I have a Husqvarna Viking 320, which I adore. I've had it for around tean years now, and it's still going strong.
Any decent machine should be able to sew through denim, and I have never heard of code words. I second the suggestion made above, to bring a scrap of fabric to the sewing machine shop, if you're really concerned. Most places have test models, and in my experience, are happy to talk to you about different machines. :)
In my experience, you really don't need a machine with a million fancy stitches. You certainly don't want to buy an embroidery machine unless you really want to do machine embroidery - they're different creatures. You'll probably use the straight stitch 90% of the time anyway. As for stretchy materials (think knit fabrics like cotton jersey and the like) some machines have a stretch stitch, which is stronger and won't snap when stretched. I use mine very, very rarely. a zig-zag stitch is good to have, and machine buttonholes are nice but not essential.
Sergers/overlock machines are different beasts entirely. They're really useful for things like finishing raw edges of seams (something which you can use a zig-zag stitch for) but they're not really a replacement for a normal sewing machine. There's some things they just can't do, and their stitch isn't usually strong enough to function as a seam on its own.
I don't like automatic tension, but that's just a personal thing. Tension isn't actually that bad, on most machines - a little trial and error on some scrap fabric, and you should start getting a feel for it.
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Date: 2012-03-19 07:47 pm (UTC)Any decent machine should be able to sew through denim, and I have never heard of code words. I second the suggestion made above, to bring a scrap of fabric to the sewing machine shop, if you're really concerned. Most places have test models, and in my experience, are happy to talk to you about different machines. :)
In my experience, you really don't need a machine with a million fancy stitches. You certainly don't want to buy an embroidery machine unless you really want to do machine embroidery - they're different creatures. You'll probably use the straight stitch 90% of the time anyway. As for stretchy materials (think knit fabrics like cotton jersey and the like) some machines have a stretch stitch, which is stronger and won't snap when stretched. I use mine very, very rarely. a zig-zag stitch is good to have, and machine buttonholes are nice but not essential.
Sergers/overlock machines are different beasts entirely. They're really useful for things like finishing raw edges of seams (something which you can use a zig-zag stitch for) but they're not really a replacement for a normal sewing machine. There's some things they just can't do, and their stitch isn't usually strong enough to function as a seam on its own.
I don't like automatic tension, but that's just a personal thing. Tension isn't actually that bad, on most machines - a little trial and error on some scrap fabric, and you should start getting a feel for it.
have fun, and good luck! :)