I bought a Hemstitcher,
now what do I do?
Everything I have learned so far about hemstitching.
The more I hemstitch,
the easier it is for me. This is simply a list of things
I wish I had known from the beginning. Elaine, from whom
I bought the machine, was kind enough to help me with some
of my questions; but, for the most part, it was just sew
and learn.
The tools
I need to sew.
As I sit at
the machine I always have four things on my right by the
bobbin winder. They are:
- Small thread
Scissors - As with any machine, these are used every time
you stop the machine.
- Small machine
brush - Because I am sewing predominantly with flannel
the machine needs to be cleaned often because of all the
lint. I use the brush and brush down the machine every
time I change a bobbin. It cannot be cleaned too much.
I make sure I clean all around the bobbins, the foot,
and up the front of the machine.
- Two extra
bobbins - One that is full and just sitting waiting, and
one on the bobbin winder at all times. That is all that
is on the machine. Anything else just gets in the way.
In the drawer
of the sewing table I have:
- A lot of extra
bobbins some full and some empty - I don't use these very
much, it is just nice to have them if someone wants a
special color or if I drop one of the bobbins that I am
using and don't want to hunt for it right then.
- Various small
screw drivers and little tools - To fix or tighten things.
- Tweezers -
I use these all the time and it is nice to have it handy.
- Extra needles
and piercers - Needles can break often. It is nice to
have several extra just in case. Singer still makes needles,
you just have to shop around for someone who is willing
to order them for you, or happens to have some on hand.
Piercers on the other hand are a lot harder to come by.
I have to really hunt to find them but having an extra
is nice, just in case. It may not break, but if one of
them does, it may take a while to find another one. There
are two piercers. The main piercer which the needles run
along side of, and the front piercer which pre-makes the
hole for the main piercer.
On a shelf nearby
I have:
- Oil - You
must oil your machine regularly, If it starts making any
strange noise it probably needs oil somewhere. You can
see in the owners manual or right on the machine where
to put the oil. A good rule of thumb is " If it moves
- Oil it!" Don't be afraid to put oil right down
under the bobbin and around the bobbin casing.
- Clean dry
cloths - These are for wiping up any excess oil and for
keeping the machine polished and lint and dust free. I
just keep all my scraps of fabric handy so that I can
use one and throw it away.
What
fabrics to use.
I love to do
linen. It always looks so beautiful. I find that I don't
have any problems with cotton fabrics. I mostly do flannel,
of course, and the machine does great. I also have done
fleece. Sometimes, when using very thin fabrics or very
loose weave fabrics like fleece, the hemstitching machine
tends to just chew the fabric up. You will hear the crunch.
Not a nice sound. This can happen with flannel also if you
start on a cross section of the fabric. If you are not going
with the grain there is usually some stretch. If you stretch
the fabric that you are placing under the foot between your
finger and thumb and then put the foot down on the fabric,
it will be tight to start and it won't chew up the fabric.
The pressure foot is usually tight enough that once you
start it will keep it tight. The only fabric that I really
stay away from is seersucker. I know that some people will
hemstitch it, but my machines do not like it. They chew
the fabric and break thread again and again. It is not worth
the trouble for me.
Threading
and Rethreading the machine.
You should have
received an owners manual with your machine. If you didn't,
you can print one out at hemstitchers.com.
Threading the machine is as easy as following the picture.
If a thread breaks while are sewing, you do not need to
remove the fabric from the machine to rethread. Just rethread
the needle and keep begin to sew again. The only time that
I take the fabric out is if the thread broke and I didn't
notice for several inches. Then it is better to take it
out, re-thread it and go back over that area again. If the
thread is breaking over and over, you probably have a tension
problem or your needles are not in straight. The holes of
the needles should be facing each other. Sometimes if the
needle is running to close to the piercer, it may help to
turn the needle out just a tad to keep the thread from being
cut against the piercer. Of course, it would probably be
better to move the needle away from the piercer a little
bit, but I don't like to mess with anything I don't have
to. I adjust things as little as possible. Once I start
moving things around they just seem to get worse and worse.
If it helps to turn the needle out just a little bit then
go for it.
What
thread to use.
I use Gutermann
thread. It is 100 percent polyester and doesn't break as
often as other threads. As of this writing the best place
that I have found to get it is from sewtrue.com.
Y ou can buy it in bulk for a very good price. Gutermann
threat is know to be a very fibrous thread. Sewers usually
don't like it because it tends to leave a lot of lint. When
you are sewing with flannel, this is really not a problem
because lint is just a part of life. I do all of my sewing
with white thread. I only change colors for special orders.
White works well on everything, even dark colors.
The bobbin
winder.
Don't forget
to keep your bobbin winder working for you. Every time you
change the bobbin, start the empty one winding and you will
never run out.
Speed
of the machine.
Remember this
is a commercial machine. It is made to do one thing very
well and very fast. This will take time to get used to.
Be patient. Try placing your foot at different places on
the pedal. Some machines don't have this problem at all
and run at a normal pace. It is best to work at a moderate
pace. Your machine will go longer without problems if your
work is steady.
Turning
square corners.
I spent a lot
of time and a lot of needles figuring this out. This may
be common sense for some, but maybe there is someone who
needs as much help as I did on this.
Hemstitching
machine needles go down three times for each hole or stitch
that is made. They go Along the piercer - Away from the
piercer - Along the piercer. Then the fabric moves forward
one hole and this is repeated. When you come to a corner
you should stop sewing, hand crank the needle until it is
finished with the stitch and just starting to move the fabric
forward to begin the next stitch, then lift the foot and
turn your fabric. Line up the hole that the machine just
did so that it will do all three of these steps (along the
piercer - away from the piercer - along the piercer) again
in the same hole. This will keep the threads from breaking,
needles from breaking, and will give you a nice clean corner.
Good luck! Remember,
you can always e-mail me with questions. I try to respond
quickly. Enjoy your machine. You are very lucky to own one.
Treat it with respect and it will last another 100 years.
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