The Sewing Place

I haven’t even bought a needle yet....

Lachica

Re: I haven’t even bought a needle yet....
« Reply #30 on: October 14, 2020, 15:10:17 PM »
@Gavin e I just had a quick look on eBay for machines within 5 miles of me & found a Swift starting at £10 which looks like a Singer clone - Roger would advise whether it would be a substitute for a 201. There are several other old Singers at less than £100 too, would need to check the serial number to find model number.
Mary
2020 stash: not gonna count, not gonna feel guilty.

Lachica

Re: I haven’t even bought a needle yet....
« Reply #31 on: October 14, 2020, 15:18:29 PM »
There's a Jones at £70 BIN which would do fine, in Wokingham, and a Singer 317 in a table starting at £75 in Reading. I'd think either of these would manage canvas. I can't link them but there are several which would do for your cushions. NOT the 507 with crumbled gears though.
Mary
2020 stash: not gonna count, not gonna feel guilty.

Gavin e

Re: I haven’t even bought a needle yet....
« Reply #32 on: October 14, 2020, 18:03:13 PM »
Thank you so much Lachica.  That’s so helpful.

I’ve found the machines you have spotted, and would quite happily go for either - my only concern being that I was thinking today (always a danger) and I’m wondering if I need to take the vinyl windows into account when looking at a machine. 

How much oomph will I need to punch through two layers of heavy duty material with a filling of the vinyl sandwiched between them?  Does anyone have experience of this?

Maybe I just need to buy the machine and a small section of vinyl to have a go with before starting  to buy any of the bulk quantities I will need for the project.  I might find that anything other than an industrial machine may not be able to cope with the work I have in mind?

And thanks Sewbusy, but I’m already worried that I won’t have enough arms for the job without having to handwind the machine too... 

Lachica

Re: I haven’t even bought a needle yet....
« Reply #33 on: October 14, 2020, 18:56:50 PM »
@Gavin e my thinking was to get a machine to make your cushion covers on first, as punch power won't be such an issue & you'll be able to practise.  Get one for under £100, finish the cushions then try it on canvas for the flat windbreak panels. If it won't manage, sell the machine for about what you paid. Then look for a 201 if that's what you're set on. I sold my old F&R from 1981 for only £30, a few years ago, that would have punched through canvas. Sold my mum's old Jones around the same time, that would have been as good even though 20 years older. I have an old Bernina which would probably do the job but it won't have a big enough harp & it's not for sale. Most of the older machines with metal bodies will cope.

As I said before, I bought a Pfaff 1229 to mend our hood. Probably around 40-50 years old. Pfaffs have IDT which is v helpful and it had plenty of oomph to go through doubled vinyl plus thick pvc window. Paid £100, sold it for £120 after use. I think you'd be wise to go electric, hand crank might well have the power but you'll need both hands to wrestle that hood fabric. If you get an old metal bodied electric machine do get the electrics checked (at least PAT tested) before use.
Mary
2020 stash: not gonna count, not gonna feel guilty.

HenriettaMaria

Re: I haven’t even bought a needle yet....
« Reply #34 on: October 15, 2020, 21:13:58 PM »
I've just spent the last two afternoons sewing fabric to reupholster an office chair.  The fabric I chose because it was dark blue (it's for DS's room) and for upholstery has a pile kind of like chenille or jumbo cord.  Anyway, given it needs a flame-retardant liner and given the edges are piped, I found myself stitching four layers of the outer and two layers of the liner (except at seams on the seat sides when another layer of fabric presented itself) and I can tell you I was at the absolute limit of what is possible on my domestic machine.  It's a proper metal-chassis model (ie, the main inner frame is not nylon) so it has some poke but it struggled at times to penetrate the fabric and I broke three needles.  Additionally, the thickness of the work relative to the rise of the foot offered some challenges. 

So, the take-home messages are:

- you might need to add flame-retardant interlinings to your cushions (Terry's Fabrics do it by the metre)
- a domestic machine might struggle with the thickness and guage of canvas awnings

Finally, profabrics.co.uk specialise in outdoor fabrics including marine and related accessories, which might be worth you taking a look at.

Elnnina

Re: I haven’t even bought a needle yet....
« Reply #35 on: October 16, 2020, 14:41:09 PM »
I am going back to 1964 here, my mother sewed some thick canvas for awnings on an old 1936 Frister Rossman hand crank machine and had no trouble at all.  Then years later my father managed to buy an electric motor and converted that hand crank machine to an electric one - so that is another possibility.

Good luck with whatever you decide to do, and of course look forward to reading about your progress on here.