An unexpected grace

When I got my Textima Veritas, it was mostly for sentimental reasons – it was exactly the same model that I grew up with. I knew it was a good machine, but it’s been too long ago since I used it to draw a comparison with the other machines in my sewing room. So after a round of service, I decided to use it on several different projects and see how it does.

I knew it would work well enough, but I was surprised on every turn. This modest looking machine has entirely unexpected graces.

I started with samples and ran out of scraps of all kinds and still didn’t find one it would not be able to sew beautifully without skipping stitches. It made a flexible stitch on jersey and a smooth stitch on crêpe, without pulling. It went through denim and leather and all I had to change was the needle. It made lovely satin stitch embroidery and perfectly balanced zig-zag.

I was only a child and not much of a seamstress back in 1970s, but my mother made all sorts of things with our old machine, and never ran into trouble. I don’t remember her complaining about skipped stitches or pulled up seams or not being able to sew denim. She let me use the machine because she was sure I couldn’t break it! Well, not so badly anyway that my father wouldn’t be able to fix. And actually, I don’t remember struggling with the machine either… Plenty of memories of botched up sewing projects, bit it wasn’t the machine’s fault. 😉 Got told off by grandma once for doing machine embroidery instead of hand embroidery (that’s cheating!), but not because the result was poor – quite on the contrary.

And now I am quite taken aback. Textima Veritas 8014/35 has so far superceded every other machine in my sewing room in its versatility and its steady stitching. Yes, it is even better than Adler 87 – Adler doesn’t like crêpe and loose woven chiffon, the seam pulls. Textima Veritas is better than Haid & Neu Primatic because Haid & Neu doesn’t do jersey – the seam isn’t flexible enough. It’s an easy win on jersey because round bobbin machines are generally not great on flexible seams. Except for Textima Veritas.

My other Veritas is Clemens Müller’s VS2 – a long bobbin machine, a vibrating shuttle. She makes a superbly flexible stitch, but of course she is straight stitch only. For the finest of jersey I am still back with Jones Family TS – unless I find a way to tune Textima Veritas to sew it properly too…

I have several more projects lined up to try with Textima Veritas. Most of them combine several different fabrics, which is the hardest thing to do properly. There’s also a fine jersey blouse among them, let’s see how that goes – Jones TS is standing by at the rescue, if needed. 😁 But so far, I am surprised, perplexed and confused – I am about to loose justification for having a room full of machines! 😲 Is it time to panic yet? 😆