homesewnrose

Ok, this is good to know. The cobra 26 series is a compound feed machine. I will have to do more research in this area. I most likely will only be sewing thin material on here when it is layered with thicker fabric. My outer fabrics won't be an issue, but my liners are sometimes much thinner. Do you think it will be an issue when layered, or just when sewing thinner fabrics by themselves? Thanks for ALL your help!

Yes, my thought is to try out the cylinder machine with the table attachment. I am a stay at home mom with three boys and I don't get a lot of sewing time unless they are in school. I figure this would work well for now until I can afford, space and monetary wise, another machine. My Janome HD 3000 is actually a great machine that works well for my lighter weight items that I would need done on a flatbed. Space is actually my biggest limitation right now.

Too funny. Do you have the flat bed table attachment for your cylinder arm machine? I just see the versatility of it being so helpful!

I would love to visit a dealer and look at all the options. Sadly I am quite a distance from most and the one closest to me has very poor reviews. I am currently on a road trip and might have an option to look at a Ludwig cylinder arm machine tomorrow. I think that will give me a better idea of whether or not a cylinder arm will benefit me or not.

Thanks for your reply. That looks like a great machine! And it looks like it has a lot of room to move bigger bags around. My worry is topstitching the smaller bag openings and being able to work them around the arm of the machine, that one looks a little large. However, the needle range looks great!

I've been making custom bags, purses and totes out of heavy cloth fabrics for the last several years and have been struggling with my two home sewing machines (Brother CS6000i and Janome HD3000). I want to upgrade to an industrial sewing machine but am a bit overwhelmed by the range of choices available. I'm looking for advice on what type or types of machines and needle systems would be best suited for working with somewhat bulky, home decor and upholstery fabrics. Where my current machines struggle is when I sew bag straps over 7/16" thickness, gussets, and top-stitching smaller bag openings. I use a wide variety of fabrics. Most of my work today on my home sewing machines is done with #14-16 needles. I'm frequently breaking needles, and I suspect this is because the machines just aren't big enough to wrestle all the fabric through, things drag and the needle snaps. For some projects I probably need to go to a bigger needle, but #16 is the largest my machines supports. I think a cylinder arm sewing machine may be helpful but I have no experience with one and most of the advice I've found online about cylinder arm machines is related to leather. Plus many of the cylinder arm machines I've come across use needle systems designed for leather and not upholstery fabric. Some sewing machines I've come across that look like they may work for me are: Atlas AT335 (DPx17, 135x17 needle) Cobra Class 26 (DPx17, 135x17 needle) Any feedback or advice would be appreciated! Below are some examples of the types of projects my machines struggle with: