I'm so in awe of all your amazing work -- I sent you a PM complimenting you on your amazing taste in prints, and your aprons. So gorgeous!

The bag is a great shape and size, and the wallets look so cool!

If you can dig up a link to the tutorial you mentioned for the ones with the fold-over flap, I'd really appreciate it -- they're so cute! Were they hard to make?

Great job, so inspirational! 

I always just interface the heck out of 'em!

Cut a 2" square (or whatever size will suit your bag -- just make sure it extends around the snap itself for extra sturdiness) of heavy (iron-on/fusible) interfacing and attach it to the fabric before you poke the snap through. You can even use a couple of layers, if you like.

Position the snap in the centre of the interfacing and that should help a lot. You can still put the fleece/batting in there too, I'd imagine.

Hope that helps!

hey Imblebee, thanks so much for dropping in, your info is so useful!

Are there special needles for leather, denim, etc like on domestic sewing machines, or are they generally all-purpose?

Ooh, I hadn't thought about the finger part of it, yowtch. Both my grandmother and my mom have sewn over their fingers using their (domestic) machines, so I'm basically just trying to buck the trend The fact that this machine will be so much faster and more powerful is slightly worrisome -- I'll definitely focus on keeping my fingers out of the way of the needle!

Do you pin things any differently? Or do you use alternatives to pinning, like double-sided seam tape, or clips?

How important is reversing? I know not all industrial machines have that ability, but I forgot to ask if hers does or not. It's definitely something I use a lot on my domestic, so are there alternatives if I'm not able to on the industrial?

What about feet? It's got a walking foot -- will that be okay for leather/vinyl, or would a teflon foot be better?

thanks for all your help -- I really, really appreciate the info

Thanks so much for your help, soorawn! Okay so just try to go as slow as possible and get things out of the way. Do industrial sewing machine motors work like domestic ones, in that they work at different speeds depending on how hard you press the pedal? (I'm such a noob...)

You know, can we turn this thread into a 'tips for using industrial machines' thread as well? Is there anything special I should know going in? 

So my friend has an industrial sewing machine she's letting me use because my sewing machine can't handle the number of layers of canvas in the tote bags I'm making. When I try to sew down the top "hem", the stitches all come loose at the side seams because it's too thick and bulky and my machine is a lightweight.

I'm so lucky to be able to use her machine, but I just realized it doesn't have a free arm (so it has just a plain flat surface to sew on). Am I going to be able to sew cylindrical things on this new machine, or am I going to have to try to rework the patterns to sew everything flat? I'm not sure that's even possible...

I've never used a machine like this before, and I was hoping some of you have found ways around the lack of free arm, or have some tips on making this work.

Please help! Any advice is so appreciated.

ooh, I love it! it's a gorgeous dress and it looks fantastic on you! It fits perfectly and the fabric is fab!

About how difficult was it?
Great job!

cool. thanks so much for letting me know! I'd imagine I'm too late to score one, since it's almost spring, but a girl can dream

cheers!

it's cute! I like the HP fabric a lot I agree with Nixie, a bit short for me, but it looks very nicely made!

Also, I love your scarf -- can you divulge where you got it? It's to die for! 

ack, that's amazing! You did such an excellent job -- the details are well done and really make it work. So cool! I can't wait to see Howard!

You did such a great job! I love the Nyanko kitties -- and these totally capture that adorableness.

Really really cool! If I had any baking talent at all, I'd be making these in a heartbeat!