How To Thread An Empisal Overlocker

[Amice Golden]

A4-thread overlock stitch is sewn with two needle threads which essentially sews two rows of stitching in your fabric while the looper threads wrap the edge. This stitch is best used on medium to heavy weight fabrics or on seams that see a bit of stress, such as on fitted garments. When you need flexibility in a seam, as well as durability, the 4-thread overlock is your best bet.

An overlock stitch, regardless of the number of threads you employ, is a great stitch for construction and general edge finishing. You can use this stitch to completely construct a garment and finish the edges simultaneously but you could use it in tandem with your domestic sewing machine. Some seams or fabrics benefit from being pressed open after being sewn in order to reduce bulk. In these cases, overlocking raw edges before construction may be the best bet.

There may be patterns that require extra attention to fit and detail where you prefer to baste seams before committing to a particular fit. In these cases, you may want to construct on the sewing machine before finishing edges on the overlocker.

Needle thread issues can be identified a few different ways. If looper threads can be seen from the front side at the point where the needle is penetrating through the fabric, your needle threads are probably too tight. On this sample, you can see little red dots where our lower looper thread is being pulled too tightly.

Alternatively, if your needle tensions are too loose, those threads will no longer appear as a clean, straight line of stitching. The looper threads will pull needle threads toward the seam allowance, which can be seen on both the front and back side of the fabric.

When needle threads get extremely too loose, it can even cause looping on the front and/or back side of the fabric. On this sample, you can see the little loops of green thread, meaning our right needle is too loose.

Last is tunneling. If your seam allowance is just pulled too tight (or conversely, if both looper threads are hanging loosely off the edge of the fabric), we need to adjust Micro Thread Control, or mtc. This is a lever that controls the stitch finger, a small metal piece that sits under the fabric at the needle area that supports the fabric at the point where looper threads are wrapping the raw edge.

Increasing the mtc (MicroThread Tension) will move the stitch finger out, creating more room between the fabric and the threads and thus reducing tension that results in tunneling. Conversely, reducing mtc moves the stitch finger in, bringing threads closer to the raw edge and eliminates looping.

In second place is the Janome 1200D. It lacks the air threading and digital user interface that the Bernina has, but it does offer a top-coverstitch option which is quite rare in combo machines. This stitch is very desirable for sewists who love making activewear or swimwear.

Best for: sewists who work with activewear or swimwear. The Janome 1200D is one of the very few combo machines with the top-cover stitch option. This lets you finish sportswear with a decorative industrial-type topstitch.

While this machine lacks the digital interface and air threading of the Bernina L890, the top-cover stitch option makes it a worthy candidate regardless. The machine features auto-tension settings for various stitches, but the conversion between coverstitch and overlock functions is still manual. Of all the machines compared here, this one has the highest variety of stitch options, so your opportunities are endless.

As an example, when I sew t-shirts on my combo machine, I use the overlocker mode to sew the shoulders, sleeves, side seams, and neck band. Then I convert my machine from overlocker mode to coverstitch mode. This involves removing the overlocking threads, flipping a lever, threading the lower looper, moving the needles from the back position to the front position, re-threading them, and then snapping the cutting blade out of the way and popping its cover on. This becomes muscle memory after a few times, but it can sound intimidating at first. Then I can finish my t-shirt using the coverstitch mode. I topstitch the neckband and hem the sleeves and body.

Adjustable Blade: This is a feature of the overlocker mode, but still worth mentioning for its usefulness. The ability to adjust the cutting width to suit individual fabric thicknesses will help you achieve a perfectly balanced seam.

Thank you Julie, I have been searching for a manual, after mine was thrown away by a thoughtless person!! My machine has always worked well & is a real workhorse. If the threads break, I re-thread & check my settings. Thanks again

Hi Julie I also have a problem with the threading. My daughter gave the machine to me and I struggle to get it to work. I tried downloading the manual but it is to smal. Is it possible that you can email it to me as well. I would really appreciate it.

