The Sewing Place
Machine Talk => Overlockers & Coverstitchers => Topic started by: Snippet on March 31, 2017, 15:16:54 PM
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Oops, I seem to have bought another machine! :angel:
It's an ex demo from the lovely folk at Sewing Machines Direct for £379 - which seemed like a pretty good price to me :)
It's being delivered to work on Monday - hope it comes late in the day so that I don't have to sit looking at the box all day when I'm supposed to be working!
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Lurvely, I got one last October from SMD. Unfortunately I've had problems not being able to get a finish that looks flat , I've got to start again and make sure I haven't altered one of the settings without realising, just need the time to play. The tunneling was on quite a thin stretch knit so it was probably just wrong settings. I do like the machine though, enjoy yours when it comes.
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Coverstitchingis a steep learning curve that I am still climbing ;) but when I get it right which is much more frequent now, it's great
If you do Facebook, there is a group on there that I have found very helpful, it's Coverstitch/Coverlock. lots of useful pointers if you have a browse.
I got the Janome1000 as an exdemo from SMD and I can't fault it.
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... I've had problems not being able to get a finish that looks flat . . . The tunneling was on quite a thin stretch knit . . .
Recommend stabilising knits before stitching every time (plus stabilising gives a great finish). Cut strips of a lightweight fusible stretch interfacing (it works on stretch and wovens).
Saves sooooooooo much time (and frustration) by reducing the amount of time and effort spent on testing stitch settings and sampling
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Thanks Morgan, I stabilise the neck with 1/4 inch iron on interfacing but I hadn't thought to stabilise the hem. Will give it a go the next time I make a top.
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I got the Janome1000 as an exdemo from SMD and I can't fault it.
I got an Elna 444 (which is a rebadged Janome 1000) ex demo from SMD and I'm happy with it.
Yes, stabilising helps, and it doesn't like cheap cones of overlocking thread.
It would stitch OK with the cones, but I had a lot of trouble trying to fathom out how to lock-off and it just wouldn't work until I changed to a decent thread.
That does make sense as locking-off is just pulling the two needle threads to the top, so the smoother those threads the easier they will pull through.
I also bought the Craftsy course on overstitching when it was on offer.
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I also bought the Craftsy course on overstitching when it was on offer.
Is that the course with Gail Yellen? It's currently on offer for £24.62 - not sure how much of a bargain that is though -<
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I wasn't impressed with the Craftsy course, I'd want it for less than that. It didn't have a great content, all the basics can be found elsewhere and a lot of the stuff it covered, making tassels for example only worked with the high end machines,
Some of the things she showed were not covered. She showed a decorative finish using the looper stitches on top but when she demonstrated the technique she had the ordinary stitching lines on show, much easier to do.
As Morgan said, stabilise everything and you get much better results.
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Thanks Ellabella :flower:
I'll stick to TSP and YouTube for help in that case!
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As a very newbie to the cover stitcher it showed me the basics, but once you've got that it is quite basic. If you are looking for creative use rather than just hems on jersey fabric Creative Serging by Nancy Bednar & Anne van der Kley (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Creative-Serging-Innovative-Applications-Serger/dp/1402749104/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1491032564&sr=8-5&keywords=creative+serging) offers a lot more ideas.
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I really like my coverstitch but it was a lesson in patience and perseverance....the FB group is helpful
https://www.facebook.com/groups/202758313403450/?ref=bookmarks
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OK, now you're scaring me!
I was expecting a bit of a learning curve, but I'm getting the idea that it might be quite a steep one :D
Is it more challenging than learning to use an overlocker? What's going to raise my blood pressure?!
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Not as scary as an overlocker IMO, no scary knives jumping up and down.
You just need to play with threads and tension a bit.
Mine is not too fussy about the needle threads but does like something with a bit of give in the looped and a low looper tension.
The only really troublesome thing I found was finishing off when hemming in the round, you can't pull the work away from the machine like you can on a sewing machine. You have to raise the needles, lift the pressure foot and pull the top threads forward from underneath the PF. You then clip the threads and pull the work out backwards, the needle threads should be pulled to the back of the work for fastening off. I still can get a bit of tunnelling at this point, must work on that.
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I got this last year and I am really impressed with it. So far the only thing I can find fault on is the length of the stitch, doesn't seem long enough even though I have it set at 3. I made a load of tops last year and the only bummer I had was on the fabric pattern, I kept it but now going in the Yorkshire Air Ambulance bag.
As they've all worked out so well I've gone for some expensive Art Gallery jersey from Minerva. It will have to something very special before I buy a RTW again.
