Leather Machine for Bag/Purse Making

[Jewelia]

Hello.  While looking for Christmas Gift ideas on my Fiancée's computer (yes, she gave me permission) I noticed she had a bookmark for this forum in a folder she titled "Black Friday"... so I am hoping you all can help me help her.  She struggles with her health and unfortunately has been quite sick these past few months and has spent most of it in bed.  The only excitement I've seen her have lately was when talking about buying a new sewing machine on Black Friday, which also happened to fall on her 50th Birthday this year.  Sadly she was just too sick and not only missed the Black Friday Sales, but also our trip to CA to spend Thanksgiving with family and the big B-day celebration I had planned for her in New York.  We decided to pretend this was #49, and save the BIG 50 for next year. But I can tell all this disappointment is taking a toll on her mentally and I really think she needs a hobby she can get excited about and escape her reality of just being sick.  So I am hoping you all might be willing to help steer me towards a great Sewing Machine to surprise her with on Christmas. If it helps at all, prior to her health taking a turn for the worse, she worked as a Professional Glassblower, Jeweler, Gemologist, and in her younger years did sales for a Leather Tack Shop and a Custom Furrier/Leather Clothier. She learned to sew on her Mother's Quilting Bernina, that we literally are asked to eat around when visiting her mom for dinner because she has it permanently set up on her kitchen Table. Her Mom told her she would regret buying anything but a Bernina, so she went to a local sewing machine store to find out how well they worked using suede and lambskin because she enjoys making these Valentino-ish Rockstud Style Purses and Dog Collars that she currently is both sewing by hand and gluing together.  Instead, they got her all excited about these fancy new multi-function embroidery/quilting machines from multiple brands and opened the door to all these exciting new possibilities. As far as the leather, they suggested she bring in some of her Suede and Lambskin, so she can test drive and compare the various machines.  She asked if they had anything specifically designed to work with leather and they said they could show her a solid straight stitch machine but it wouldn't be anything special and the sales person didn't know much about leather. I called her Mom to see if she knew a specific model or brand she was leaning towards and of course she suggested I just stick with Bernina.  She told me to expect to pay around $3,000 - $6,000, but the investment would pay off long term by giving her a solid, reliable everyday type sewing machine. She said these higher end computerized multi function machines would quickly be outdated as new tech came out, were complicated to learn, more of a fad, and while they dabble in many areas, the trade off was not being great at anything, with a price tag of around $12K.  I know she wants to make Christmas Stockings, a Hall Bench Cushion, curtains, pillows, Leather Purses/Bags, Thin Dog Collars, I don't know about quilting... will she need different machines?  She is sewing leather right now by hand, and has a dozen hides sitting here waiting for her to do something with...so I have to assume that would be a great place to start.  What do you guys think?  Any recommendations?  I want to get her something nice.  What kind of price range am I looking at?  Thanks for your time.  

[Wizcrafts]

4 hours ago, Jewelia said:

I know she wants to make Christmas Stockings, a Hall Bench Cushion, curtains, pillows, Leather Purses/Bags, Thin Dog Collars, I don't know about quilting... will she need different machines?  She is sewing leather right now by hand, and has a dozen hides sitting here waiting for her to do something with...so I have to assume that would be a great place to start.  What do you guys think?  Any recommendations?  I want to get her something nice.  What kind of price range am I looking at?  Thanks for your time.

Your wife has a wide range of sewing interests, which will probably require more than one sewing machine. The machines you have looked at are domestic/household type machines that are really no good for leather. This is because leather and suede is tough and kind of grabby on top which fights the feed if it is only on the bottom, via a feed dog. Because of its toughness and density, leather can cause a domestic sewing machine to break down, especially if it has plastic gears. If I was in your shoes I would buy a solid straight stitch or zig-zag sewing machine for light cloth and a medium duty compound feed, walking foot machine for leather and other dense materials, like vinyl..

I can't advise you about any particular brand of domestic sewing machine. I did write an article that is a sticky topic at the entrance page to this leather sewing machines forum. It goes into great detail about the type of sewing machine you need to sew leather.If you read through that topic you will understand more about why there are special machines for sewing leather that are different than those used to sew cloth.