail with no problem.

Sent from my SM-G930T using Tapatalk

 

[twowheels]

That's pretty damn good for "never sewed much" Those would sell retail with no problem.

Sent from my SM-G930T using Tapatalk

+1 agree with Craptain! Those look real good to me

Tim

 

[AZ Pete]

I appreciate the punch advice rlitman -- there are a heck of a lot of leatherworking tools available out there! The punches seem to be a pretty bulletproof way to get properly aligned/spaced holes. I think I'll give take a pass at running the leather patch through my machine without thread... if that doesn't work I'll buy some punches.



I don't mind the idea of buying some leatherworking tools... I'd love to try my hand at some leather projects once I get my never ending list of canvas/sail projects finished! Thanks again.

if you need punches look up "leather craft punches" on ebay. They may be Chinese, but the ones I got are very comparable to my US punches...and very inexpensive.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[IndyGarage]

That's pretty damn good for "never sewed much" Those would sell retail with no problem.

Sent from my SM-G930T using Tapatalk

+1 agree with Craptain! Those look real good to me

Tim

Thanks. I bought the leather from a guy who worked for a sports equipment manufacturer - apparently they are samples - really heavy stuff.

I made a sample out of some boat seat vinyl I had laying around - I made a ton of mistakes, but they are turning out better with every one I make.

They just take me a long time especially the straps. There's got to be some kind of trick to it.

I've got some seat covers from a Lexus I junked awhile back. I might try to make one out of them.

 

[Pathfinders]

Line every thing up, clamp the piece to some plywood, use a small drill bit for making the holes and hand stitch. Works great.

 

[twowheels]

This weekend I tackled replacing a couple zippers that had died on my sunbrella sailboat dodger. The zipper replacement went surprisingly well! I'm definitely an amateur and this is the biggest piece I've worked on yet.

However, there are a couple leather stopper patches at the top of the zipper that I had to remove to get at the old zipper. Replacing those leather patches is testing my sewing abilities (read: much swearing yesterday). The patches are very hard to access with my machine, and honestly I don't think my Sailrite will punch through two layers of the leather anyway (there is a leather patch on each side of the dodger).

After sleeping on it, I think my next angle of attack is to try hand stitching it. I've got a Speedy Stitcher Awl, and I'm going to give that a go with some new/not-dried out leather patches (I've never sewed leather). I read on the sailrite site that it helps to pre-drill the holes in the leather (they recommended using the sewing machine without thread).

Other ideas or suggestions? Below are a couple pictures of the dodger (pre-zipper replacement) and the offending leather patch. You can see the leather patch at the bottom of the first picture. Thank you for any ideas!

Tim

THANKS to everyone for the help on my sailboat dodger and with leather sewing!

It was an adventure, but I got it done. Its humbling how things that sound quite simple in concept turn out to be a nightmare when you've got lots of layers of sunbrella/leather in "cramped quarters". I ended up drilling holes in the leather using my drill press -- overkill, but it worked. The speedy stitcher saved the day, and I learned a lot about hand stitching.

Next sewing project is to make the sail for my little pram. I'm guessing that will be an adventure as well! I'll post pictures later in December when I tackle that.

Best-Tim

 

[rlitman]

... I ended up drilling holes in the leather using my drill press -- overkill, but it worked. The speedy stitcher saved the day, and I learned a lot about hand stitching...

Nice! Yeah, circle punches don't cut through that much thickness, and now that you mention it, leather stitching punches don't work so well on fabric.

Handy stitchers and needles certainly can get to places out of the reach of any machine.

Got any pictures to share?

 

[twowheels]

Nice! Yeah, circle punches don't cut through that much thickness, and now that you mention it, leather stitching punches don't work so well on fabric.



Handy stitchers and needles certainly can get to places out of the reach of any machine.



Got any pictures to share?

Sorry rlitman, life got busy and I missed this!

Here are some pictures. It’s difficult to see much difference, but it’s definitely better with working zips. I had to remove/replace a few snaps to get at the zipper.

While I was at it, I cleaned the windows with some vinyl cleaner and conditioned the leather. I should have been better about conditioning the leather over the years, and it probably would have held up better — but such is life. The dodger is 12-13 years old so I don’t think it has too much life left in it. I’ll be happy if I can get 2-3 more years out of it! Thanks again for your help.










Sent from my iPhone using Garage Journal

 

[rlitman]

I have to look very closely to even see what you did, and that's about the best compliment I can pay. Well done!