When to Purchase a Household Sewing Machine by TuffSew

So you are looking to purchase a new sewing machine. You realize that there are industrial machines, walking foot sewing machines, standard household sewing machines, and compact sewing machines on the market. Let’s take a deep breath together- it is ok to be confused and overwhelmed. No matter which machine you decide to purchase, there are a couple of universals you want to find on your next machine.

You want to make sure your new machine is built like a metal tank (internally). Purchase a sewing machine with ALL METAL GEARS. They will never crack like many machines with plastic gears. You want to make sure you purchase your machine new- with a warranty. When you purchase a used machine you don’t know if the last owner oiled all the moving joints regularly or if they used thread sizes too large for the recommended usage. Lastly, if purchasing a semi-industrial or industrial machine-order one with a cast iron finish. These will last you a VERY LONG TIME.

So now that we understand what to look for, let’s figure out which type of sewing machine to purchase. Here are some tips…..

The two most important variables are THICKNESS of material being sewn, and COARSENESS of the material being sewn. If you are sewing medium to light weight material roughly around 1/8”-1/4” thickness, a normal household sewing machine will do the job. We recommend the TuffSew SuperCraft sewing machine. If you are sewing 1/8” to 3/8” thickness of medium to heavy material such as leather, upholstery, canvas, etc, you will want to look into a walking foot portable sewing machine such as our TuffSew Straight Stitch sewing machine.

Let’s say at this point you decide that you are sewing light/medium weighted fabric at 1/8” thickness. You make the decision to go with a regular household sewing machine. Do you purchase a standard size household machine or a compact sewing machine? If you have sewn for over 2 years, you should go with a normal household sewing machine such as our TuffSew SuperCraft. If you are a beginner- a compact machine such as our Tuffsew Mini might be best for you-since it’s just a bit simpler.

If you decide to purchase a regular household sewing machine-because you are sewing medium to light weight fabric at less than ¼” thickness-they do have their advantages. First, you’ll get a ton of built in decorative stitches. There are usually more snap-on feet for different sewing purposes. You’ll usually get a machine with a rotary hook. These hooks do not jam quite as often as oscillating hook systems. Regular household machines are also fairly light-20 pounds or so. Please don’t underestimate your sewing needs. Remember, if you are sewing thicker fabric and more layers-look into a walking foot sewing machine. For more info on these machines, please read the following blog http://tuffsew.com/blog/?p=31.

If you are interested in understanding more about the differences of the various types of sewing machines, feel free to stop by our website at www.tuffsew.com.

7 Steps to Threading your New TuffSew Walking Foot Straight Stitch Sewing Machine

7 Steps to Threading your Industrial Walking foot Sewing Machine by TuffSew

The old sewing machine just isn’t cutting it- broken needles, continuous breakage of thread, inconsistent stitching, and lack of capability-drove you to Google to figure out which sewing machine might be able to handle your heavy duty projects. Maybe you read this article on our TuffSew blog http://tuffsew.com/blog/?p=31. So you did it!! You purchased a TuffSew Straight Stitch Walking Foot Machine. This article will explain to you how to thread your new machine- since it’s one of the most important tasks to getting the results you want.

You notice when you get your machine that it’s all threaded and ready to go. But what happens 2 weeks later when you want to change the thread color? Well, now it’s time to do it yourself. Here are the steps in properly threading your machine:

1)      BOBBIN SPINDLE: Take the thread off the bobbin spindle.

2)      WRAP AROUND THREAD GUIDE: Put the thread on the front thread guide (wrap it around in the natural form. You might need to watch our YouTube video for this step. The video is attached to the bottom of this article).

3)      3 HOLE THREAD GUIDE: Take the thread and go DOWN the right hold of the thread guide. Then take the thread DOWN the left hole.

Before the next 2 steps, make sure the presser foot is UP. That is the black assembly on the left side of the ceiling of the machine.

