half size sewing machine
Sewing machine halp?!?
I need some serious help with my singer simple. sometimes when i sew, i get about one stitch in and then it freezes and makes an unpleasant sound.
Sometimes, it will sew, but not move forward.
Usually, the stitches suck and aren't right [if its on zig zag, it will only zig zag a good half of the time]
and sometimes it comes unthreaded.
p.s- can anybody post a chart for which size and type of needle and the thread tension for each kind of fabric? this would aslo help.
p.p.s- how do you "wrinkle" things? I am making arm warmers and i want them to be very wrinkled. how?
Can you show me what you mean by "wrinkles"? (feel free to email me)
I'm guessing that your jammed sewing hook (the freezing) is caused by a thread jam. Take the thread off the top of the machine completely, take the bobbin out of the machine (and the bobbin case if it's removeable) and give the machine a good cleaning and oiling (with sewing machine oil, not WD-40 (solvent) or 3-in-1 (it gums up) per your manual. Use a vacuum to get lint out of the machine -- don't use compressed air. Put in a new needle of the correct size and type following the instructions in your manual -- yes, it matters which way the flat side of the needle shank goes. With manual in hand, rethread the machine.
Fetch the bobbin thread up from below and spool out about 4" of both top and bottom thread. Put the fabric under the presser foot, and while hanging on to both thread tails with your left hand, use the handwheel to drop the needle into the fabric (make sure you turn it in the correct
direction! -- again, check your manual). Lower the presser foot. Take a couple of stitches, and then you can drop the thread ends. Continue to sew and you should be fine. The snarling at the beginning of a seam is generally due to not hanging on to those thread tails. Start each seam
this way and you won't have to deal with it.
As far as tension goes: Setting the upper tension to about 4 should give you good stitching on almost anything. You may need to play with it a little -- but if you have to get down to 2 or up to 6 to get good stitching on something like muslin, the machine needs serviced.
Needles: One of the biggest causes of skipped stitches is that the needle was put in the machine backwards. Generally speaking, if the bobbin is toward your belly when you're sewing, the needle goes with the flat side to the back. If the bobbin is accessed to the side of the presser foot, the flat side goes to the right. HOWEVER, I'm not familiar with Singer machines of the last few years, so check the manual for your machine.
Needles get bent really easily, and when they hit a pin, or the needle plate, or the presser foot, they may not look bent, but they usually are (and there's often a snag on the point, too). If it's not too bad, it'll let you finish the seam before you change for a new needle. If it skips, though, or if you're working on a closely woven or knit fabric, stop right there and put in a new needle (and don't forget to hang onto the thread ends when you start sewing again!).
Needle sizes: Generally, you want the smallest needle size possible that gives you a nice consistent stitch. If the fabric is too thick for the needle size, the stitching will start skipping. Rough guide: 10/70 is good for shirt or sheet weight fabrics, 12/80 for heavier shirt weights (like a light corduroy or denim) or light skirt/pants weight fabrics and
14/90 for heavy skirt or pants weight fabrics, coatings, etc. MOST fabrics can be sewn with a size 12 universal point needle, but you'll get the best results by matching needle size and type to the fabric. It's why scraps were invented --- so you can figure out what combination works best with that particular fabric.
Needle point style: Most of the Singer needles in packets are just sharp or ballpoint. If you're going to use that brand, you'll use sharps for wovens and ballpoints for knits. Other manufacturers offer a variety of point styles -- Schmetz universal points will sew both knits and wovens, but if you're sewing a woven, you may get better stitching with Microtex or Jeans needle point styles. With knits you may want a Jersey or Stretch. There are other styles for specific jobs like quilting or embroidery or top stitching. If you're curious as to what the various types look like, I took some closeup photos, and they're available at:
http://www.picturetrail.com/sfx/album/view/17206792
Suggested reading for you: Carol Ahles' book Fine Machine Sewing (especially the first few chapters) and
http://sewing.about.com/od/sewingmachineindex/a/machinemaintain.htm
http://sewing.about.com/od/sewingmachineindex/ig/Sewing-Machine-Needles/
http://sewing.about.com/library/weekly/aa102100a.htm
Oh, and change needles after 2-6 hours of needletime -- this usually means 1 needle per project. It's amazing how many sewing machines Ive cured of all sorts of malfunctions with the simple combination of cleaning, oiling, and putting in a new needle.
half size sewing machine
osbourne executive