Learn me some...sewing machines?

I am trying to make a decision on whether to attempt some basic upholstery myself or outsource it. In particular, I am wanting to upholster a console I made:

The car is a '66 mustang and I am going to cover this in black vinyl. based on the design of the console it looks like I am going to need 2 seams(and maybe a couple small corner seams for the lid). I also plan to make a shifter boot from the same material. The problem is that I know nothing about sewing. Can anyone tell me if one of the small home sewing machines can handle sewing vinyl? I wouldn't even ask if it were leather, but vinyl does tend to be more workable that way. Obviously it will be a steep learning curve for me...but its a skill that may be useful in the future and as such its probably worth the price of a small home sewing machine...if it will sew a few vinyl things.

I did my lotus Elise shift boot and mr2 shift boot. 
 

Did it myself. Came out real well 

this is the machine I use 

In reply to mr2s2000elise :

Thank you...what material did you sew with it? Vinyl?

I've done vinyl upholstery using a home sewing machine. Goes a little slower, but with a tad extra patience you should be fine.

Margie

also get a needle   made for vinyl  :)

Wicked93gs said:

In reply to mr2s2000elise :

Thank you...what material did you sew with it? Vinyl?

Vinyl with contrasting stitching 

took me a few tries 

buy extra material 

I am the only man at Joanne fabrics weekly 

great place to pick up women - side benefit 

This site has a good set of tips for buying a sewing machine on a budget here:

https://hackaday.com/2016/10/26/why-you-should-own-a-sewing-machine/

I have a 1970s era Singer myself; these  have more features than earlier designs but are still about as cheap to repair.

I have a Singer Scholastic that was sold to schools , 

its a nice solid machine with a metal core , some of the newer models are plastic , 

you can also get a twin needle so you can sew 2  parallel rows of stitches , the twin needle fits in most regular sewing machines .

Sewing is like driving, but your lap was recorded and you rewatch it all the time.  If you commit to too little speed with loose grip in fabric, you get stitches that are really close together. If you do that in vinyl, you can cut through the vinyl and need to start over. Just something to be aware of. Treat it like riding/driving in the dirt. If in doubt, don't lift.

Thanks guys, I guess I am now on the hunt for a sewing machine, Facebook Marketplace seems to have a ton of offerings...many over 100 years old....so many choices. Thinking I need something from 60s-current though.

if its anything like washers and dryers , you want one that does not have a circuit board or LED screen , 

my Singer is just mechanical , which is really bad enough if something would go wrong , 

and make sure you get the foot pedal for it , and that  it has the bobbin cover ,  those are the things that get lost when its been sitting around unused , 

and if the seller has been using it , ask how you put it in reverse , you will need that to "lock" the end of a long stitch , and every machine has it own way.

Ohh and how to thread the bobbin and the lower thread !

Have fun , if I can do it anyone can !

I would stop by a local sewing machine repair store (not JoAnnes) and see if they have anything refurbished. May not be any cheaper than a new Singer student model, but it will likely be a higher-end machine from someone who knows how they work and break.

There's a lot of skill involved in doing upholstery well. I assisted a coworker in doing some of my pieces and he's got a background in the art. I would recommend getting lots of extra material is there is going to be a learning curve!

I've been looking for the right place to show this sweet thing off.

It's a Brother of unknown vintage, bought from Craigslist for 20 bucks. I put another $65 in it to rewire it, get new accessories (bobbins, soft tape measures, thread, needles, belt, etc), and now it runs like, well, a sewing machine. It belonged to the middle aged seller's mother who obviously smoked heavily. I had to clean tar out of the motor so it wouldn't smoke.