4)      TENSION DISC: Take the thread down near the tension disc. You want to make sure you go IN BETWEEN the metal tension discs. There’s one tension disc with a tongue on it. You want to put the thread right in front of this tension disc. Floss the thread through the tension disc from right to left.

5)      TAKE UP BAR: You’ll notice when you floss the thread through the tension disc that the thread pulls up the spring. It will click! You will then thread the take up bar from RIGHT to LEFT.

6)      NEEDLE MECHANISM GUIDE: Snip your thread first, it will make it easier. This is the last thread guide before you thread your needle. This thread guide is right above your needle. You want to thread this guide from RIGHT to LEFT only.

7)      THREAD YOUR NEEDLE: First drop the presser foot down which will give you more room. Always thread the needle from LEFT to RIGHT only. Bring the presser foot back up. Next turn the handwheel 1 complete turn counter clock wise. This will pick the thread up automatically so that you have both threads to the top! Now you are ready to sew.

If you have any further questions on maintaining your sewing machine, feel free to Contact TuffSew by visiting http://www.tuffsew.com/contact

If you'd like some visual help with threading your new TuffSew Walking Foot Sewing Machine, please click here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xYQwf-QTMjU

How to Maintain Your Portable Walking Foot Straight Stitch Sewing Machine by TuffSew

So you just purchased a TuffSew Straight Stitch Industrial Walking Foot Sewing Machine. Congratulations!!  You will notice that your new TuffSew machine will be all stitched in, ready to go upon arrival. The tension is set, the needle is placed, and a sample material has been sewn already. So you crank out all your initial sewing projects- but now might be wondering “how do I maintain this machine now?”

Well the first item we’d like to discuss is oiling the machine. This TuffSew Straight Stitch machine is a portable sewing machine. This means that it’s not a full size industrial machine. Full sized industrial sewing machines sit in a bed of oil. The TuffSew portable machine is not a full size industrial-therefore only needs to be self-oiled every month. Just like in the YouTube video below, simply tilt the machine on its back (careful it’s heavy) and oil all the moving joints. You can use the oiling tube that came with the machine. As you turn the hand wheel you can see all of these moving joints-simple as that.

Tension is another issue we combat. You’ll see the circular tension knob on the machine with numbers on it. Before we shipped your new TuffSew machine out to you-we calibrated the machine and set the tension to 5. Always make sure you have the tension set to 5. If you are deciding to sew light-weight materials on our Straight Stitch machine-feel free to lower the tension a little bit. However, when you are done sewing the light weight materials make sure and reset the tension knob to 5.

We also get a lot of questions on needle insertion. So you want to change the needle or take it out-no problem. Simply loosen the black set screw on the side needle mechanism 1/2 turn. Then you can drop the needle down and take it out. Make sure when you replace the needle that you notice there are 2 sides to our needles. One side has a long 1” groove on the side of the needle. The other side of the needle has a little scarf on it. When you put the needle in the machine you ALWAYS want to make sure the long 1” groove is facing the left side of the machine. You can feel the groove with your fingernail. Remember if you put the needle in backwards-the machine won’t sew L.

If you have any further questions on maintaining your sewing machine, feel free to Contact TuffSew by visiting http://www.tuffsew.com/contact

If you’d like to watch the video on how to maintain your sewing machine by Tuffsew, please click here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=arhXK4-fXyA

Creating a Second Income by TuffSew

Currently it’s November 1^st 2011. There are 14 million unemployed Americans- as our country is facing a  9.1% unemployment rate. Many of the 90.9% of us lucky enough to have a job have seen waves of wage reductions, slashed hours, or cut commissions. What does a person do? First a person must ask themselves: what skills do I have to make a second income? Well I remember taking sewing classes and I know how to run and promote a business.

