Bespoke Cutter And Tailor

The Atlas looks nice... The motor looks like a chinese made upgrade and, purely personally, I hate the lightweight footpedal that comes with it. If you only need straight stitch look no further than a Singer class 201. According to many it is probably the best domestic straightstitcher ever made and they should be available in abundance stateside...

Cheers, Hendrick

I increasingly feel like I'm being held back by my current machine, a Kenmore 158, so am looking to upgrade. The two main limitations are the precision of the straight stitch and the overall strength/punch.

I look at other garments or videos of people sewing on other machines and the stitch looks more precise, mine is good but not as professional as I'd like it to be.

For strength/punch, I'd like the ability to sew denim/jeans, and while my machine can mostly handle that OK, it struggles with heavier threads (tex 40, using #14 jeans needles) and especially when I'm joining two flat-felled seams, like the seat seam where the yoke seams meet, even after hammering that seam.

Since I already have the kenmore, and that can do what little zig-zag stitching I need, I am free to go for a straight-stitch only machine.

I'm not sure what direction to go exactly, but I have a few ideas. A full-on industrial machine is tough because twice a year I have to move my set up to/from the basement and the third floor, and I have narrow steps. So, I'm limited to semi-industrial or beefy domestic machines. If I go semi-industrial, it would be the Juki TL line, which are essentially their industrial machines fit into a home-machine body, albeit one that's slightly larger and heavier than normal. That would seem to solve all my problems, but it's the most expensive option at around $600-700.

In the used/vintage realm, I came across some decent options: an old Atlas Deluxe which was serviced and upgraded somehow with a two-step pulley to increase it's strength: https://www.ebay.com/itm/156896547409?itmmeta=01JSEYZDVX4J25D86HS0ZPXMZT&hash=item2487c35251:g:g4EAAeSwT6Jn~xx2 that vendor has lots of interesting machines, this was the one he recommended when I described what I wanted.

I also found someone local selling a Pfaff 130 they'd upgraded to a servo motor, but with how they have it set up it might make it near impossible to transport without disassembly, though there are a few other good quality Pfaff 130s with the clutch motor available.

Anyone have any thoughts? I like my Kenmore, but it has some limitations, and I'm really getting into this and I don't want the limitation to be my machine anymore.

Oh, the things I've been up to...

...and happy Earf Day, Y'all..

I'm so sorry, I only saw this today!

I had a good laugh as I saw it, but was busy. Happy Post Easter!

Gee, OK, ... well pardon me for even Thinking it slightly odd or for being disappointed that No One responded, .. in Any Way 

 

Maybe the "fishermen in black" are bespoke tailors on holiday...

There!



Feel better now?

Well, gee, I guess it must Not have been a Happy Easter for everyone ... 
Can only assume my last post IS More suitable,...   

Quote from: jruley on April 20, 2025, 11:04:48 PMBespoke, no doubt?

Oh yes. If there are any tailors still working for normal people they'd have to be Italian. And most likely from Napoli,  Benevento, or Regio Calabria.