What is an upholstery sewing machine?
Home sewing machines vary in strength. Some are designed for jeans or relatively heavy sewing. If you are just doing a little bit of upholstering, you can probably make a sturdy sewing machine work. Changing to a large needle size, like a 16 or an 18, will prevent the needle from breaking as easily. Sew slowly and be careful of seam joints where the thickness is doubled or more. Even a thick needle will break here, and it may also mess up the sewing machine alignment. There are notions you can use to help your machine handle these bulky spots, like the jean-a-ma-jig. Alternately, you can make something that does the same thing out of a piece of thick cardboard. The point of this item is to keep the presser foot horizontal.
Some machines–like certain computerized Baby Lock brand sewing machines–will reassess the thickness with every single stitch, so you can sew at top speed over all sorts of lumps that would throw off a mechanical machine or one of the less fancy computerized ones.
When not to use your home sewing machine
Do not use a regular home sewing machine for upholstery if you have a weaker machine or if you are finding yourself having to pull on the fabric too much. Yanking can throw off the machine’s alignment or bend a component, and this can be expensive to repair. Do not attempt to repair it yourself, not even if you are mechanically inclined. Sewing machines are very specific and something as complicated and precise as alignment requires a trained professional. Do not use thread thicker than standard sewing machine thread, and do not use hand-quilting thread. This will also ruin the alignment. Depending on your machine, it may be damaged within a couple stitches, or it may seem okay for a little while. Sometimes you can use thicker thread in the bobbin, though you will have to adjust the bobbin tension if you have a front-loading bobbin.
Home sewing machines vs. industrial sewing machines
Home sewing machines are usually made with Teflon gears. Some of the cheapest, cheapest crap may be made with lousy plastic, and they can be damaged by giving them a hard glance or an angry glare. Teflon gears are relatively sturdy and compare pretty well with metal gears. A handful of older sewing machines have metal gears, and these babies are pretty much indestructible. Anymore, industrial sewing machines and upholstery sewing machines are the only machines made with metal gears. They’ll also have a stronger motor. This means longer hours of sewing heavier fabrics without wearing down the machine, and it also means that many of these machines run fast–to an extent that can frighten a novice sewer.
These feet were made for walkin’ . . . and other things . . .
Industrial sewing machines will also have specialized feet that may raise higher than a regular sewing machine. In addition to the lift, they’ll have features that are specifically designed for one intended purpose. Sewing that includes a lot of layers will often involve a walking foot to prevent them from shifting as much as using only the feed dogs underneath to pull the fabric through.
Zipper, welting/cording, gathering, and Teflon feet are often available for industrial machines. These feet are made for home sewing machines, too.
Pluses and Minuses
Industrial machines can have a variety of other features that will aide a sewer who has to work long hours, such as a knee lever to raise the presser foot. It can be awkward to raise the presser foot by hand, especially when holding a lot of fabrics/batting/lining/etc. together. Many home sewing machines also offer optional knee levers, but they are virtually always extra.
Many repairmen for home sewing machines are not able to repair upholstery sewing machines. Some industrial machines will also require specific oil—and in large quantities–that won’t be available from most fabric and sewing stores.
Home Sewing = General, Industrial Sewing = Specific
Industrial sewing machines are almost always highly specific. Like the blind hem stitcher, with its odd, curved needles. Many machines will only do straight stitching. While home machines usually can adapt for free-arm sewing or flat sewing, industrial machines are very rarely adjustable. They’re not likely to have any decorative stitches, even if they have a zigzag.
A sewing machine advertised as an upholstery sewing machine is usually a commercial-grade machine. There is such a thing as an upholstery sewing machine, but they vary very little in makeup from an industrial or commercial machine. Upholstery fabrics are difficult to handle on a standard household machines and require a heftier machine than a consumer grade one. It is possible for some standard home machines to handle heavy fabrics with a change of needle. User’s manuals will list the types of fabrics a machine can handle. At its highest capacity, a home machine can take on materials like denim and even leather. Car upholstery and other extreme fabric choices are almost always going to damage a consumer grade machine. Home machines not intended for use with heavy fabrics could end up with problems like broken needles, thread jams, and tension difficulties like bunching. A commercial or upholstery sewing machine has a few differences from standard machines. The most obvious difference i
