BunnyQueen

oh the selling part was just a once or twice thing on marketplace. I don’t wanna do it for a living. I just want to learn to do that to cover the cost of the hobby itself and maybe have an excuse to make more bags LOL. I only need one bag after all….

my friends are already all getting a bag of their own too.

cathyvv

I tried the hammer several years ago. Maybe I hit the fabric too hard? I wound up with fabric 'cuts' wherever the hammer hit.

So, is there a special type of hammer to use?

Onebyone

Put a big pencil eraser over the seam and then hit it with a metal hammer or get a rubber mallet.

katsparrow

I've had a Brother Innovis NQ900 for several years now, and for me it was a worthwhile investment. It was a major upgrade from my basic Singer. I understand your uncertainty because I also thought the NQ900 might be too much machine for my needs and skill level. Then once I started sewing with it at home I realized it made a world of difference. It made sewing so much easier and more enjoyable. I sew quilts, garments, home decor, small bags- some layers, denim, canvas. The NQ900 has good throat space, nice smooth stitch quality, plenty of features, an extension table- it's really nice. I agree with others who said get the best machine you can afford- you'll enjoy sewing a lot more than if struggling to sew everything on a lower level machine. If you can get the NQ900 at a great price it's probably worth it even for a beginner since it gives you a better chance to succeed and have fun.

That said, I ended up eventually getting a Juki TL-2010Q, too- which I love and use for most of my sewing. Originally I got it for quilting but it ended up as my primary machine. If you like sewing bags and thick layers- a semi-industrial straight stitch machine like this Juki is ideal. It's great for all kinds of sewing, as long as it's straight stitch (or free motion quilting). It's smooth, powerful, and simple. One thing I love is the visibility- the Juki's design lets me see what I'm doing much better than on the Brother (or most regular multi-stitch machines, which are kind of low and bulky). I got a 1/4" foot for quilt piecing and do all my piecing on the Juki. But I use the NQ900 to attach binding, and often use a blanket stitch or decorative stitch for fun on the binding. Since the Juki is straight-stitch only, I use my NQ900 for buttonholes, zig-zag and specialty stitches, applique, etc.

One option- if it's in your budget- keep the small Brother you have, use it for buttonholes, zig-zags, etc., and get a semi-industrial Juki like the TL2010Q as your main machine. My Juki was half the price of the NQ900. If you can try out the Juki TL2010Q or a similar machine (other brands make their own versions) in a shop, along with the NQ900, with your fabrics, that will help you decide. Having two machines probably seems like a lot for a beginner, but they're like a team. If you do tons of specialty decorative stitching, or you really don't want two machines, you might prefer the NQ900. But if you do mostly straight stitching, quilting, and heavy duty (bags/thick layers), the Juki is ideal, and you'd only need a small multi-stitch machine on the side for the specialty stitches. I just want to put that idea out there in case you want to keep your small Brother machine, and when you can afford it, add a heavy duty Juki (or comparable semi-industrial straight stitch machine). Good luck on whatever you decide to do!

BunnyQueen

what do you like about the Juki TL-2010Q that makes it better than the brother?

I was debating getting a Skyline S6 or a Juki dx7. those machines seem heavy duty and yet are computerized, this way I can save on space.

how do those compare tot he tl-2010q? the automatic thread tension also sounds very nice!

my space is very limited, so having two machines is hard, otherwise that'd be a great option. I can barely store the one machine I own right now!

1CharmShort

Hi Bunny
I just wanted to welcome you to the board, and make a suggestion to try while you're deciding which machine to choose.

Have you tried increasing the pressure to your presser foot? My machines all have a screw or other mechanism on the top that allows you to adjust -up or down- the amount of pressure the foot applies to the fabric. Maybe your machine is set for a lighter weight fabric by default. Just a thought. Also, slowing down is very good advice.
good luck

BunnyQueen

Thank you Charm!
My CS7000x has no presser foot pressure adjustment sadly :/

katsparrow

I'd considered the the Skyline S6 and Juki dx7 too, similar to the Brother NQ900. If your space is limited, those are all great choices, and would be perfect for most sewing! If you try each one out maybe you'd find a preference- otherwise I'd go for the best deal and whether there's a local dealer to service the brand you choose.

What I love so much about the Juki straight stitch machine is that it's so powerful, smooth, simple, and has beautiful stitch quality. The Brother NQ900 has nice stitch quality and sews very smoothly and quietly. It's reasonably powerful, but not to the level of the Juki TL2010Q. That Juki is a workhorse since it's semi-industrial so can easily handle bags and thick layers- whereas the NQ900 can handle some but I don't want to push it. If you're making bags with your current small Brother, I'd expect the NQ900 would be better- but might not be enough power for a serious bag maker, or layers of denim or canvas. Leather- I'd reserve for the Juki. If you're not sewing a lot of heavy duty bag materials etc. then the NQ900, or the similar ones you listed, are probably fine.

Another feature I really love about the Juki straight stitch is that the feed dogs aren't super wide and the straight stitch plate is always there. That helps reduce the feed dogs pulling the fabric down, such as at the corners of quilt blocks, or when sewing lightweight fabrics like fine cotton lawn or voile. My NQ900 has a totally separate optional straight stitch plate but it's a pain to switch it out with the standard plate. Some multi-stitch machines have a new easy converter switch to turn the regular wide hole plate to a single hole straight stitch plate, without needing to change the plate at all. Maybe the Juki dx7 has that button/lever? It's a really nice feature. But it's not an issue for the Juki straight stitch machine, since it's a constant straight stitch, and fabric glides over the narrow feed dogs without getting sucked down nearly so much- another reason why quilters and garment sewers love it. I still may use a "spider" to ease the beginning and ending of stitching on the Juki straight stitch, but it needs the spider less than machines with the wide hole plate/wide feed dogs.

Also, I mentioned how I love being able to see so well with the Juki- it makes a huge difference to me to have better visual clearance while sewing, not having to duck my head to see the fabric under the machine. I learned to sew on my mom's old Viking which is a similar sleek upright shape as the Juki, with a high shank- it's just a lot easier to see things. Since I started to sew again, on modern low shank machines, I'm bugged by not having the same visual clearance. But it's probably not a big deal if you're used to the low shank bulky machines like NQ900.

About the thread tension- the Juki requires setting the thread tension manually (I think all straight stitch machines do), so there's a bit of a learning curve if you're not used to that- but you get the hang of it. Yes, the auto-tension on the Brother NQ900 and similar multi-stitch machines is super nice and easy, so that is a good feature. Any of the multi-stitch machines you listed should be great, just don't go too heavy duty with the bags. Perhaps there's a Juki TL-2010Q straight stitch machine in your future somewhere, when you have more space- lol! That's a lot of info I just shared- well, don't let it overwhelm you, it's stuff I wish I'd known before, so I hope it helps as you sort out your choices!

Lady Diana

The best machine for bag and garment sewing....quilting too, is the JANOME HD9 it is a straight stitch machine...no zig zag.
you can purchase one for 1800 USD. If you want a machine for around $2,000 look at all the Janome machines. PM me for any additional info on the Hd9?
happy machine hunting.

BunnyQueen

I have heard that the nq series are a lot less powerful/heavy duty than the juke dx/f series or the janome skyline. so hopefully it'll work?

as far as I heard even the tl2010q can't do a lot of leather or at least thick leather, i've done 3 layers of really thin leather on my cs already, it only pauses slightly or slows down when peicing a bit and i have to go slow.

BTW, what is considered heavy duty for bags?

the dx7 has a toggle on the plate to switch to a single stich mode!

the clearance on the tl2010 sounds amazing but I do have to compermise somewhere