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From: GoGoAndrea
Date: 10-30-2006, 12:30 PM (1 of 5)
| How frustrating! I was trying to put elastic onto the waistband of a skirt, but when I tried stitching the fabric onto the stretched elastic I kept breaking needles! I'm reading that pulling your fabric through the machine will break the needle...but is there a trick that I'm not aware of?? |
User: GoGoAndrea
Member since: 07-07-2006 Total posts: 43 |
From: Tom Land
Date: 10-30-2006, 03:15 PM (2 of 5)
|
Andrea, assuming that your presser foot pressure is sufficient and you are using good needles you should be able to pull the elastic towards you. Never attempt to pull it to the back. I mark reference points on the garment and on the elastic so as I go around I just stretch the elastic to make the marks match up. Something like a waistband will usually have marks every 10"-18" while a cuff's might be every couple of inches. Your machine should pull the fabric while you stretch the elastic with no problem. If not, increase the pressure pn the presser foot. I have also found that even with all the new stitches for sewing in elastic the old multi-stitch zig-zag (Ithink Bernina calls it the "cut out zig-zag") still works best and is on nearly every machine for the past 25 years or so. It is the zig-zag that has stitches in between the stitches of the zig-zag. Besides being easy to use it eliminates the rolling effect that zig-zag can have on elastic. Have fun or don't do it, Tom
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User: Tom Land
Member since: 09-21-2005 Total posts: 514 |
From: Tom Land
Date: 10-30-2006, 03:18 PM (3 of 5)
|
Andrea, I just reread your post. Stretch the elastic. Don't pull the fabric.
Have fun or don't do it, Tom
|
User: Tom Land
Member since: 09-21-2005 Total posts: 514 |
From: paroper
Date: 10-30-2006, 10:07 PM (4 of 5)
|
When sewing, ALWAYS let the feed dogs move the fabric under the presser foot...you'd be amazed at how many people "help" the fabric. When you help, you don't get the best quality of stitches or anything. The machine is carefully designed to work as one unit all you need to do is hold one hand in front to keep the fabric straight as it goes into the machineI usually just let it pull from my thumb and forefinger. With the left hand, lay it flat on the machine or table bed assuming your machine is flat and just make sure that the rest of the project feeds at close to the same pace as your fabric being pulled through the machine. When doing elastic, the only thing you have to worry about is stretching the elastic...the machine will feed the fabric. If you have an elasticator foot as available with sergers (I know for sure), you don't even have to stretch the elastic. When gathering with fishing line, if you happen to have a foot with the hole in the front, all you have to do is pull the fishing line through to the back and set the line in a place that it will unreel freely...then the machine will take the line through with the fabric...you just sew like always. (I know this has nothing to do with your post but it is an excellent example of how well the fabric feeds through on its own without help. pam
Bernina 200e, Artista V5 Designer Plus, Explorations, Magic Box, Bernina 2000DE & 335 Bernette Serger, Bernina 1530 Sewing Machine, Bernina 1300 DC Overlock (with coverstitch) |
User: paroper
Member since: 02-03-2004 Total posts: 3775 |
From: GoGoAndrea
Date: 10-31-2006, 12:02 PM (5 of 5)
| My foot must have not had enough pressure---- when I just stretched the elastic from the front it also took my project with it (pulling forward rather than feeding through the machine). So I held it from the back as well as the front which is probably what broke all my needles! Thanks for the advice, I'll let you know what happens! |
User: GoGoAndrea
Member since: 07-07-2006 Total posts: 43 |
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