I spoke with my wife who is a total sewing machine snob.  She has only one recommendation:

Singer Slant-O-Matic 401a  

Expect that it will be from the late '50's.  Expect to spend about $200 - $300 for one that is in excellent working shape.  $179 sample

(Not my wife's video)

I was born in 1952 and I have the Stitchmaster sewing machine my grandmother got a few years before I was born. Those old machines don't do anything fancy , but will chug through lots of thick material. If you're looking for a machine to do this upholstery job and little else, go to the local second hand stores like Habitat for Humanity. Just be sure to plug it in and run it to be sure it's not already dead.

In reply to wheelsmithy (Joe-with-an-L) (Forum Supporter) :

That's purddie!

My mother has been sewing on a 1970 PFAFF for the past 51 years. She has done a lot of weird materials on it, including some vinyl for a headliner for me. The biggest thing she always talks about is having  the appropriate needle for your material.

In reply to DeadSkunk (Warren) :

This is exactly the problem. I would love to get one of those old machines(they are works of art in and of themselves and I might as well buy a piece that comes with its own table so it has some use as an endtable or something) but I really don't know what I need. I mean you see adjustment for stitch spacing on newer(60s+) machines, but not on earlier machines...that isnt to say that they don't have such adjustments, only that they aren't labeled on knobs or dials or switches. I think at the bare minimum I need to be able to have that adjustment...the rest is just optional

Check out the estate sales around your local suburbs. Look for a machine that has a metal drivetrain. I picked up a knock-off brand machine from the 80's that still had the good gears for $30. It was in the original box, though used. It bragged about sewing through 8 layers of denim so I figured it would be fine for light canvas and vinyl work and it's been great. The name brand stuff is awesome, and a worthwhile investment if you like the craft, but it's within reach of most machines to do a little vinyl work. Just get something that feels solid and get started, you can always upgrade when you find a deal.

Things I've learned:

For vinyl - get a roller foot for whatever machine you buy. this design doesn't tend to stick to slick vinyl. Amazon has cheap ones for any machine out there. 

Go to Sailrite.com and watch their instructional videos. They are hands down some of the best content on the web. They are how I learned to sew. If you look at their product pages for thread and stuff they have recommendations for thread weight vs needle type and size vs fabric. Even if you don't buy from them (although I often do) it's super useful.

Clean and oil the drivetrain. Regularly. 

Practice on scraps to make sure your thread tension is right. Tension is adjustable on the top (needle) thread and on the lower (bobbin) thread. 11 times out of 10, if the machine isn't sewing right, it's a tension problem somewhere. Either you've threaded it wrong, the tension adjustment is out, or the driveline is binding. Dealing with a machine that is not running right can be the most frustrating experience known to man. 

Two things I've found that make projects much easier but aren't absolutely necessary - patterning scrim and seam tape, both from Sailrite or others. The scrim is a lightweight but dimensionally stable, reinforced plastic that is awesome for figuring out pieces to make complex shapes from actual objects. The seam tape is for holding pieces together while you sew them. So much better than pins that I won't do a prozect without it. 

In reply to Wicked93gs :

The stitch length adjustment on my old machine is a lever sticking out the front of the machine, the further down it is, the fewer stitches per inch. It's the only control on the machine. It also functions as the reverse lever by moving it up past the zero point. Real easy to use. As others have stated, the right needle will make the job soooo much easier.

Edit: The machine has enough grunt that I've sewn leather belts on it occasionally.

Caution:  Buzz Killington here again with another boring discussion.

Don't pay as much attention to the name.  If you're just going to do this one project and let the machine collect dust, find an older (70s-ish) machine from a known name and buy it for $75.  Elna, White, and Singer are all common and bulletproof names from the era.  Just like a car, though, they will all have wear items.  They all have a clutch, timing, a transmission, and a motor.

If you were saying you just wanted to make some shorts or a set of curtains for your house, any machine will do.  When you're doing upholstery/vinyl/leather, you need a motor and transmission that are up to the task, and you have to be sure the clutch is not worn.  Otherwise the needle will just stop at the vinyl and the clutch will slip.  (My Elna has this problem right now).

