# Tell me about sewing machines



## featherbottoms (May 28, 2005)

So the title doesn't look like it's "fiber related" but it really is 

I have a brother sewing machine that probably works fine. I don't really know how to sew but I can almost sew a straight line if I need to hem something. And I'm pretty sure that if I practiced, I'd get better, but I'm not interested in learning to sew.

Since I'm learning to weave I have been looking at various items related to weaving. Once of the things I've looked at are the boat shuttles with the bobbins. Yesterday I got to see a hand cranked bobbin winder in use and it looks pretty straightforward. 

But, this morning I was looking around and I see that Husqvarna's Viking sewing machine had a bobbin winder for weaving bobbins - at least that's the understanding I got from the post. I've also found some pictures of a couple old machines that appear to have a bobbin winder that might be about 4 or 5 inches wide.

I was wrong - what it says is that there's an attachment to the sewing bobbin winder that allows you to wind weaving bobbing. (the thread is on weavingtoday.com from march 8 of last year).

So my questions are - does anyone know anything about this? Do you have one or know someone that does? Does it work? Anything else? I figure if I'm going to need a bobbin winder, and I will probably need a sewing machine (I can give this Brother back to my MIL), I could maybe find one of these viking ones and kill two birds with one stone - so to speak.


----------



## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

I drill works on a slow setting until you get the technique own.


----------



## frazzlehead (Aug 23, 2005)

The bobbin winder on the sewing machine is just for the little thread bobbins, so far as I know. I've never seen anything different.

I use a drill for my bobbin winder.

I took a chopstick from takeout, broke it in half, then sanded it down until I could wedge a bobbin firmly onto it. Stuck that in the chuck of the drill, stabbed the bobbin onto it, and I wind away. Sometimes the bobbin springs off, if I don't jam it on well enough (I need to do more sanding so it has a longer section to grip) but it's no big deal.

I love my drill. I use it for lots of things ... very rarely for drilling holes, though!


----------



## featherbottoms (May 28, 2005)

I have read a couple places about people using drills as bobbin winders. I will really keep that in mind. I think we have two of them, surely I can have one for my own.


----------



## frazzlehead (Aug 23, 2005)

I have lost count of the number of drills around here, but I know where MY DeWalt is!


----------



## rabbitgeek (Mar 22, 2008)

Okay, last week I bought a Singer for $99 at Joanne's. Also bought a travel case, a yard of thick cloth and some heavy duty thread. Because my father was an upholsterer and I think all cloth has to be thick. Any way I set it up wound the bobbins, loaded it up and started getting jammed up. Cut thread, disassemble bobbin holder, pull threads out of the machine. Sew. Jam. Cut. Disassemble. Repeat. Sewing machine was very close to going back to the store. If I was younger I would have cried. Looked online for troubleshooting and figured it must be the tension setting was too light. Fiddled with tension settings and found the right spot. Sewed a bunch of straight stitching for practice. Searched online some more and discovered that using heavy cloth and thread requires a higher tension setting. So if I had used lighter cloth/thread for shirts/dresses then the normal tension would probably be alright from the start. Put machine away. Will try some more this weekend.

Have a good day!


----------



## featherbottoms (May 28, 2005)

So will one of you that use your drill as a bobbin winder post a couple of pics showing how you make it work? I will use the smaller drill for weaving so I get a dedicated drill just for me.


----------



## SvenskaFlicka (Nov 2, 2011)

I actually splurged this summer and got a made-for-the-purpose clamp on a table bobbin winder from Sweden. It's pretty slick.  I never heard of using a drill though! Maybe I should have saved my money and just done that.

"Honey, I need to borrow your drill again." "What?" lol!


----------



## lathermaker (May 7, 2010)

My wonderful husband made me a bobbin winder for Christmas. I grabbed a pic off the internet and showed him the bobbins that needed to fit. By golly, the thing works slicker than heck! My hubby is one really handy man!


----------

