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Sewing Machine Categories

 

Whether you're brand new to sewing or a long time enthusiast, selecting the right sewing machine can be daunting.  Machine manufactures are constantly looking for ways to improve features and benefits with new sewing machines coming out regularly.  When searching for a new sewing machine, it's most important to find something that fits your current desires, but also provides room for growth.  

Sewing machines can be used for a wide variety of things.  Making quilts, wall hangings, table runners, clothes, couch covers, purses, bags, dresses, embroidery, finishing, upholstery and the list goes on.  Machines are designed for a specific purpose and can generally be categorized as follows:  

1. General Sewing, Quilting and Garment Construction:

- These machines are your everyday, household sewing machine.  You can sew, mend, alter, and even quilt with these sewing machines.  Depending on the features and benefits you'd like; many of these machines allow you to do fancy tasks ranging from simple straight stitch and zig zap to making buttonholes, sewing letters, doing satin stitches for appliqué and even designing your own decorative stitches with computer software that seamlessly connects to your machine via wifi or bluetooth.  Fun, Fun...

For confident beginners we recommend the Pfaff Passport 3.0 or Husqvarna Viking Opal 650.  These machines provide a great balance of features and benefits which cover the basics and allow for growth without limiting your creativity.  Many customers rave about these machines and will often use them for traveling to classes at our store.    


Pfaff Passport 3.0

2. Embroidery Sewing Machine:

- Back in the day, hand embroidery was the only option available.  Now a days; you can create personalized designs, embellish quilts, make patches, personalize names or inspirational sayings while decorating just about anything on any type of fabric with an embroidery machine.  From denim jackets, knitted and felted bags, sheer overlays, stretch knits, leather, velvet, to of course cotton your possibilities are endless.  

For confident beginners we recommend the Pfaff Creative 3.0 or Husqvarna Viking Designer Topaz.  These are great starter machines that are loaded with designs and provide hoop sizes which allow you to do just a little more than the basics.  Many customers who purchase bottom of the line embroidery machines find themselves trading up within a year.

Pfaff Creative 3.0

3. Serger:

- Sergers are very interesting!  They sew seams differently from a traditional sewing machine, use a built-in knife to cut off seam allowances as you stitch and makes overcasting to finish raw fabric edges a sinch.  Most people don't realize this, but in addition sergers can be used for

  1. Sewing different types of hems including rolled hems
  2. Gathering fabric with differential feed
  3. Sewing knits and other stretchy fabrics (so that the material keeps its stretchiness)
  4. Attaching elastic to clothing
  5. Making decorative stitches
  6. Attaching zippers
  7. Making cover and chain stitches (NOTE: not all sergers can do this – only combination machines can)
  8. Piecing fabric for a quilt or sewing quilt binding

 Pfaff Admire Air 5000

4. Heavy Duty Industrial Sewing Machines:

- Standard sewing machines, especially those with IDF (integrated duel feed), can sew through thick fabrics and over large seams but if you'll be doing a lot of sewing on thicker fabrics heavy-duty sewing machines are designed to handle the load.  The motor is larger and inner components more durable which makes sewing fabrics like denim, leather, upholstery, and canvas much easier and more successful! 

These sewing machines won't have all the bells and whistles like your general sewing machine, but they do allow you to sew a wide range of thick fabrics.

 



815-729-1600      2011 WEBER RD. CREST HILL, IL. 60403       
MON, TUES, THUR, FRI, SAT: 10-4