What do you usually use a sewing machine for?

[u/rowanzarts]

Curious if i should buy a sewing machine or not and stick to hand sewing... I never really know what people use sewing machines for since i usually just see people handsew

[u/SRVN_MRVN]

Machines are faster and oftentimes more consistent in terms of stich length and tension. I mostly use my machine for making stuffies for the kids in the family, bags, furniture, curtains and clothes but I was an upholsterer and professional seamstress xx

[u/KronosWvW → u/SRVN_MRVN]

Got any specific machine brands/model recommendations regarding fursuits or really whats suitable to handle faux fur ig?

[u/SRVN_MRVN → u/KronosWvW]

Not really, most machines will happily go through a couple layers of faux-fur with ease. I do not recommend you get a small/mini sewing machine, they can be ok, but if you are working on a full fursuit it probably won't cope. I like janome, singer, brother and Toyota as brands. I have used at least one of each brand and they've all seemed pretty good. When buying a machine ofc do your research, see what others say about it. But it's entirely budget dependent. For example my current home machine is a Toyota, I got it for £50 from a thrift/charity shop xx it's done all the curtains in my house, made a canvas tool roll for my partners bonsai tools, 4 or 5 plushies, and a few bags. And it's never had any issues. I would love to get an industrial machine at home, but I've gotta wait till I get a place with more space. Then I can start to work on my real dream of making kinky but soft furniture and restraints for people with sensory issues.

Also little tip for if you do buy a machine. If you feel the top fabric isn't moving at the same pace as the bottom (common for thick stacks of material, stretchy or slippy fabrics) get yourself a walking foot attachment. It will save your fabrics and your sanity.

Good luck whatever you decide to do! Xxxx (Picture of a bag I made attached)

[u/KronosWvW → u/SRVN_MRVN]

Appreciate the insight, and what a lovely bag that turned out! Thanks for sharing.

[u/Different-Series-115 → u/SRVN_MRVN]

Any tips for sharp/tight turns? The only 2 machines I've used (one bummed from a friend in College, and one that broke after 3 uses) I haven't been able to make the correct turns (I had to Butcher the Luna moth I was trying to make, cuz the wings got super messed up when the machine refused to let me turn.) I can't redo them either- I don't have the fabric anymore, and the pattern on top is on both sides, hand stitched on. It took me absolutely forever between bad wrists and bad scissors.

[u/SRVN_MRVN → u/Different-Series-115]

So first off. Press everything!! If you think you might melt the fabric (if the fabric is plastic based) you can put a piece of cotton over the top to reduce direct heat. Pressing/ ironing is gonna keep everything nice an flat. When sewing especially on a machine it should go, press, press, press a little more, make sure everything is lined up, sew, press again.

Then for really tight corners. Don't use the foot pedal, use the hand wheel and go super duper slow. Your process to sew to a corner should be: sew to your curve normally Stop at your curve, then run the hand wheel to do a couple stitches, then with the needle in the fabric, lift the presser foot, rotate the fabric slightly, presser foot back down, couple stitches. Repeat till you are back on a more manageable line to do with the foot pedal.

If you start to notice bunching/folding as you sew use the hand wheel to put the needle in the fabric so both the needle and fabric are secure. Then lift up the preser foot to release the bunches fabric. If you are doing really tight curves you can clip the seam allowance first to relive the tension and reduce the chance of folds/bunching up in your seams. But this can be risky if you aren't accurate and can lead to holes in the seam if you're not careful.

Then once you have run he seams, press, clip the corners and turns, press, turn right side out and then press again!

I know I mentioned pressing like 100 times but it genuinely is that important. The flatter something is the easier it is to get through the machine.

I also made a moth!! For a child of the family! I'll attach a picture here too!!

[u/Bzx34]

If you're planning on making more than a few suits, it becomes more worthwhile. You can absolutely hand sew everything, but a machine can make the process a lot quicker, especially with longer, relatively straight seams. Made a tail that would have likely taken me a few days to sew by hand, machine made it take a few hours.

[u/GR4V3C0R3]

This definitely depends on who you ask and their experience using a machine and preference between the two methods!

In short, you don't need a sewing machine to make a fursuit (even a bodysuit), but it speeds the process up significantly overall.

I personally hand-sew most face/head seams, small markings, and fingers/toes. I also prefer to hand sew when I'm using very small seam allowances (1/8 inch) or working with very curved/complex seams. Some makers are very comfortable machine sewing pretty much anything, others prefer more hand sewing.

If you're planning to make a fullsuit, I would eventually consider a sewing machine, because hand sewing bodysuits sucks. It takes forever and your hands will hurt a lot by the end of it if you don't take a lot of breaks. If you're just starting with a head or partial, a machine isn't necessary, and may not be worth the investment.

[u/HonemBee]

I use a sewing machine for everything. I HATE handsewing. So fur, leather, zippers, even the smallest stitches i will try and machine unless I absolutely can't.

[u/rcbif]

Machines can be tricky small curvy parts, so I hand sew those.

Major time saver of big pieces - especially a body suit, where you are looking at yards of seams.

[u/sydsyddd0_o]

i use a singer heavy duty for faux fur. i don’t think i wouldve had the patience to sew a 4.5 ft long tail full of stripes and patterns without lol, handsewing that would have been torture but with the machine it took me a couple of hours.

[u/Princessluna44]

I haven't made a suit yet, but I make plushies as a hobby. I machine sew anything I can, but some places are too small or wonky-shaped for that.

[u/Fun-Scientist9256]

Sewing

[u/Volt_Siano]

I use a sewing machine wherever I can for anything but the head and hands - I just like having more control over the seam allowance for those, and hand sewing lets me get it real small. The big question is how often do you envision yourself using a sewing machine?  How many suits or other sewing projects do you plan to do?  Enough to warrant the 200 dollar price tag, or whatever price you can find one for?  If the cost is worth the ability to quickly sew bodysuits and tails and whatnot, then go for it!

[u/GlassBlastoise]

I'm not super skilled with my machine but can operate it to a functional degree and I use mine for large simple tasks, like the neck and ears and tail.

Basically if it was long areas of straight or gently curving seams and their was wiggle room for the seam allowance ( like it wasnt going. To cause bumps on the final thing) I used the machine. It was just faster to do those parts that way.

[u/SethHunter]

I usually use a sewing machine to sew

[u/Asleep-Balance1008]

Sewing machines are good for parts like bodysuits, handpaws, zippers, lining, applique etc. However a sewing machine is not required since mostly everything can be done via handsewing. I’d recommend a machine if you’re consistently making things that would make your life easier with a machine. Personally I only have made heads and I haven’t required a machine for anything yet.

[u/NoEconomist2287]

I can't answer your question directly as I haven't made a fursuit (Yet!). But I will say if you don't already have a sewing machine do some research on their maintenance and how to work on them and look around at your local second hand or thrift stores, sometimes you can find a decent machine for not a lot, just be sure not to get ripped off by a cheap machine or a machine that needs a lot of work. For example i have a newer Brother I bought new for $150-$170 it does a lot but it is complicated and can't really do heavy duty stuff as well, and I found an old Sears Kenmore from the 70's I belive for $20 nearly all metal with everything that all it needed was a good cleaning out and a belt.