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Posted by imaan on June 1, 2008, 7:36 am
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Hello all,
I am new to the world of sewing, but enjoying it, and finding it
relatively relaxing.
I own a basic Janome sewing machine that sews straight and zig zag, and a
Pfaff hobbylock.
I hope to upgrade my sewing machine sooner rather than later, but also
came across stand alone coverstitch machines. Are they all they are
cracked up to be, better than a coverlock for example? And useful for the
home sewer?
Also, any suggestions on any suitable machines, both for sewing, and
coverstitching, if it is worth it?
Imaan
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Posted by Candide on June 1, 2008, 5:17 pm
>
>
>
> -------------------------------------
>
> Hello all,
>
> I am new to the world of sewing, but enjoying it, and finding it
> relatively relaxing.
>
> I own a basic Janome sewing machine that sews straight and zig zag,
and a
> Pfaff hobbylock.
>
> I hope to upgrade my sewing machine sooner rather than later, but also
> came across stand alone coverstitch machines. Are they all they are
> cracked up to be, better than a coverlock for example? And useful for
the
> home sewer?
>
> Also, any suggestions on any suitable machines, both for sewing, and
> coverstitching, if it is worth it?
>
> Imaan
Welcome! There is nothing more soothing than the sound of a sewing
machine, is there? *LOL*
In general, if you do lots of coverstitching it is better to have a
dedicated coverstitch machine, rather than say a serger/overlock machine
that also does coverstitching.
Here is a link to a site I like:
http://www.cedesign.com/familyphotos/sewing/info/cs_faq/index.html
For one thing most home serger/overlock machines vary in the ease of
switching from overlock to coverstitch, and quality of the later stitch.
Some home sergers tend to be rather picky and or difficult, which means
you will have down time as you switch between overlocking and
coverstitching, adjust tensions, and so forth. The beauty of a dedicated
coverstitch machine is it does only one stitch and usually gives better
and more consistent results than combination machines.
Many home sewing machines have coverstitching options as do sergers. It
is rather difficult to recommend a machine because no one knows but you
how you will be using the machine, and your comfort level. Standard
advice is take along some fabric and or projects to a reputable sewing
machine dealer, sit yourself down and start playing around with various
machines. If you find a sewing machine pr serger that does a
coverstitch, how good are the results? Test some dedicated coverstitch
machines and make the same comparisons. Take lots of notes, and make
sure to somehow mark your test fabrics as to which machine did what
stitch, get information about each machine including prices and
hopefully some brochures, then go home.
Once you get home make up a cup of tea or your bevvy of choice and sit
yourself down and have a think about which machine or machines do what
you want them to do. Remember if switching between stitches is more of a
bother than it is worth, you probably won't ever use the function. At
least with a stand alone coverstitch machine you can do what the pros
do, set it up and forget it. This allows you to stop a project on your
sewing machine, go over to the coverstitch, get that done, and back to
the sewing machine to finish. All without rethreading, and adjusting
tension (well you may have to on the coverstitch machine).
Word of warning, once you start accumulating sewing machines, you won't
be able to stop! *LOL* Soon you'll have an embroidery machine,
serger/overlock, coverstitch, and maybe even a blindhem machine! *LOL*
Best of luck, and please stick around!
Candide
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Posted by Kay Lancaster on June 1, 2008, 5:42 pm
> I hope to upgrade my sewing machine sooner rather than later, but also
> came across stand alone coverstitch machines. Are they all they are
> cracked up to be, better than a coverlock for example? And useful for the
> home sewer?
Coverstitch = coverlock = cover hem. They're the machines that make the hems
on knits that look like two lines of topstitching on the front, and a zig
zaggy bit on the back. Can be faked with a double needle in a sewing machine,
but the seam is not as stretchy. Only you can judge whether or not
they'd be useful to you. I sew a lot of knits, and have a "regular" 5
thread serger and a standalone coverstitcher. The conversion of a coverstitch-
capable serger to coverstitching and back again takes more time than I
have patience for, so for me, separate machines were the answer.
> Also, any suggestions on any suitable machines, both for sewing, and
> coverstitching, if it is worth it?
The best machine for you is one that you'll use and fits the way you sew.
http://www.cet.com/~pennys/faq/smfaq.htm
It's a little bit like asking someone to pick out some new shoes for you...
even if you know your size, you still aren't likely to get a truly comfortable
pair with someone else's advice unless you get lucky. Especially with
sergers and coverstitchers, I think beginners are often best served by
finding a local dealer with good support to get you through the steepest
parts of the learning curve.
Kay
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Posted by RedDog on June 3, 2008, 9:29 pm
On Jun 1, 7:36 am, imaanjoshi_at_gmail_dot_...@foo.com (imaan) wrote:
> -------------------------------------
>
> Hello all,
>
> I am new to the world of sewing, but enjoying it, and finding it
> relatively relaxing.
Welcome to our group, imaan, but please take the time to read our
rules. All women applying for membership here are required to first
send me a naked photograph of themselves. After I approve your photo,
you'll then be allowed to post here freely and as often as you wish,
but not before.
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