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Messages - Elnnina

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Thanks for your advice Helen M, Ellabella and Ouryve, I have tried doing these sleeves both ways, and have even hand tacked a line to follow, this fabric seems to have a mind of its own.  The Avalon stabiliser on top i.e. on the right side seems to help stop the tunnelling but I have yet to soak them in water to remove this.  As I have said they are only thermal vests, so they will have to do.  Perhaps I was too ambitious in trying to coverstitch these as a first attempt - it is a steep learning curve though.

I am lucky in that I have another smaller overlocker, so I will leave the bigger/fancier one set up for coverstitch and come back to this again when further into my journey of discovering today's type of knits.  This machine luckily lives in my sewing cabinet - the pull out side unit, so it is out of the way and thus not likely to get knocked, but I will leave several post it notes stuck on it saying what I have done in the way of changing things.

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I have been here too, still messing about with the coverstitching on my vest sleeves, what a fiddly job it has turned out to be and I haven't finished them yet!!.  I do have a free arm on this machine, and I have also reduced the pressure on the foot, and I am still undecided whether I like this or not - still they are only long sleeved winter vests so nobody is going to see them.

I just want to get these finished and out of the way so I can get on with something else, and this is taking far too long - perhaps what I deemed to be an easy job on these sleeves was wrong as it is quite stretchy and so difficult to keep lined up with a strip marker on the needle plate.

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Sewalongs and Competitions / Re: Weekly Sewing Club Tuesdays 2-4pm
« on: March 26, 2024, 15:22:14 PM »
Anyone else joining me this afternoon, I am continuing with my coverstitch learning curve, and now have 8 sleeve hems to deal with - going  to try an experiment on 6 of the sleeves, i.e. not cutting off  the surplus long bit until I have sewn them and then use the duck billed scissors - this way I think I will have more luck with more fabric under the foot rather than on the first two sleeve which I have already shortened.

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Sewalongs and Competitions / Re: Weekly Sewing Club Wednesdays 2-4pm
« on: March 22, 2024, 15:12:40 PM »
Again thank you to all  who  have given me plenty of ideas on my journey into modern day knits.  Over the weekend I intend to shorten all the sleeves on my M&S heatgen long sleeved vests I need to take about  8cm off.  I am still waiting for some really decent weather so I can wash my haul of knit fabrics so they can go out on the line to dry, I do not have anything to drape them over to dry indoors and some say do not tumble dry.  At least once they are made up they will be easier to manage rather than yards and yards of fabric to deal with.

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Sewalongs and Competitions / Re: Weekly Sewing Club Wednesdays 2-4pm
« on: March 22, 2024, 11:54:36 AM »
Ploshkin and Celia thanks for that information, I had never seen anything like these irons before, and of course made so much sense to have an iron flat on your pressing board if it is next to you when sewing, but I am not paying that price.  I have enough irons of my own to use, and I think one automatically switches itself off if left alone for any length of time.

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A Good Yarn / Re: Baby collection
« on: March 21, 2024, 16:20:59 PM »
You have been busy Sheilago, a lovely collection for a new mum and new baby.  I remember those lovely hooded tops when my two were small, so very useful especially when they did not need a coat as such on, but something to keep out the chill especially on nice spring days.

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Sewalongs and Competitions / Re: Weekly Sewing Club Wednesdays 2-4pm
« on: March 21, 2024, 16:15:36 PM »
My sample of coverstitching and using some layers of Avalon has worked, so much better.  Whilst I only ran the sample under some water and did not properly wash it the part where the Avalon was feels a little stiff compared to the other half of the piece which did not have the Avalon.  At least that is encouraging and I will go ahead and 'doctor' my vest sleeves and fingers crossed nothing goes haywire.

I agree with what you say Ouryve about some webbing inside a hem on knit fabrics, but that is what Nancy Zieman was using, but I am not sure whether this was a wash away or not.  I would have to go and sit through viewing her videos again to find that spot.  By the way she had a fantastic iron which she was using on a small ironing pad right by her sewing machine, this iron to all appearances was just sitting flat on the pad, she lifted it up, used it and put it back down flat again and then suddenly the iron lifted itself up off the pad - some very special iron - never seen anything like this before.