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Did someone mention a learning curve? -<
Actually, if you've already been on the journey with an overlocker then it's not too bad. Just like an overlocker, all you have to do is get the tensions, stitch length, diff setting and threading right - after that it's a breeze!! But at least there's no blade worry about, and it's a lot easier to unpick than an overlocker seam.
Something I hadn't considered is that the tension settings for each needle might need to be different, because one needle is going through a single layer of fabric whilst the other needle(s) are going through 2 layers.
The machine is lovely, easy to thread and easy to use. I was surprised that there is no seam guide on the bed of the machine, so if the hem is wider than the width of the foot it's really hard to keep it even. I tried a using a post it note to mark a line which sort of works OK, but then I bought an adjustable seam guide which attaches to the back of the foot and that makes it much easier to follow.
My next purchase will probably be a clear foot which should really be the standard foot on a machine like this - when you're stitching in the round it's soooo difficult to join up neatly to where you started if you can't see the stitches cos they're under the foot :angry:
I've also had some issues with fabric bunching up under the back of the foot, but I'm not sure why it does that or how to resolve it. It's almost like the foot is longer than it needs to be?
My next job is sewing the hem on my new dress https://www.sewessential.co.uk/misses-dress-burda-pattern-6562
It took a whole evening before I was happy with the hems on the sleeves, so the hem on the skirt is probably going to take all weekend!
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Hang in there...it took me a while to get to grips with it, it is different with every fabric, I use the Janome purple tipped needles.
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I'm still only playing with mine and haven't been brave enough to go for it on an actual garment yet. Could anyone point me in the direction of a really good video showing how to finish off in the round please.
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Ask the question on the FB page... they're really helpful
https://www.facebook.com/groups/202758313403450/?ref=bookmarks
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These are all quite useful for beginners like me
https://youtu.be/m8j3BEKmJHw
https://youtu.be/QmEtYUnrymE
http://www.coverstitching.com/doku.php?id=the_janome_2000_cpx
I'm not on FB but I might have to bite the bullet and rejoin if I get really stuck :o
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:toast: :toast:
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Well I haven't had time to play but I had another go yesterday on a stretch jersey top. I did a test piece and all seemed ok, then I went onto the real thing --- grrrrr, no the fabric wouldn't feed through smoothly, I altered tensions on a test piece but no, it still wouldn't play nicely. Eventually I gave up and resorted to main machine and twin needle - no problems. I've watched the tuts on You tube several times, I'm not on facebook. I WILL conquer this, it's just when.
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Try feeding a small piece of fabric instead say 2inches and then feed in your garment following the piece..it gets the machine going and if there's any problems it's on the scrap but not your garment.
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I'm still only playing with mine and haven't been brave enough to go for it on an actual garment yet. Could anyone point me in the direction of a really good video showing how to finish off in the round please.
Hope these help
http://stitchesandseams.blogspot.co.uk/2001/01/coverstitch-how-to-end-coverstitch.html
https://youtu.be/m8j3BEKmJHw
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I am thinking about purchasing either the Janome or Babylock Cover Stitch machine next year now i have mastered using my sergers. Thanks for these links and tips. The Janome has the advantage of having the cuff facility. The video makes mastering the machine doable :vintage:
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I never use the free arm now for cuffs. I always hem on the cover stitch before I seam the sleeve. Most patterns for knit fabrics now usually say to set the sleeve head in and then stitch the sleeve seam and side seam in one go.
It's not as neat a finish on the cuff as you would get enclosing the seam in the hem of the cuff, but so much easier. I then then stitch the seam allowance down the depth of the cuff to prevent it sticking out and catching.
I agree as well with stabilising the hem on both the cuff and the bottom. If you have say an inch hem, cut the interfacing, a fusible knit type, 1.5 inches wide and attach at the edge of the fabric. This means that the crease is also stabilised. I then set the foot so that the outside needle is on the edge or just inside the edge to make sure that both or all three needles are sewing through the stabilised part. I know that the instructions say the outside needle is supposed to be just on the outside of the edge so that the looped stitch covers the edge, but I've found it a real "B" to get the tension right on the outside needle if I do this. If there is an overhang of fabric and it annoys me so much, I just trim it to the stitches. It's also really important to make sure the edge of the fabric is even, as obviously you can't see it when you're sewing.
I use masking tape on the bed of the machine to mark the hem widths and now tend to make the same width hem on all my garments, usually 1" for the cuffs and 1 to 1.5" for the bottom hem. I've also found if I sew too slowly sometimes, the stitches skip. This generally happens at the beginning.
Don't forget if you're stabilising the hems, stabilise your practice piece too. Ask me how I worked that one out.
I love my coverstitch but it can be really frustrating. My tip is stabilise and make sure the measuring is accurate and that the cut edge is straight.