> Shawn --

> Very nice work.

> I have been pressuring a friend whose mother is a home-ec teacher to line
> me up with a surplus sewing machine. But I don't really know what features
> are necessary. I first started thinking about getting a hold of a sewing
> machine -- and suffering through the taunts of other boys -- when I saw
> commercial prices for sprayskirts and cockpit covers for my newly built
> kayak. Then I started noticing the outrageous prices for dry bags, outdoor
> clothing, drapes, sofa covers, you name it. So my questions: For these
> kinds of projects, how fancy does the sewing machine need to be? Would a
> used Singer with a zigzag function (this is all I know about the machine
> my buddy's mother can sell me) have the other necessary features? What is
> a serger?

> Thanks in advance.

> --Will

Hi Will, If all you ever want to sew is light weight nylon, the home-ec machines will probably work fine. companies give schools pretty good prices on some high quality machines, knowing they will be used more than any home machine ever will. If you think you may wany to get into more ardous sewing projects, ie: tents, straping, drybags et al, maybe look for a commercial machine with whats called a walking foot. This machine has a pressure foot that moves along with the tractor foot so you get a even pull on the top and bottom layers of fabric. these machines usually use much stronger motors (1/2 to 3/4 horse) so they can sew faster and through many layers of heavy fabric. A couple of good makes to look for are either the Singer line of commercial machines, Consew, Husquvarna (sp).Hope this helps. Tom