Experience with handheld sewing machines?

[theinfamousj]

And what good would a forum be without photos of what hand cranked machines are.

You turn the crank and it turns a "finger" in between spokes of the balance wheel. With mine, every 1 crank of the handle is 3.5 spins of the big balance wheel so not only is it ergonomic, it is also faster than turning the big wheel by hand. It is as fast as I am comfortable sewing on my more modern electric machines.

And a picture of the weird bobbin winder for a generation of hand crank machines that you either want to avoid or want to buy ONLY if they come with a winder.

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[theinfamousj]

And on the subject of mini machines since all the "handheld" ones that make a lock stitch are too awkward to actually hold and you will be putting them on a table top anyway, my favorite is the Pixie Plus. (In the photo the shopping bag holds the power cord and foot pedal, which it comes with.) If it weighs more than 5 lbs, bag included, I will eat my hat.

I went through a period of my life where I tried out practically every mini- and micro-sewing machine on the market. And I put them to the test. I am a cosplayer who makes her own costumes, plus I repair outdoor gear for friends.

The only things I asked of this machine that it couldn't do was sewing thick webbing straps (too thick for the poor machine; paid a tailor $3 to do it on her industrial machine) and sewing 4-way stretch spandex (the feed dogs stretched the fabric which stayed put, it didn't advance the fabric; sewed by hand instead). Denim? Pleather/vinyl? No problem with a denim needle. Jersey? Broadcloth? Piece of cake!

I can say that there were a few other machines that came close. But this was best in show as an actual proper sewing machine replacement.

So you can go handheld if you want awkward wrist positions in exchange for less functionality, but I wouldn't.

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[desert_sailing]

And what good would a forum be without photos of what hand cranked machines are.

What a beautiful machine thanks for sharing and bring back great memories of sewing scraps with my grannies machine. I love all of the  great devices that did not use electricity and filled all our needs.
You have a real gem there!

 

[maki2]

Not having a bobbin winder is no big deal if you have a drill motor. You can put a dowel into the drill motor and wind it with that tool. Here is a video that shows how to wind a bobbin using a drill motor. It is quick, it is very easy to do.

 

[theinfamousj]

Alas the vibrating shuttle bobbins are solid all the way through. https://www.etsy.com/listing/789206...2fPpDCOxShj6DqZOL2OhS9KexOIOX3eBoCWdwQAvD_BwE (link of what they look like)

So nowhere for the dowel to be of use. I suppose a drill could try to gingerly grip one of the end caps and hope not to bend it and wind thread that way.

There's a reason they are old tech and the world has moved on to bobbins more easily wound.

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[VanFan]

And what good would a forum be without photos of what hand cranked machines are.

These pics make my heart sing!

 

[Cammalu]

Snik on here has one of those old hand crank machines. I watched her work with it. She’s a pro and also fixes machines. That was a very cool one.

 

[Cammalu]

Just talked with Snik. She has a bunch of these she can sell. All are serviced. Some have cases some do not. $75 to $100. The one I saw was really cool.

If you want to contact her PM me and I’ll provide her phone number.

 

[Cammalu]

I was so enamored talking about these machines that I got on the phone with Snik and bought one for myself just now!!!

Wooo hooooo

Check out this one that I just bought from her!!! Isn’t it a beauty??? I can’t wait to get it!

 

[VanFan]

Check out this one that I just bought from her!!!  Isn’t it a beauty???

Such a beauty!  Wishing you many hours of sewing bliss!

 

[highdesertranger]

that is really cool. highdesertranger

 

[Cammalu]

I think Snik has hundreds of machines. I know she gets them and does any fixing and servicing and sells them. This one was an electric model but the motor was shot so she made it into a hand crank machine. There is a handle that folds out to crank it. I don’t really have room for it but I’ll make some room. I like to quilt so this will be great for piecing fabric.

 

[JaneDoe]

Handheld sewing machine are really handy while travelling. These machines are not heavy duty so you can not use them for mending thick fabric like leather or denim. However, most of the machines show excellent result when used for regular fabric. 
You might see a lot of negative comments and reviews about these machines on internet but the truth is that people try to sew hard fabric and end up loosing the machine. So, only buy such machine if you donot have to mend or sew thick fabric.

 

[B and C]

Hi Jane. Why not go to the newcomer's corner and introduce yourself. No problem making a new thread to do so and you will get a proper welcome.

 

[highdesertranger]

see Jane, see Jane spam.

back in the day this would have been trashed as spam.

highdesertranger

 

[rvwandering]

I removed the link. Inserting a link like that in a first post is spam because it directs people off of the CRVL forums to a money-making website. The post without the link is fine so I left it as is. I doubt Jane will post again or introduce herself but we can give her the chance.