At TuffSew - we get questions and inquiries coming from small business owners around the world. They state: “I am currently setting up my own business. I am going to make dog collars and I need a sewing machine that will handle multiple layers of material. I need a machine with a larger needle and the ability to use thick thread. What sewing machine should I purchase?”

In a recent meeting here at TuffSew, we came to the conclusion that purchasing any type of sewing machine in 2011 can be rather confusing. Every sewing machine retail outlet out there will try and make a sale, even if your best interests are not at hand. There are hundreds of different models out there- rotaries, oscillators, walking foot machines, built-in walking foot machines, free-arm machines, etc. How does a person to figure out which machine to buy?

If you are going to be using your sewing machine daily, you might want to consider purchasing a machine with metal gears and all metal parts. These components will outlast plastic parts by years. If you are going to be sewing layers of material over 1/8” to 3/8”, you need a built-in walking foot (not a walking foot attachment). A built in walking foot grabs your material not only from the top of the fabric, but the bottom as well. Therefore you have 2 forces pulling your material through the sewing zone. This also lowers the pressure on the needle assembly.

If you were to use a normal every day household sewing machine and try to sew, for example, ¼” thickness of cowhide leather, you might as well plan on buying another regular household sewing machine in about 6-12 months. They just won’t work for a very long duration-period.

In conclusion, if you are looking to add extra income, create a new business , or for someone who just wants a sewing machine with a little more oomph- look into purchasing a semi-industrial portable walking foot sewing machine. If you are interested in understanding more about this type of semi industrial walking foot machine, feel free to stop by our website at www.tuffsew.com.

What is a built-in Walking Foot Sewing Machine by TuffSew

So your passion for sewing plus some newfound free time got you thinking. "I'm going to start a business sewing up some cowhide to make cases for the new iPad2." Or "I love animals-so why don't I make some unique dog collars." Then I'm going to sell three of these a day on my website. So you went down to the leather shop and picked out the material. You arrived back home, took out your household sewing machine and started your dream-home business.
 
However you immediately run into a huge problem! You kept bending and breaking the needle and the stitch quality just wasn't creating what you imagined. Darn! What do you do now? You start asking your friends who also sew-and they say you need a machine with a built-in walking foot. So you do some research online and you figure out the details of the machine your friends told you to look for. The light bulb goes off in your head!
 

A sewing machine with a built-in walking foot mechanism helps feed your thick fabric through the sewing zone. This mechanism is a 2 piece foot which appears to actually "walk." The inner side of this foot stays put on the fabric, while the outside part of it helps feed the thick fabric through the sewing zone. There is very little slippage due to the grips on the bottom of built in foot. So not only the feed dogs, but now this special walking foot mechanism has a GRIP to grab your thick material and pull it through with absolutely no slippage. Below you can view our Youtube video to actually see this for yourself! Two benefits of this: you can sew more thicknesses and your materials feed evenly with the highest quality stitches. If you are going to be sewing canvas, leather, boating materials, bags, luggage, handbags, camping equipment, etc-look into purchasing an industrial strength built in WF sewing machine.

 
One more idea we want to touch on is:
It's important that you understand a household sewing machine with a walking foot attachment is not going to provide the same results as an industrial strength sewing machine with a built-in walking foot. Most domestic household sewing machines come with a walking foot attachment-just remember this will not duplicate the motion of a true built-in walking foot thus will not sew as many layers or thicknesses.
 
Will these household machines sew leather? Do you really need to invest in another machine? The answer is yes these household machines will sew leather, but a minimum amount of layers. If you plan on sewing over 1/8" thickness of the materials listed above-you are going to want to look into an industrial strength built in WF sewing machine. For more details on built in walking foot sewing machines, feel free to browse through our website at http://www.tuffsew.com/.

 
Tuffsew YouTube video on this topic
TuffSew Walking Foot in Action

Tuffsew Industrial Strength Built in Walking Foot Machine
http://www.tuffsew.com/straight-stitch

TuffSew Heavy Duty Sewing Machines

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