hello all, I'm not sure where I should be posting this but hope it can be moved if its not appropriate here.
basically I have been making (or trying to) a dress from a vogue pattern, the pattern isn't the issue though, I got cotton poplin material as advised on the pattern but the fabric is really thin and I'm having a hard time getting it through my machine properly. doing a single layer of fabric for staystitching I have to use a piece of tissue paper to get it to actually move along the feed dogs, when doing a double layer it will actually move it along. but even when its running it through the stitching is pretty messy, and puckers the fabric then when I stretch it out at the end it breaks the back stitching I've done on the end and part of the seam then comes undone! the top stitches are messy and sometimes humped as though there is extra thread but the bottom stitches also pop through to the top workings.
i have tried turning down the tension and reducing the length of the stitches which didn't help, i have tried doing it on normal tension and stitch length but nothing seems to work, I hope I've explained this well enough for someone to be able to help me
what am I doing wrong and can anyone advise on what I should be doing, I really enjoy sewing and making things but this dress has me avoiding the machine and I don't want that, so I would be very grateful if someone could help me.