A new day and let’s hope my brain is a little clearer this morning.
The little gadget I was referring to yesterday made by Bernina is called Height Compensating Plates and these are three little white plastic plates which can be used to level up the actual foot especially when sewing over a bulky seam
I went looking for these plates last evening and could not find them, and this puzzled me as I do keep all my feet/attachments together. Okay it was late last night and I was tired, and do you think I could see them, spent the night puzzling away where could they be, well of course this morning I have gone straight to them, I have said they are white and they were in the drawer in the Bernina ‘Wardrobe’ i.e. accessory box and that too is white. Need I say more!!
The length of the plates are 6.5mm by 1.5mm by about 2mm thick. However these three plates are fastened together with a metal rivet, and I cannot see a way of separating them. They open out fan like. The manual explains how these plates are used.
The feed dog can work normally when the foot is level.
If the foot is at an angle, e.g. when sewing over thick to thin or vice versa, the feed dog cannot grip and feed the fabric.
To solve this problem place one, two or three compensating plates as required behind the needle under the presser foot.
To correct the height in front of the foot, place one or more plates to the right of the foot next to the needle. Sew until the foot is level again and remove the plates.
The buttonhole foot on my Bernina is a long sliding one and I am quoting below the paragraph relating to using these plates with a sliding foot.
Height Compensating Plates for Buttonholes (optional accessory) Apparently called a Buttonhole Leveller. (this is something different from the three white plastic plates mentioned above)
When sewing a buttonhole using Automatic buttonhole foot 3A on an uneven area (such as over a seam allowance) use the height compensating plates for buttonholes.
Place the plates from the back between fabric and slide foot bottom up to the thick part of the fabric and push to front.
This accessory will create a smooth surface for the foot and help make a perfect buttonhole.
The buttonholes I have done using this particular machine – the Artista 200 have all been vertical buttonholes and I did not have a seam to contend with as I cut the facing and bodice front all in one so everything was flat and smooth with no bumps whatsoever. Last night when I referred to getting buttonholes stopping where they shouldn’t be stopping there was no seam or ridges involved, so I put my troubles down to the sensor in the machine being covered in debris.
I do hope that this information might help you.
I do not know if the Pfaff has a sensor, but it is worth checking and investigating. We all know just how much lint and debris finds its way around the bobbin area and flies up around the needle so it is possible that this is what it is doing and if you have a sensor it is not clear.
Go on to the internet and type in Bernina Height Compensating Plates and go to ‘images’ and within the first few lines of images there are two types, mine is the one that is fanned out. The one shown in my manual is different – don’t know why, so that is why I have rung Cardiff, I now know that the plates referred to as a Buttonhole Leveller has to be matched up to specific Bernina Machine. But do go and look at what they are on the internet, as you never know Pfaff may make something similar or perhaps you can find something to put under your buttonhole foot that will do the same thing.
My apologies I started writing this early this morning, went off to physio, came home to continue with this and also spoke to Bernina Cardiff as I too was puzzled by the two different types of gadgets, i.e. the Height Compensating Plates for when you are sewing over bulky seams and then the plates they call a Buttonhole Leveller – I am still waiting for them to send me an e-mail through. I am afraid I went off to have a short nap that has turned into a few hours.
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