I have a JUKI
I have a new sewing machine!
I have had a few different machines over the years, and even own a couple antiques that still work but are mostly decorative. My first ever machine was a basic Brother. A beginner home machine that worked well enough, but wasn't built to last. When I was in college, I was given a better machine as a Christmas gift, and I still have that one. It has a lot of miles on it, and I'll still use it if ever I need a fancy stitch or a buttonhole, but it's slow and sticky. It's not ideal for the heavy production I'll be doing for this business.
For my previous job, I worked on a Jack industrial sewing machine. It's a knock-off version of the name-brand Juki. Not a bad machine but not perfect. Honestly, the only major draw-back of it is that it's extremely hard to get machines serviced where I live, especially industrials, and the more off-brand it is, the harder it is to find someone willing to work on it and succeed. Service shouldn't happen too often, but when it comes to the mainstay of my business, I don't want to take the chance of not being able to get it fixed when I need it.
I also learned that newer machines can come with fancy automatic thread cutters and now I'm spoiled. I can't imagine having to stop and trim threads anymore. How trivial? How time-consuming? I won't go back to trimming threads!
So, I found a Juki that trims the thread, has an automatic foot lift in the pedal, and can sew 4000 stitches per minute. It's fast. It's fancy. And it's mine! I drove 2 hours away to Henderson sewing center in Andalusia, Alabama, and I gotta say I HIGHLY recommend them. Such kind people, so thorough with their work and willing to help me with all my questions. They even had it set up and ready for me to test out in their warehouse before I committed to the purchase. And the best part is, they will service it if/when that need arises. They even offered to talk me through any problems I might have once I get the machine home, if I have any issues.
I feel like Henderson's is the type of 'old school' service you hear about but don't really experience anymore. They were great people to work with, and I'll definitely be ordering from them in the future, when I'm ready to expand my sewing shop to include more, different types of machines.
It took a few extra days to get the machine home and set up. I live/work in a 3rd floor apartment, and the machine with its table is more than 100 pounds; I had to wait for my dad and brother to be able to come carry it up the stairs for me. I spent all day Friday rearranging my furniture not only to make sure they'd be able to get it in without any extra hassle, but also so that as soon as it got here, I'd have a full studio set-up and would be able to start cutting and sewing quickly and efficiently. Up until now, I had my loom in one room and my yarn in another, with my sewing machine next to my loom and my cutting mat next to my yarn. Now I've got it set so all my sewing stuff is together and all my weaving stuff is together. It makes so much more sense. I don't know why I didn't do this sooner!
