If you read my last post, you’re probably curious about that blue machine sitting in my new sewing room. First and foremost… no, I did not replace my faithful 52-year-old Kenmore that I bought new all those years ago! I could never part with that machine. I’ll probably take it with me to the grave. (Not really. I think it’ll be inherited by my sewing protégée, Miss Courtney. She’s already experienced in using it.) It has served me well and made it through everything I asked it to, albeit sometimes with some hand cranking and an occasional lockup and/or broken needle when the seams got too thick. I still love that machine.
That being said, I’d thought long and hard about getting a heavy duty machine for those thick seams I mentioned. It would just make my life easier. Bags nowadays seem to be calling for more thick fabrics, particularly vinyls, and of course they make the seams bulkier. I had gone so far as to check out some heavy duty machines online, and I had picked out the one I’d hypothetically get. Then came Black Friday last November. It had a pretty good sale price! I thought some more, even debating until the last day of the sale. I could resist no longer and went for it. I also bought the made-for-it table that it’s sitting in.
So here it is, the Sailrite LSZ-1 (now upgraded and just called LSZ).
It can sew straight or zigzag stitches. It’s a beast! Those pieces shown below are the samples they used to test the machine before they shipped it. In my hand is 6 layers of naugahyde or some kind of heavy vinyl like that. The black sample is 8 layers of something thinner but very tough. The piece is nearly stiff as a board sewn together like that. I sewed some practice stitches on both those pieces, and it just sailed right through them! So fun! So amazing!
The light you can see in the first photo came with the machine. Although the arm is flexible and can be moved around, I still needed something more, so I ordered (from Amazon) the LED strip light you see below. Much better. (They’ve upgraded their machines now and include a light that fits inside and shines right down on the needle. I could purchase it and add it to my machine, but I don’t think I need it now.)
One of the selling points of the machine for me was that it’s portable. It comes with the case below. So if Jess ever comes up with a project needing some heavy duty sewing, I could take it to her house. It does weigh a ton, though, so Grandpa would have to carry it, but it’s doable. The table it sits in folds up flat and is portable also.
The machine is entirely mechanical, just like my Kenmore. In fact, they have a lot of similarities, so that’s made it easier and less intimidating for me to get used to using it. I’ve already posted the first project I made on it, the
Andrew Trifold Wallet. After that I made this Tiny Bin, from
Michelle Patterns. It was quick and easy, and good practice. (I got the pattern free by signing up for her newsletters, so I don’t know if it’s available anymore.)
Isn’t it cute? So tiny!
I like how it matches my machine. I decided for now that it’s going to hold some of the extra parts I’ve purchased, like this knurled presser foot and feed dog set that will be used for fabrics that are apt to show marks from the original more aggressive feet that came on the machine.
So there you have it. That’s my new heavy duty sewing machine… in my favorite color, no less! 💙 I’m still getting used to it, learning new things as I go. My Kenmore will still get plenty of use. I’ll need it for buttonholes, blind hemming, etc. I’ll use it for projects requiring lighter weight fabrics, because although the Sailrite can sew them, it takes major adjustments to the tensions, so I’d rather just leave it set for the heavier stuff.
Speaking of lighter weight fabrics, Jess has a brand new line of rayon prints! So my Kenmore will be getting a good workout soon. Fun! Meanwhile, I have one more completed project that I made on the new machine, and I’ll show you soon.
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