Machines can also jump timing which can lead to loose stitches, tight stitches that break the thread, or just clashing metal things.  If you buy one and it doesn't present any of those symptoms you can assume it is still timed correctly.

Bernina is known around the world as the industry standard for home and light commercial machines.  Be prepared to pay accordingly, but they use incredible motors with tons of torque and the motor spins at a higher RPM with a greater reduction ratio in the transmission.  The downside is that if it needs maintenance or repairs, it actually needs a certified Bernina repair person.  You might think you can figure it out, but it's like thinking you can rebuild a modern McLaren dual clutch transmission with just a YouTube video.

I have two machines.  One is a nearly new Brother that someone gave to me.  It is the barest-bones thing they make.  It works beautifully on light fabrics like shirts, drapes, and muslin/duck/duvetyne.  Give it some denim, though, and you're lucky to get through two layers in a simple seam, but don't even think about a lap seam.  It doesn't even have enough torque to break a needle.  It is like a Toyota Tercel.  It gets from A to B slowly and doesn't do anything else well.  The other machine is a 1978 Elna 410 Primula.  Mom bought it for me when I was a kid when I joined the 4H sewing club.  It is a workhorse.  It isn't the torquiest, and it would have a little trouble with thicker vinyl, but it can do it.  That is the one that has a bad clutch right now, so it doesn't sew anything much thicker than canvas at the moment.  I'm debating fixing it vs selling.  It needs to be timed and have the clutch redone, which is likely a repair that costs three times what the machine is worth.  This Elna is like an IH Scout; zero glitz, but if you're careful, it will go anywhere you want to go.

Some ideas.  This one with the right needle could do the trick:  (9) Marketplace - Gently used sewing machine | Facebook

Be aware of plenty of knock-offs.  Taylor is a respectable machine.  This one is advertised as a Taylor, but it's actually a Tailor.  Not terrible, but they like their plays on words.  (9) Marketplace - Taylor Professional sewing machine | Facebook

Also, dig into model numbers.  If the description includes things like "quilting" or "embroidery" then their emphasis is usually on features and options, and less on brute strength.  Quilting and embroidery don't require a ton of penetration power.  Often times a utility machine that has "fashion" or "home" in the description tend to be more along the lines of what you want.  Fewer bells and whistles, but can sew denim, or slip covers, and thick curtain fabrics.

wheelsmithy (Joe-with-an-L) (Forum Supporter) said:

I've been looking for the right place to show this sweet thing off.

It's a Brother of unknown vintage, bought from Craigslist for 20 bucks. I put another $65 in it to rewire it, get new accessories (bobbins, soft tape measures, thread, needles, belt, etc), and now it runs like, well, a sewing machine. It belonged to the middle aged seller's mother who obviously smoked heavily. I had to clean tar out of the motor so it wouldn't smoke.

I think I have the identical table as you but a different machine. Mine is a Singer.

In reply to yupididit :

Yeah, it looks like any table I've ever seen. Singer/Brother/White. My big thing was finding something old, metal, and worked. I got lucky, and this one has gear timing, and seems to be in time.

Curtis- Is the clutch behind the driven wheel on the far right? I never knew there was such a thing.

I've watched a bunch of Youtube on machines, and am about proficient enough to be dangerous. Thanks all, I've already learned from this thread-specifically, reversing to lock the stitch. I remember seeing Mom do it, but only upon being reminded.

Wanna see something Strong?

Just gave away an old Singer industrial machine that could sew through anything you would want to sew. Took up needed room in the garage and just wasn't using it. My mom gave my wife her old Bernina machine from the very early 70's. Mom said with the right needle it will sew upholstery. Moms a quilter and has a couple new machines set up for that. Computerized and programmable. The old Bernina is solid with metal gears.

I inherited my grandmother's singer, made in the 1930's and still running strong. Only thing I've done other than lube it is replace power cords. (Had some nice stuff off a vacuum cleaner that went tango uniform).

Works better than my wife's modern singer in every way other than outright speed.