Hello Cecilia - I have a 1941 Singer Model 241-2 that I use for making and mending dog coats and mending horse blankets. It is powerful enough but it is a high speed machine and it takes a bit of getting used to the foot control. Once that is mastered it works quite well. It has a large table and a large throat for working on some of the bulkier items. If it is too big at places, say in a horse blanket, I have an old Singer 29-4 treadle I use to do the work. I am not sure wherre I read it but I found it to be true. "No one machine will do all the jobs there are to do. So get you self a few that cross the spectrum of the jobs you want to do." That being said, some one who wants to do a business of working with some heavier material would do well to have a few machines capable in different areas.