Sewing Machine Recommendations??? -- chaostudios' Journal -- Fur Affinity [dot] net

Sewing Machine Recommendations???

11 years ago

are always welcome and appreciated! Paypal: sarineochaos@gmail.com

Does anyone have personal experience with using sewing machines with long pile fur?

I'm really looking for a sewing machine that doesn't cost two or three limbs but handles long pile fur. One big thing that's keeping me back from doing full suits for even myself is the fact that my machine can only sew long pile fur pieces at an extremely slow speed, and even then the fur fibers tend to get caught in the threads and jam the machine. This isn't so bad for sewing smaller pieces, like my hand paws for Kerfuffle...but even those with the clogging took like 15-20 minutes to sew 6 inches of fur. @__@ Soooo yeah...I can only imagine how many HOURS it would take me to make a body suit if the threads keep jamming...

I really don't have the funds to purchase an industrial-strength machine...but I figure doing just partials for now and putting away the profits from that will eventually get me enough for a more expensive machine...but that could take quite a while, especially since I only wanna charge about 10% for labor on partials until my skills are more up to par...

But if anyone knows of a smaller, less expensive machine that can handle full suits, I would be most grateful for any information on such a machine and the best place to purchase it.

The parts for my next suit (which will debut at RMFC) will be here by the end of the week, and I'm seriously considering making it a 3/4 suit (head, sleeves/handpaws, feetpaws/tail/digigrade legs) instead of just a partial and see how that goes...maybe even a full suit if I can find a machine in time to handle the workload and not frustrate the hell out of me.

The last thing I wanna do is sew an entire suit by hand... @__@ So, yes. Help.

Thanks!! :3

8 Comments

TentacleLoveGoddess ~tentaclelovegoddess

Anime Artist

11 years ago

I use a Brother CS6000i, which is a surprising lil' workhorse for being something you can get at Target/Walmart/etc. I originally picked it up because I found one on clearance at Target for $100, which was an awesome price. It works...OK with fur. You do have to guide it along, use a good needle, and it probably wouldn't do well on 3-4 layers, but on 2, it's great! But after 1-2 years on my original, the motor burnt out, and the warranty on that is only 30 days so I just went out and bought another one.

I've also used a Singer Heavy Duty machine, which is also available at Walmart for $100 or so. But I returned it because the presser foot doesn't lift up very high, so it's a struggle to fit 2 layers if it was very thick fur. BUT once you fit those underneath, it worked very well!

My next plan is going to be a Janome or BabyLock. I had a couple great deals I found on craigslist, but craigslist is craigslist and they all ended up flaking out on me and suddenly stopped returning my emails. >:( The Janome Heavy Duty for $300 or so is probably going to be my next goal.

Also worth mentioning that with Walmart/Target. you can always test the machine for up to 90 days and then return it if you decide it's not going to work out for your needs. Hope that helps some!

chaostudios ~chaostudios

Traditional Artist

11 years ago

Haha, okay...here's the funny part of this response: I, too, use a Brother CS6000i. XD And like you said, it works okay with fur, but I either have to go reeeeaaaally slow or really cut down the fur along the seam allowance and hope I don't cut into the fur that needs to stay long...just to get it to not jam, especially the bobbin thread. It seems to be doing great needle-wise since I switched out from the default needle it came with (which bent after a few uses) to a leather needle, which is a bit thicker and way sharper...but again, it seems like the fur fibers, because they're so long and fine, get caught up in the stitching and eventually into the workings of the bobbin side of things and BAM. Jammed, to a point where I gotta remove everything and PUUUUULL the fur/thread until it snaps.

So yeah, the Brother CS6000i is actually great when I did my patterns out of felt...but is give or take with fur. Sometimes I was able to get a whole piece sewn together, no problem! Then I go to sew something else, and I end up taking twenty minutes to sew one side of a damn hand paw together 'cuz the threads tangle up three or four times in the process. @__@

So I dunno if it's cuz the engine is portable and, thus, not industrial-grade...but I don't think even an industrial machine will act differently regarding very fine fur fibers.

TentacleLoveGoddess ~tentaclelovegoddess

Anime Artist

11 years ago

Hmm. Not sure, then. I do all of my sewing on my Brother (because I have no patience for handsewing XD), and I sew on medium-high speed most often. I tend to only get bobbin jams when I'm doing top-stitching on thick furs like closing up the top of tails. I do have to pull/guide the fabric along because the feed dogs do tend to slip around. Have you tried pulling the whole thing apart and cleaning under the bobbin assembly? I do have to do that fairly regularly to keep the bobbin compartment clean of fluzz.

Since faux fur is a heavy duty woven fabric, I use a large sized ball point needle. (The specific ones I use are the 16/100 Titanium Ball point ones from HERE.) The needles I got at Walmart always gave me trouble after a couple projects, but these ones have lasted me for months.

chaostudios ~chaostudios

Traditional Artist

11 years ago

Hmm okay, I'll have to check out the ball point needles. I only just started working with machines (since in the past I couldn't even thread the cheap ones I'd get so I'd give up before I even started XD), so I'm a little behind on the lingo. The feed dogs are the little moving things on the bottom of the sewing area, right? The ones that help pull (or, I guess, feed) the fabric through as you sew? I do notice that I have to really guide and pull the fur along, but I end up getting pretty straight stitches if I go fairly slow to make sure I can guide it along any curves and such. And pinning the fabric so it doesn't slip helps a ton, too.

It's just...the damn clogging. Gah. I'll try maybe opening it up before and after every project and spray it clean with a can of compressed air and see if that maybe helps?

I'm sure that my...disdain for mongolian fur doesn't help, either. I like the really plush stuff...which means finer fibers...which means more clogging. XD

Thanks for your advice! :3

TentacleLoveGoddess ~tentaclelovegoddess

Anime Artist

11 years ago

Yep, those are the feed dogs! I've seen some crazy machines with interchangeable feed dogs with larger teeth to help grip fabric. The ones on these cheaper machines usually are made for cotton/fleece so I don't think it exerts enough pressure on the fur to keep it from sliding. And yesssss, pins are my friend. I pin the crap ton out of everything!

Canned air is great! The little lint brush that was packaged with the machine is awesome too. Usually whenever I run out of bobbin thread, I take the chance to remove the little metal face plate, take out the bobbin assembly and clean all around it. It's pretty gross how much crud builds up in there!

(And omg yes, I hate mongolian fur. So icky and clumpy looking.)

Draga ~draga03

Aspiring Comic Artist

11 years ago

I have a lovely Singer Heavy Duty 4423 of the 4400 Series sewing machine!
I acquired it for Christmas and have yet to work on fur with it but since it's heavy duty, I believe it's capable of being able to work with long-pile fur.

I believe it was acquired from All Discount Vacuum & Sewing Center off Circle Drive, here in Springs.
You can sell your old sewing machine (if it's in good condition) there and have the money you get off that machine to go towards the new one.
For the machine itself, it should be around $200.

Of course you'll need Heavy-Duty needles to ensure your needles don't break so easily when you work with your fur.

Hope that helps! ^^

chaostudios ~chaostudios

Traditional Artist

11 years ago

Thanks, Draga! Wow, that does help. I'll definitely check that place out, and at the very least they can probably tell me the best options for working with fur. And yeah, $200 for a heavy duty machine is a killer deal~ !

Thanks again!

Draga ~draga03

Aspiring Comic Artist

11 years ago

You're welcome! I hope you find something to your liking at that store! :D
Good luck!

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