New Toyota Sewing Machine
 

As part of my plan to learn to quilt, I got a new Toyota (STF 39) sewing machine for Christmas! My dear hubby researched it for at least 6 months and talked to the guy at our local sewing/vacuum store for a long time to find one that they both felt was durable and would do what I wanted it to do, and he got it on sale!

BUT . . . there's always a "but" isn't there?

There's not one word in the owner's manual about quilting. Not. One. Yet there IS a quilting table extension (purchased separately), so I know it can quilt.

There are pictures on the box of all these special stitches, and only the barest possible directions (and I do use that term loosely) in the owner's manual of how to actually perform those stitches.

It didn't come with a quilting foot, and since it's not a major brand, I have no idea what kind to even LOOK for!

So I went to the website, www.sewtoyota.com, and have never been so underwhelmed. There's like NOTHING there! Pictures of their two sewing machines, but absolutely no helps whatsoever.

I really don't know where to start. This isn't my first sewing machine - I've got my Mother's 1967 Kenmore and 1918 Singer, and have used both of them alot - but I feel absolutely lost here. :(

Anyone else own a Toyota sewing machine? Any hints?

Nancy

Looking at the machine it sounds like it is quite sturdy. Did you notice on their site there's a place to log-in, maybe if you register you can see more items from their sewing circle community? Just a thought for you to try. http://www.sewtoyota.com/login.php?a...rs%2Findex.php

Yes, that's just a place to "submit projects" - a picture of something you've sewed, for their gallery. No helps there either. Most unusual and puzzling website and situation! I'm really sorely tempted to look into returning this machine!

As far as piecing is concerned, it would be nice to have a quarter inch foot, but not necessary. You can always mark your machine base with tape etc. For FMQ, you would look for instructions on darning and a darning foot. For straight line quilting and attaching binding, look for a dual feed (walking) foot. There's really no need for any stitches other than straight. Check with the dealer, generic feet may fit or possibly ones from a different brand. I know Toyota makes industrial machines, and professional embroidery machines.

I had a quick look at your machine and it seems pretty straight forward.

There are two main types of quilting - one uses a 'Walking Foot', to stop the layers of your quilt sliding and is mostly for stitching in straight(ish) lines e.g. along the seam or grid pattern. You would attach this to the shank and there are instructions on YouTube how to do this. Some quilting machines, such as Pfaff have this built in, but most require the purchase of a foot.

The other type of quilting is Free Motion Quilting - FMQ - and for this you will need a darning foot. Thgis has an unusual 'hopping' action. When attached (and the feed dogs on your machine lowered), you will be able to meander across the quilt in any direction.

Most beginners buy a Walking Foot first and by the looks of it, your machine can use a generic foot that fits other brands such as Janome. You can now buy a Walking Foot that will accommodate the fancier, wider quilting stitches, so you may want to check that out too.
Happy quilting! :)

I bought the toyota quiltmaster as a cheap back up when my janome was in the shop. All my janome feet fit. I got it with the extension table. This is a smashing wee machine, I fmq a king size quilt on it. Its a great workhorse of a machine, I think its a similar machine to yours with different decal. I know in the uk they also market it as the oekaki free motion embroidery machine on create and craft tv. It stitches neatly and using the darning foot to fmq was straightforward. The challenge was getting the whole quilt through the throat, but it did it. My janome is a bells and whistles but I was impressed with this basic machine. It did what it said on the box as we say.

You can figure out what kind of shank your machine has with this info:
http://www.anniescatalog.com/pages/which_foot.html

Once you know what kind of shank it is, you can purchase generic feet with that type of shank to fit your machine. Generics are not always as good as feet made especially for your machine, though, so you may want to check with the dealer to see if there are feet made especially for your machine. As others have mentioned, you want a walking foot and/or a darning foot for quilting.

And just a reminder...quarter-inch feet don't always measure up properly with the default needle setting, even if it's a "name-brand" foot that comes with the machine. The quarter-inch foot that came with my Janome is off a bit; I have to remember to adjust my needle position to use it properly.

I just spoke with the dealer, and found out that this machine is a low-shank machine for purposes of a walking foot, but most other feet are the snap-on type. He does have a walking foot there, as well as a gatherer and a ruffler (Most men do try to be helpful. The key word here is "try". I don't recall seeing alot of ruffles or gathers on most quilts).

He also mentioned a shearing foot, but didn't seem to know what it was used for other than "shearing." (sigh) I'm quite sure that this is not a foot for shearing sheep . . . does anyone out there know what that is?

He probably meant a "shirring" foot. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shirring