Secret Ways To Eliminate Stitch Problems

The closet door opens. Your sewing machine is there neatly tucked away in its case. You pick it up and carry it to the kitchen table. You remove the case cover and take out your sewing machine. You are ready to sew. Unfortunately, it does not work. Suddenly, the creative excitement and anticipation turn to outrageous frustration.

This is the single most common cause of discouragement for sewers. Sewing machines that are not working properly; are like a car that will not run. Why not just quit and forget it?

When you are use to sewing day in and day out, you learn to take the necessary steps to keep your sewing machine operating properly. However, if you only sew occasionally, you may not even be aware of basic steps to identify causes of sewing machine malfunction. In either situation, it is important to be able to diagnose and solve the most common problems.

When you are sewing, you may encounter many different types of problems, The challenge is to figure out what exactly is going on to cause those malfunctions.

When you sew, you come to expect certain things. Most of all you expect a properly formed stitch. When a good quality stitch fails to appear, it is a sewing crisis requiring immediate remedy.

Here is a simple but effective test every sewer needs to know in order to keep your machine operating properly. To perform this simple sewing test, set up a medium straight stitch and sew a seam four to five inches long. Using a zig zag stitch, repeat the test. Then examine the quality of stitches you just sewed.

Inspect your test seams. How do the stitches look? Ideally, the threads along the top of fabric snugly lay on top of the fabric separated by small puncture points. It should look the same when you inspect the bottom of the fabric.

Your seams may expose all manner of stitch distortion including excess threads above or beneath the fabric. Threads may be too tight, too loose, wobble, or even skip proper stitch formation.

The three critical things you need to check include the needle, the threading including tensions, and the hook-needle adjustments.

The number one source of problems causing bad stitches is the needle. That small, inexpensive, and yet crucial part of your sewing machine can distort and disrupt proper stitch formation due to improper selection, dull point, or burrs.

Needles need to be replaced with new needles that are properly matched for fabric and thread every five hours or so of sewing. Sharp needles are recommended for woven fabrics. Ball point needles are recommended for knit and stretchy fabrics.

Watch out for problems with the thread line. An easy and quick solution is to rethread the machine making sure you use good quality thread. Take special care to thread the machine checking for anything might snag the thread, to make sure the thread properly seats in the tension discs, and to double check that the thread flows through the tension spring and take up lever.

Tension balance is critical for proper stitch formation. Like a tug of war the lower tension pulls the thread down and the upper tension pulls the thread up. When properly balanced, the stitches form in the middle of the fabric with no excess on top or under the fabric. The source that pulls the hardest draws excess threads to its side. When excess threads appear underneath, increase the upper tension. When excess threads appear on top, decrease the upper tension.

If changing the needle and adjusting the tensions just does not work, you may have a problem with hook-needle settings. Most sewing machine users will need to take their machine to the shop for professional assistance.

Instead of panic; take charge. Use this simple sewing test. Make a few minor adjustments and enjoy sewing for hours. You can do it.