Help! zigzag foot
Graham McNicol
I'm trying to use a zigzag footer on my Pfaff 30 machine but all to no
avail - I either get bunched up threads or the foot wanders aimlessly,
usually both problems occur at the same time...
I've tried lining the fabric with tissue paper but this hasn't helped at
all, so if anyone has any suggestions or any alternative methods to
effectively stop fabric from fraying, I'd be most grateful (not happy with
fraycheck fluid, would rather physically sew the fabric (in this case a
polyester satin) in order to stop the fabric unravelling).
Any help would be greatly appreciated,
Graham
Caroline
switched to darning mode have you? - the bottom feeder plate (can't remember
the proper name - the plate under the needle) down instead of up?
Caroline
Graham McNicol
doing half the time! I've checked the little instruction book I got with the
machine (an inheritance but I never watched my Mum sew so I don't even know
what I should be doing with the foot (apart from what I've read about it))
and no, I haven't *dropped the feeder dog* as the instructions put it. I did
have a seperate instruction sheet for the zigzag foot itself, but I've lost
it and don't even think it said anything useful on it anyway...
Thanks for the suggestion
Graham
"Caroline" <bailey...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:B77A564C.8C3E%bailey...@hotmail.com...
Kate Dicey
Change the needle: polyester satin can be a bugger, and you may need a
microtex needle. This will slide between the fibres, rather than
pushing the fabric into the stitch plate hole.
Change the foot pressure: light weight fabric may need less pressure, a
really heavy satin may need more.
Change the thread tension: if it is too tight, this can cause bunching.
Use a teflon foot: this will slide over the fabric more easily.
Keep the fabric under tension: light fabrics can be pushed down the hole
in the stitch plate. Keeping the fabric under light tension can help.
Be very careful to pull equally on both sides of the needle and to let
the machine feed the fabric through. If you pull the needle off centre,
you may break it and damage the fabric or the machine.
START SLOWLY! I frequently find that it's the first few stitches that
can cause the problem: once the fabric is fully under the foot, it may
feed through successfully.
If the zigzags are pulling the fabric into an unsightly ridge rather
than lying flat, loosen both the top thread tension and the bobbin
tension until the problem goes.
And also do as Caroline suggests: make sure the feed teeth are up not
down in the darning position!
Hope this helps!
Kate XXXXXX
Shirley Shone
built in stitch.
If this is the case are you still lowering the foot lever to put the
tension on.
Shirley
In article <wK357.9470$FC5.1...@news1.cableinet.net>, Graham McNicol
<graham....@spamblock.cableinet.co.uk> writes
Shirley Shone
Graham McNicol
Yes, this is an attchment I'm using. And yes, I am lowering the foot lever
to put tension on... I think! Basically, I don't really know what I'm doing
terminology or methodology wise but usually I can muddle through... my
zipper foot technique is unusual to say the least, but it gets the job done!
lol
I'll try some of the suggestions Kate made in her reply and see how I get on
but I'm a little worried about fiddling with tensions and stuff... yes, this
is wing and a prayer but I'm having fun and some of the items of clothing
I'm making turn out really well, and I guess that is the important bit...
buy reduced price fabric (mainly remnants) and have fun while learning.
Thanks,
Graham
"Shirley Shone" <shi...@allcrafts.demon.co.uk> wrote in message
news:YqtxpJA0...@allcrafts.demon.co.uk...
Graham McNicol
suggestions for re-setting thre tensions after I'm finished or is it just a
case of making notes about where they were before?
Graham
"Kate Dicey" <ka...@diceyhome.free-online.co.uk> wrote in message
news:3B54DF43...@diceyhome.free-online.co.uk...
Kate Dicey
The upper tension dial should have a set of numbers on, usually 0 to 9.
The standard tension setting is about 5. The bobbin case will have a
screw in the side of it that controls the leaf spring that applies
tension to the bobbin thread. This has no markings on it, and mine is
usually adjusted by guess and by God! There's no great mystery: if it
is correctly balanced with the upper thread, whatever the stitch, the
two threads lock between the layers of fabric. For embroidery (rows of
flowers, ducks, hearts, etc.), you want the thread to lock on the bottom
rather than in the middle, and I usually do this by adjusting the upper
tension only.
The first thing to do is to set the machine to do straight stitching at
2.5 or 3 mm, on standard poly/cotton sheeting: when the threads lock
between the two layers, without puckering or leaving loopy bits, it is
correctly adjusted. This is your baseline setting. If the machine will
not do this, take it to the menders and get this fixed!
Most adjustments for most stitches can be done with the upper tension
only, in conjunction with the presser foot pressure setting. Make
absolutely sure that the bobbin thread is in the leaf spring, and the
upper thread fully between the tension dials before you start sewing.
Zigzag stitches usually need a lower tension setting than straight
stitches (2 or 3 rather than 5) on most machines, but go with what works
for the machine you have. My blind hem stitches each need different
settings (the one for stretch fabrics is lower than the one for woven
fabrics), and these are different from the rows of flowers or
buttonholes. I also find that thicker cotton threads and good quality
poly threads need less tension than thinner cheapy threads. Tension
setting is not an exact science, it is an arcane art form which needs
practice. It is always good to test on scraps of fabric before starting
on the garment! Just re-set to your base line settings when you finnish
a project, and fiddle from there for the new fabric.
