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From: drgrl21
Date: 07-11-2006, 06:18 PM (1 of 7)
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I am a new sewer. I have elastic thread which I hand wind on my bobbin. I proceeded to sew from the top of the fabric adn the fabric did not get shirred. I tried it at tension 3 and stitch lenght 4 and at tension 4 and stitch lenght 5 and nothing happened. Then I tried to pull on the elastic bobbin thread from both sides leaving it long and it broke somewhere in the process. Can someone please explain to me in layman terms step by step how do I do rows of shirring. Please, I am at a loss. I am new to all this. Please Please Help! My email is <email address removed for privacy> Thanks. |
User: drgrl21
Member since: 03-08-2006 Total posts: 40 |
From: LeapFrog Libby
Date: 07-11-2006, 06:31 PM (2 of 7)
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drgrl21--- Here is how I do it and have done it this way for many years.. Probably longer than you have been around.. LOL.. I machine wind my bobbin very slowly with elastic thread.. Put bobbin in machine.. sew on right side of fabric.. Make rows about 1/2 inch apart... Sew as many rows as you need.. Leave all the threads long at the ends temporarily. Now the fabric is not shirred very much , if at all, yet.. But, voila, here comes the magic.. Heat the iron ,, make sure it has plenty of water, you need lots of steam.. Hold the iron about an inch away from the fabric and steam, steam, steam... Shirring happens.. Now, I always sew my seam to finish the circle with the stretch stitch.. Two forward and 1 back, This secures all those threads, and now you can cut all those loose ends off.. You can take a square of fabric, do a tiny rolled hem at the top and a one inch hem at the bottom, do the shirring , then sew the center back seam, add straps and in less than an hour, you have a little girls sundress.. Sew With Love
Libby |
User: LeapFrog Libby
Member since: 05-01-2002 Total posts: 2022 
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From: drgrl21
Date: 07-11-2006, 06:46 PM (3 of 7)
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So a strech stich is when you se to stiches forward then reverse stich ? What do you set the tension and stich lenght to? I tried the steaming because I saw that in another post here and nothing really happened :/ Maybe I did not try long enough. My last question is do I cut the fabric 1 and half to two times the chest and waist size or do I cut the fabric according to the pattern, when shirring? I don't know if you add more fabric so that when it shirres it shrinks. I am sorry if I sound dumb, I am just a new sewer and I am eager to sew for my 10 month old. Thanks, Drgrl21 |
User: drgrl21
Member since: 03-08-2006 Total posts: 40 |
From: DorothyL
Date: 07-11-2006, 07:38 PM (4 of 7)
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The stretch stitch is built into most machines. I guess you could go two forward and one back without it but --- holy cow -- it wouldn't be worth it! Dorothy |
User: DorothyL
Member since: 12-09-2002 Total posts: 3883 |
From: LeapFrog Libby
Date: 07-11-2006, 07:55 PM (5 of 7)
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If you have the stretch stitch, it looks like 3 dashes on top of each other.. (at least on mine it does.)Are you bypassing your tension with the elastic..?? My method will not work unless the leastic has some small amount of tension applied.. I don't know what else to tell you.. I almost never fiddle with tension on my machine.. (Mine has auto tension adjustments)
Sew With Love
Libby |
User: LeapFrog Libby
Member since: 05-01-2002 Total posts: 2022
|
From: drgrl21
Date: 07-12-2006, 09:54 AM (6 of 7)
| my tension has always been on three, so I guess I leave it there, now what di I put the lenght to? 4 or 5? |
User: drgrl21
Member since: 03-08-2006 Total posts: 40 |
From: LeapFrog Libby
Date: 07-13-2006, 06:30 PM (7 of 7)
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My stitches are marked by MM's.. 3.0 is fairly large stitch.. I usually put it to about 1.6 or 1.8...
Sew With Love
Libby |
User: LeapFrog Libby
Member since: 05-01-2002 Total posts: 2022
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