Shavonne Report post Posted April 10, 2009 Hi Everyone... I'm in the process of making a purse and have a Bernina 230 sewing machine. I'll be working with exotic skins (croc, snakeskin, ostrich, etc.). I've tested two pieces of faux leather. One light similar to lambskin and the other thicker (cowhide weight). Straight stitching on the Bernina wasn't an issue. However, I encountered problems using my ruffler/gathering foot. The lighter piece gathers, the thicker piece doesn't. I watched the ruffler as it was trying to push the thicker piece of faux leather, but the metal piece that does the 'pushing' to make the gathers was just skimming the surface (backwards and forwards) and not pushing. My machine can handle thick layers of denim, but then again leather and fabric are different mediums. I plan to purchase an exotic skin soon and wanted to test my machine to see if it can handle. I'm sure my machine can handle, but it can't handle doing the fancy "stuff" with leather such as gathers, pleating, etc. Do I need an industrial sewing machine? I am really new to leather crafting and this will be my first project. I'm hoping to get some advice from anyone listening. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TwinOaks Report post Posted April 10, 2009 Hi Shavonne, The issue isn't with the sewing machine if it will sew the thicknesses you want. Most 'industrial' machines are straight stitch anyway, so that's only going to come into play if the machine won't handle the thickness. Since your machine will handle the thickness, that only leaves two other components: the attachments and the materials. Since the lighter material gathers as you want, well....then it's the material. The thicker material is too stiff/slick for the foot to handle, that's all. You'll need to manually add the gathers and ruffles, then run them through the straight stitch. When you get ready to do it, try a couple of scrap pieces doubled up and see if the machine will handle the thickness. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Shavonne Report post Posted April 10, 2009 Hi Shavonne,The issue isn't with the sewing machine if it will sew the thicknesses you want. Most 'industrial' machines are straight stitch anyway, so that's only going to come into play if the machine won't handle the thickness. Since your machine will handle the thickness, that only leaves two other components: the attachments and the materials. Since the lighter material gathers as you want, well....then it's the material. The thicker material is too stiff/slick for the foot to handle, that's all. You'll need to manually add the gathers and ruffles, then run them through the straight stitch. When you get ready to do it, try a couple of scrap pieces doubled up and see if the machine will handle the thickness. Thanks Mike. I'll try to manually add the gathers this time using binder clips. I tried to manually add them a few weeks ago, using pins in the seams, but the pins were too flimsy and not strong enough to hold the material together. Let's see if it works this time =)... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TwinOaks Report post Posted April 10, 2009 Probably the biggest issue you'll have, providing the machine will handle the thickness, is "climbing the hill" at the gathers. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