Remnants are an excellent way of practising! You can get fabulous
fabrics at knock down prices if you look in the right places. Look at
my web page on my 'Kate's fabric List' for a few companies that sell
very good quality stuff at far less than high street prices:
http://www.diceyhome.free-online.co.uk/Sewing/Sewhome.htm
Kate XXXXXXX
Graham McNicol
state of zigzaginess! Taking your comments in order, the tension dial on my
machine goes from 1-5, so I'm assuming the equivalent setting on my machine
is about 3 ie halfway, then I took it slightly lower again to try
zigzagging. I messed around with the bobbin setting (took me a little while)
until I was back at the stage where the threads were locking between
layers - I don't do embroidery (yet, but I get the feeling I'm going to try
it out soon) so that part of the tension setting isn't a worry right now.
"an arcane art form"... yes, the whole thing reeks of witchcraft to me!
Sewing and more especially knitting - banging two sticks together and
suddenly a jumper appears majestically from a pile of wool! Well, that's how
it seemed to me when my Mum was knitting... lol
Okay, here's where I'm at now... The foot seems quite happy to zig from
right to left, everything looks fine and, while testing it out on a piece of
paper it will also zag from left to right. Examining the threads afterwards,
it all looks as I would expect it to, so on paper everything is fine. On
scraps of fabric, though, it will zig (r to l) but when it tries to zag (l
to r), the fabric puckers. I'm guessing that this is still a tension
issue/problem, and to be honest I'm kind of running out of patience! I get
this way... it would be handy if I knew of sewing classes somewhere but I
guess most things like that will be closed over summer.
Anyway, I've figured out a way of trapping all the cut edges away in
folds... not an elegant solution, but it'll do until I reach San Diego (I
hope to emigrate soon) and get my hands on my fiancee's sewing machine that
wonder of wonders doesn't need a seperate footer and a bucketload of
patience to operate! lol
I'd still like to figure this out once and for all... maybe light and thin
polyester satin isn't the right choice of fabric to learn on. I've got some
denim to work with sometime, so I'll try zigzagging on that... I reckon the
extra stiffness in the fabric will help stop the puckering. Then again,
maybe not! Ah well, it'll be interesting finding out!
Graham
"Kate Dicey" <ka...@diceyhome.free-online.co.uk> wrote in message
news:3B55D763...@diceyhome.free-online.co.uk...
Shirley Shone
sews okay you can tear the paper away.
I too have one of these zig-zag attachments for the Singer my DH bought
me for my 21st birthday 44 years ago.
These were to enable zig-zag to be worked on a straight stitching
machine. Since the needle cannot move from the position it is in the
attachment moves the fabric side to side.
I still have the Singer but now have a Pfaff 7550 plugged in to my
computer.
Graham do you by any chance live in Derbyshire.
Shirley
In article <P4n57.1420$Ii1.2...@news1.cableinet.net>, Graham McNicol
<graham....@spamblock.cableinet.co.uk> writes
Shirley Shone
Kate Dicey
tie my thumbs together!
A good way to trap all the fraying edges is to do a french seam: I can
send you some details if you want them. A good seam to do on your denim
is a felled seam. This also traps all the bits that are likely to try
to drop off, and is very flat!
I sewed everything on an old straight stitch machine for several years,
and still have it for times when the electricity fails! I have sewn
everything from stretch knits and lace, silk and velvet, to spray decks
for sea-going kayaks on this old 1924 Singer 66K, and there is nothing
to beat it. I never even thought of getting a zigzag gadget for it, but
I have an idea I could look into it for the future...
Polyester satin is NOT what I'd have chosen as a first project! I tend
to start my students on polycotton sheeting. I teach them a number of
different seam and finishing types, many of which you can do without any
zigzags at all!
Kate XXXXXX
Graham McNicol
As to polysatin not being a good idea for a first project, well, this isn't
my first! I played with polycotton for a while but didn't find the material
to be very satisfying to either work with or in the *quality* (by which I
probably mean feel) of the finished article.
As it stands just now, with the exception of my concerns over fraying edges,
I can turn out pretty respectable skirts, even mini-kilt style skirts aren't
too difficult these days (I hated the idea of sewing all the pleats then I
figured out a way to do them that while not strictly in the spirit of the
kilt is close enough to make no difference to either myself or the wearer of
the finished item).
Buttonholes too were a danger never to be ventured near, but again I have
worked out a method for doing them that doesn't involve zigzagging with the
machine. The finished buttonhole maybe isn't as perfect as it might be, but
it works and doesn't look bad so again I'm happy, as is the wearer, so
things can't be too bad!
All in all, I think I have progressed a lot since first experiments... some
things I'm good at while others are still beyond me. I've still got some
polycotton in my fabric *bins*, so any ideas on seams can be practiced
before tried out *for real!*
Once again, thanks!