Hi Julie. I have my overlocker for 19/20 years now and don`t have any problems with it yet. I do a lot of sewing. I lost my manual along the line. I just want to thank you for sharing your manual with us. you are a sweetheart.

hi julie i bought overlocker 2yrs back, i ws nt using it often cuz most of de tym ws working. at first it ws sewing bt nw it doesnt stitch at all i did everything dat is written on de manual n disc bt still doing de same problem plz help

plz respond on my email

sbongile.elsie...@outlook.com

Check carefully when threading round the back of the final loop and hole. I find if the thread is incorrectly over the looper then into the hole the thread will keep breaking.

This is difficult to see as the looper moves directly under the needles. I move mine back & forth until Im absolutely sure it is coming from the back over the thread holder on the left and directly from the front into the hole on the right.

I received 2 additional feet with my overlocker but dont know what they are for, nor how to use them. The manual does not refer to them. I have tried to search the internet but cannot find anything.

One is similar to the standard foot but more narrow & has a plate on the cutter side. The other has like a rolled front where the material seems to be fed into the foot & a plate on the cutter side.

When you are new to using your overlocker or serger, you can come across problems that, without understanding how to fix them, may grind your crafting to a halt. Overlock sewing machines can be quite tricky to use in the beginning, but with a little knowledge and understanding, you can avoid many of the common frustrations.

This is one of the most common problems you will come across, and it can happen to one or both of your needles. When you are trying to thread the needle and then it becomes unthreaded, it can ruin your focus and be very irritating. The important thing is to not worry more than necessary about this.

The presser foot is there to keep the fabric in place while you to stitch it. This foot also helps to ensure that the fabric remains straight and the blade can cut it off correctly. You need to remember to lower the presser foot as you put the fabric in to keep it straight and make your stitches neat and tidy.

You can do this by adjusting the tension dials. It could be that you need to do some trial and error until you find just the right tension setting for your fabric. Just be patient and you will find it eventually.

Keep in mind that overlockers and sergers can also suffer from some of the same problems that normal sewing machines do (like gathering lint, requiring new needles, or needing oil) so make sure you check those basics too. Find some tips for troubleshooting your sewing machine here.

SO GLAD I HAVE DISCOVERED THIS WEB SITE. I HAVE BECOME A STAY-AT-HOME WITH ONLY MYSELF AND MY COMPUTER. HAVE DONE MUCH CRAFTING IN THE PAST AND VERY FRUSTRATED HAVING TO SLOW DOWN. HOPE THIS WEBSITE WILL BE OF GREAT INTEREST TO ME. ALREADY LEARNED SOME NEW IDEAS FOR MY SERGER. INTERESTS ARE: PAINTING. COLORED PENCIL,SCRATCHART,SEWING,JEWERLY MAKING,KNITTING, CROCHETING,GARDENING,BRIDGE,COMPUTER

I just had this problem, & when it did stitch it was all bunched up & then started breaking threads , I suggest firstly retreading the whole machine, change the needles as well, then change all your dials back to 0, & gradually turn your dials till u get the best result, took me all evening then half the morning but I fell me & my machine r one now! Lol, good luck & walk away for a while & do something else if it gets to u, going back refreshed is a good thing????

My overlocker does not like to sew across a seam. It balks and does not want to feed over it. If I try to force through by pulling from behind or urging it through from the front, the stitches become irregular, making it not look nice. What can I do about this? I asked on some FB groups and fprums I am on. While lots of people have this issue, no one had any solutions for making it sew over them well.

I have a Janome 7034D overlocker serger. I have re-threaded it several times. done everything I can find to do. When I sew there are two straight lines on the top. No overlocking stitch. The bottom stitches are loose, but look like a serger stitching. Help.

I have a globe overlocker yrs old but reliable wanted to use but wheel wont budge for me to start to sew? Oiled part everything but is just stuck turns slightly backwards but nit forward! Desperatly need to use it for few important jobs? Can you assist me please?

I have a baby lock imagine serger. I thread the machine as required. Then I go to sew a little, it makes about 10 stitches before it brakes and then I have to rethread. Any suggestions about what this could be?

I have aJaguar overlocker, which I am learning to use. So far, so good, except!

When I have finished an edge, and lift the pressure foot, I cannot pull the threads away to the left to cut off. They seem to jam.

Any ideas please?

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