SmashFire Girl Report post Posted May 8, 2013 Hi, I'm a brand newbie to the Forum... what a great wealth of info on here!! :-) Was reading through tons of posts about machines and just very confused. I am looking for a machine to sew lightweight leather for bracelets, necklaces, earrings, etc... basically to make decorative stitches and to sew a couple pieces together. I'm guessing the maximum I would sew would be about 1/4" and under. I do also sometimes make cosmetic bags and use vinyl lining... so I would be doing that as well. And... of course my budget is peanuts. I think I'm doing a tune on my regular sewing machine and don't want to burn that out... so just need something to handle what I will be doing. Would the Consew portable 206R be good for my purpose? To start out with at least? I don't think I really need anything TOO heavy duty. (if I could afford it though... I would get the Consew everyone talks about... but can't really plunk down that much $$$ at this point). Any suggestions would be MUCH appreciated. Thanks! Kim Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Wizcrafts Report post Posted May 8, 2013 The portable walking foot machines can normally only sew up to a tish over 1/4 inch of material, although the feet lift higher (they need additional room to alternate up and down). If the leather is compressible to 1/4" or less, a portable may do the trick for your particular projects. But, they are driven by teeth of the bottom of both feet, as well as on the feed dog. I understand that there are some smooth presser feet available in the aftermarket for these machines. The portable walkers are very fragile and are easily damaged by hard leather, or by being dropped during shipping (personal experience). A better option is a full industrial waking foot machine with a servo motor. They can sew 3/8 inch and have all manner of feet available. You would be well served to find a local source for the machines and bring your material with when you try them out. If a machine in good working condition sews your worse case samples without slipping, or eating the lining, buy it. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SmashFire Girl Report post Posted May 15, 2013 Been a crazy week... just got a chance to get back on. Thank you so much for your in depth reply!! I'm going to contact some local sources to see what I can come up with... I'm right near NYC so hopefully there will be a bunch of places nearby. Thanks again! Kim Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