Graham
Kate Dicey
I'll send you some stuff on seams: they're my teaching notes for a
folder of samples that I do with students. The seams are all dead easy
to do. If you send your address, I'll send hard copies, with fabric
samples attached so you can see how they really work.
I find poly/cotton is like all other fabrics: it comes in a lot of
different qualities. Sheeting off cuts are ideal for teaching and as
practice pieces for samplers work. I also make 100% washable patchwork
knee and cot rugs from it. Good poly/cotton makes excellent shirts that
are easy to care for. I have quite a number of poly/cotton skirt weight
pieces, which are excellent: much more crease resistant than pure
cotton, and far less likely to shrink in the wash! I also have some
poly/cotton knit clothing that gets washed and flung in the dryer, and
needs ironing about once a year.
Traditional hand sewn button holes are a true art, and one I still need
to practice to perfect. Since I got the Lily with it's 10 different
styles of buttonhole, I don't often do real hand sewn ones! Bound
buttonholes are excellent for heavier fabrics, but most lighter items
need sewn ones. get yourself over to Amazon, and invest in a copy of
the Reader's Digest Complete Book of Sewing, ISBN 0-88850-247-8, $30
(£18 from Amazon). This is the best sewing manual about. I have 4
copies, three older ones dating back to the 70's, and a new one bought a
few months back. It will tell you almost everything you need!
We all have some things we are better at than others: I never have
problems with zips and welted pockets, but they frighten lots of
sewers. I hate doing
anything with furry fabric, as it makes such a mess! I used to hate
welted pockets, until I has a run on them, putting them into 25 or so
waistcoats I was making for a craft fair! After doing 50 or more
pockets in a week, they are no longer a problem! Just keep practising:
sit and play with the machine and the gadgets some time when you are not
trying to sew to a deadline, and see what fun it can be!
Kate XXXXXX
Graham McNicol
Well, I wandered into Glasgow yesterday, to the Singer Sewing Centre to ask
their advice... ho-hum, the considered opinion is that my Pfaff 30 will
NEVER zigzag on thin materials such as the polysatin I've been trying... so
yes, please, any seams a straight stitch machine can do without having to
use a rather industrial looking attachment would help me so much! Can I
email you my address personally (i.e. not in the newsgroup)? It's not that I
don't trust the rest of the newsgroup, but there may be others... Paranoid,
aren't I? lol
Anyway, the opinion is that I'll probably be able to zigzag on heavier
materials such as denims and they suggested pinking shears to help prevent
the polysatin fraying. Are these shears really useful and are there any tips
or hints on how best to use them?
As for books, I've got a couple of pattern designing books (yes, I am the
ambitious one!) and the Vogue/Butterick Guide to Sewing book - I've found
the Vogue book useful, but sometimes I think I need to see it done rather
than just sketches of how it is done...
As for the buttonholes, well, yes - it's all about practice and while I can
get away with using other methods of attachment (eyelets and laces, poppers,
velcro), there are times when only a real button will do! Haven't really
done many pockets, but haven't found them to be a real problem so long as I
think about what I am doing and take things slowly.
Anyway, the polysatin projects are on the back boiler for the moment... I
went into Mandor's fabric shop while I was in Glasgow and raided the remnant
bin... for anybody in the Glasgow area, Mandor's (Remnant Kings too) are
having a sale and some good bargains can be found right now!
So, three mini-kilts are calling out for sewing then I'm going to make a
jacket and blouse to go with them... I'm conifident on the mini-kilts as
I've made a few before and the progression from first attempt to what I can
make now is startling. Here's hoping my attempts at blouses and jackets show
such improvement too, get me out of the realm of homemade fancy dress and
into something wearable for a night out!
One thing I'm mildly disappointed about is the lack of info I have on male
attire, but then I guess there really aren't that many variations on stuff
to sew for guys. I'm going to start making some Jacobean-style shirts, all
lace up V-necks and big baggy sleeves to match my kilt, and who knows, one
day I may attempt a kilt for myself... mind you, the fabric costs for that
are quite high and there are a lot of pleats... oh, I'll just stick to the
kilt I've got for now... lol
Thanks again, Kate
Graham
PS I've just realised why I like making mini-kilts so much... no
buttonholes! Straps are such a handy design feature... lol
Kate Dicey
It isn't the NG members that are the problem, but the unsolicited
lurkers with malign intentions...
A good place to start looking for patterns for your shirts is Patterns
of Time: they do some excellent patterns for historic dress. You need
to start lurking in the reenactment world for more info on this sort of
stuff. you could also do a lot worse than invest in a copt of the
Kwick-Sew catalogue: they have a whole section on men's patterns, and
quite a few unisex patterns too. My experience so far with the patterns
has been good, and I am about to order a whole batch from a lady in
London, trading as Sewability.
Have a look on my web page under Kate's Fabric List for details of these
people. Patterns of Time are at http://www.patternsoftime.com
Making a real kilt is a special art, which is why they cost so much!
50% of the work is in the setting of the pleats, which takes more steam
and heat than the average home tailor has at their disposal. Coupled
with the interesting detail of having to adjust the length from the
top...
I will get those samples and pages in the post as soon as possible.
Take care.
Kate XXXXXX
Ex-pat Scot, living in Kent!