I watched several sewing videos in preparation to buy a machine. The consensus is that drop-in bobbins are easier for beginners than front-load. Well I’m the kind of person who wants to get to the /expert/ stage & if that means doing things the hard way, so be it. But then the question is, what are the advantages of front-loads?
Youtube video id rbhfilt68vI titled “TESTED Best Sewing Machines for Beginners” suggests that front-load bobbins are more likely to get tangled and jammed. That sounds like an anti-feature for both beginners and experienced users. So why do front-load bobbin designs even exist?
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I think I got my answer. Video F7GTjrc-m5w says front-loading enables the machine to go faster and also enables you to switch bobbins mid-task.
I care more about jamming than speed. But the mid-task swapping sounds useful because I don’t suppose you can predict when it will run out. So I guess I need to consider how much stock to put into the comment about jamming.
I just went to a street market and lifted¹ a dozen or so machines. I bought the heaviest one figuring it has the fewest plastic parts. It’s a Singer from the late '60’s. Front-load bobbin. Found the user manual and service manual online.
The one job I’m uncertain of is whether it can hem denim. The user manual says it can sew denim with a size 16 needle and canvas with a size 18 needle, but if I’m hemming denim then I think it must be able to penetrate 6 layers of denim (where the vertical seam gets folded). The manual makes no mention of layers. Motor is 85 watts.
I realized well after buying that there is no “arm”. I suspect that will be quite inconvenient with hemming in my case because I was planning to do non-destructive technique: undo the original hem and without cutting fold it up as high up the leg as needed. That will be a pain when the cuff can’t wrap around the base.
1: physically picked up, not stole
You might have to help the motor along through the thickest parts by turning the hand wheel. No big deal, since it’s only for a handful of stitches.
Yes, a free arm is of course helpful, but if you had to shorten the legs so far up that it wouldn’t fit, you would need to cut it off anyway. You can’t keep 15 or 20 cm of fabric inside the pant legs.
That machine is a pretty solid choice if it works, and a worthwhile repair project if it doesn’t (it may have seized up if not maintained recently or it may have timing or alignment issues from age).
Machines like that are quite solidly built compared to modern machines, I would be surprised if it can’t get through a few layers of denim for a few stitches (I wouldn’t recommend doing 6 layers continuously, but crossing over the side seam should be OK). If you’re concerned you can always hand crank it for that part.
The lack of a free arm may be somewhat limiting for hems. The “stupid” solution would be to stand the machine up on top of a crate or similar, as long as the circumference of the leg/other fabric is large enough to fit around the bottom metal “plate” of the machine. (These machines have a metal body designed to be built into a cabinet or shelf top. I’m not sure if yours includes a wooden box around the bottom or if it is just the machine itself, but if there is any wood then the machine can be removed from this leaving just the metal body of the machine itself which may provide more flexibility in this regard.)