I went out again to test sewing machines, this time with my own materials. It made such a difference! I was really able to test what the machines could do.
Before I get into that, I highly recommend taking time to prepare you own samples to sew. I spent all the sewing time I had on Sunday prepping materials that I would sew as a test. These were not fake tests, they were real pieces that will be used in bags I am making.
I planned to perform the same tasks on an Elna 792 Pro Ex and a Janome Continental M8. Most everything I brought had two options. Mostly I got the same results from both machines.
I prepped two Enigma tops, which the pattern calls the Side Panel. I wanted to test going through the handle, one of which included a layer of Decovil (bottom). The other had a layer of the Sewfisticated 2mm stick-on (top) interfacing. I wanted to see the difference in the sewing. I know the underside looks really ugly, but that is the hidden structure of the bag.
I had tried to sew the Sewfisticated 2mm stick-on interfacing on my current Enigma efforts and kept getting skipped stitches. I was annoyed, so I peeled off the Sewfisticated 2mm stick-on (top) interfacing and replaced it with Decovil. This gave me the idea to test them both out on the machines. I quickly put together the pieces for these two bags and took them with me.
The outcome was that I learned about a new type of needle. Schmetz has a universal needle called the Super Nonstick Needles**. While I didn’t try sewing this special stabilizer with a regular needle, using one of these non-stick needles made the process very smooth. The layers were a challenge, but not the stickiness. WooHoo! I learned something new! MaryC knows everything and she hadn’t heard of these needles either.
I cut a foam and fabric combination using some scraps and prepped it with the MistyFuse like I have done for the past couple of Enigmas. The test I performed was using two different thread colors. The tension definitely had to be adjusted to get it perfect, but even out of the gate, the quilting looked good. I was particularly pleased that no blue thread showed on the white side.
I tested sewing one of the last steps of the Enigma pattern – the side completed panels with zipper to the bottom panel. I had some trouble the other day with the two sections slipping out of true and not getting caught in the seam. I used the HP2 foot with Acufeed, which is described as “… holds fabrics firmly in sync with the feed dogs to achieve professional results.” I found that to be true even when sewing approximately 7 layers of fabric and foam together. Technique is not to be ignored. This time I sewed from the side where I could see the previous stitches, except over the zipper.
I also prepped the front panel of the second Pandora Charisma. Yes, despite the swearing, I am making another. It is not at the top of the list, but I do plan to finish it. As a result, I prepped the pieces for the front panel, because I thought that if I wanted to put the machine through a hard test, this would be it. Amazingly, I sewed the entire front panel in about a half an hour (!!!) on the machine I am considering. It was amazing. The machine had no problem with multiple layers of pleather and I could really see the difference in the stitch quality. I wasn’t even using special thread.
It isn’t perfect, mostly because I am not familiar with handling the machine. Still, I was thrilled with how well I did using the pleather. I really didn’t think it was possible to have an easier time sewing through that substrate.
I know I shouldn’t compare a brand new machine to an older, well loved machine, but I was really excited by the improvement by using a machine with a more powerful motor.
The above two pictures show the differences in the stitch quality. The Pandora Charisma #1 is on the left and #2 is on the right. Both show the same front panel detail. For #1, I upped the stitch length from 2.2, which is the default, to 2.5. It is still almost impossible to see the individual stitches. The pleather is almost perforated on Pandora Charisma #1.
I did not test the Janome M8 with the Pandora Charisma. I was getting tired and wasn’t up for it. I am told that both machines are the same with different housing, so I didn’t feel I needed to do it.
We’ll see what happens. I am inclined to buy one of these machines. I’ll have to wait and see.
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