I need to know what kind of sewing machine will be able to stand up to a heavy vinyl fabric. I’ll also need to do finishing work such as rolled edges. I think what I really might be looking for is a serger, but I wasn’t sure if they can sew in a plain straight line.
What do you think? Answer below!
you don’t need a new sewing maching just the right needle they make strong needles for vinyl.
find an old one . swap out the motor for a stronger one . so long as you dont want a fancy stitch but you will need a better needle and thread than your normal sewing . best bet is to go to a upholstery place and buy the needle and synthetic thread . i have a singer it is 40 yrs old works great but hard to find a shuttle for it . and the bolts have to be tightened up often .
Rolled hems on heavy vinyl? Good luck. (Why are you hemming vinyl? Why do you want to overlock it? It won’t ravel.)
What are you trying to do and what sort of vinyl? Sheet? Knit back? How thick?
You may be able to sew this on a home machine, or you may need a commercial machine. There’s not enough information here to begin to advise you. Sorry!
You are not going to be able to do a rolled edge on heavy vinyl.
any sewing machine with the right needle can sew vinyl. to get a overcast on the seams you need a serger. go to a sewing machine dealer and get a demo on a serger. sewing in a straight line is pretty much what they do. sewing a curve with a serger takes a little practice.
With the correct size needle, just about any home sewing machine will certainly sew on vinyl.. Use a size 16 or 18 needle, depending on how thick the vinyl is. Also, if you notice the bobbin thread becoming loopy on the underside, you will have to increase the upper tension. I have sewn dozens and dozens of cushion slipcovers (with and without corded piping) and motorcycle seats; all without any special equipment with my non-commercial Pfaff and Elna machines with no problems whatsoever.
You will be unable to accomplish a rolled edge on vinyl. But, if you are asking about rolling the edges of fabric, this can be done with some practice on a regular sewing machine. There are pressure feet that come in different sizes, depending on the depth of the hem you want to sew. The foot has a twisted front prong that turns the fabric over twice before the needle goes through the hemline. It really takes a bit of practice, but once you get the knack of it, it becomes second nature. Here is a trick I use on very thin or sheer fabric: Cut the fabric with a very sharp scissor so there are no jagged edges. Sew a row of stitches at the hemline within 1/8th of an inch of the edge before using the rolled hem pressure foot. This will aide in feeding the fabric through the rolled hem pressure foot while hemming.
FYI: A seamstress is one who sews, not to be called a sewer. A sewer is a series of underground pipes that carry waste water and toilet sewage. Ewwww.
EDIT: I would not recommend a serger for vinyl because vinyl does not fray, thereby not needing an overcast stitch which a serger provides.. However, one of my sergers has a rolled hem feature. When purchasing a sewing machine, keep in mind that you should research where the machine will be serviced.
How much sewing will you be doing? Will this be a commercial venture where you sew all day every day? Or is this a one time thing? Heavy vinyl can be very difficult to sew. Even having a thick needle won’t help, especially if the vinyl has a sticky surface. This can make it impossible to feed through under the foot of most domestic home machines. You don’t need a serger, a serger sews a straight line but it’s purpose is for overcasting raw edges of fabrics that ravel and for sewing flexible stretchy seams in knits. As vinyl doesn’t ravel or fray, a serger is pointless.
If you are in a commercial venture where you will sew lots of vinyl (such as boat seats, car parts, couches, motorcycle seats, etc) then you should have an industrial upholstery machine with compound feed and high penetrating power. These machines are set up to have a high level of torque so more power from the motor goes to the needle. Compound feed means the needle, the foot and the dog gears under the foot all work together to feed the vinyl. You will need to research these machines, they are available though industrial machine dealers, not your local walmart sewing department.
If this is a one time operation then you will need a few tools to allow a home machine to sew vinyl. You will need a roller or teflon foot to allow the vinyl to feed through the machine. You will need a thick speciality needle with a cutting point to sew. Set the machine to the longest stitch length, this will allow the needle to penetrate and the thick fabric to feed through. Have plenty of wax paper, tissue paper or water soluble PVA sheets (Solvy brand plastic stabilizer is a PVA sheet) to place between the vinyl and the machine’s foot. These allow the vinyl to slickly feed under the foot without getting stuck. The paper is easily torn away after the seam is sewn. Do you mean a rolled edge, which is a hem, or a piped edge, which is a roll inserted between seams and on the bottom edges of heavy vinyl? I’m not sure what you mean; my rolled edge and your rolled edge might be two different things.
Here’s a place the sells commercial, industrial and domestic machines. Be aware that commercial and industrial use of domestic machines will invalidate the machines warranty. http://www.allbrands.com/
http://industrial-sewing-machines.com/