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Sewalongs and Competitions / Re: Weekly Sewing Club Wednesdays 2-4pm
« on: March 20, 2024, 16:37:47 PM »
Well I have spent this afternoon experimenting with the coverstitch again, this time using some layers of Avalon on top of the knit fabric and I have also loosened the two needle threads - first attempt on some calico resulted in a lovely flat appearance, then on to some knit fabric, and I am awaiting for the fabric to dry as Avalon dissolves in water, but first impressions it is better than my first attempts.

Now I already knew I had several packets of this Avalon stored away in the back of my room, so I haven't had to go out and buy some - I only have Avalon so cannot comment on what other brands like this would be like.

Another tip I picked up over the weekend from watching Nancy Zieman's video on Sewing Knits with Confidence is to use some paper backed fusible web between the layers of knit and that gave the hem some firmness - but I am not sure whether that was just a temporary use and would wash out later on.  There were two parts to these videos by Nancy - I have the book on order but I do not think the DVDs of this are available over here in the UK.

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Sewalongs and Competitions / Re: Weekly Sewing Club Tuesdays 2-4pm
« on: March 19, 2024, 17:37:04 PM »
Oh thank you Celia for that link, and no I haven't got the video.  As Ouryve found something last week on this machine it is too sophisticated for its own good!!!!!  and yes once I have mastered the coverstitch I intend to keep it set up for that.  My other Bernina overlocker is the 1100DA and is the one I have been tending to use for simple overlocking.

I have dug down deep and into the back of my sewing room (far too much stuff in here really) and have found the Avalon so that is good.  Now despite having so much stuff (not all of it is mine, some of the things in here are from my daughter's house as we are still trying to sort things out and it is easier doing that here rather than there as there is a lack of anything to sit on over there now!!), but I do know where things are which helps a lot.  I now have to go and retrieve my machines that are sitting on the floor outside the bedroom door - luckily I live in a bungalow.

Just read coffeeandcakes's post,  regarding the Avalon, luckily I knew just where it would be and it was, I used this last back in 2003 on my daughter's wedding veil - she had to wait until the week of the wedding didn't she to announce that she wanted a veil, scalloped and edged with a beautiful edging stitch stitched over two lengths of perle thread - when finished I didn't want to immerse the whole veil in water - there wasn't much time left, so I just had a bowl of water on the kitchen table and some towels and just wet the area of the scallops and embroidery and it worked like a dream.

I will have a go tomorrow afternoon using this Avalon and will report back as to whether it has made any difference - maybe it will need more than one layer.

I have also spent some time ordering in things I will need, like some clear elastic for the shoulder seams on knits, some wash away wonder tape,  some overlocking thread and some woolly nylon, a book on coverstitching and then Nancy Sieman's book on Sewing Knits with Confidence - as I haven't sewn modern day knits on a modern day sewing machine/overlocker - well the last lot of sewing knits rather dates me as it was back in the 60's and 70's and then on a straight stitch machine and crimplene!!!!!!

Whilst I was in the back of my room I dug out a couple of lengths of fabric for some long sleeve blouses - already washed, and in each bag are the threads and buttons - so I have no excuse for not getting on with some sewing.

I have to add something my daughter loved shoes and boots amongst other items, and I have acquired the lovely long boot boxes  - several of them and they are brilliant for being able to lay work in progress, or just cut out in them - there is plenty of room.

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A Good Yarn / Re: Ploshkin - Weaving Along
« on: March 19, 2024, 15:20:27 PM »
You are clever Ploshkin, that all looks so very complicated  and it is beautiful, your sister will be a lucky lady.

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Sewalongs and Competitions / Re: Weekly Sewing Club Tuesdays 2-4pm
« on: March 19, 2024, 15:18:44 PM »
I am here too, and to answer Ohsewsimple's question the machine is a Bernina 2500DCET.  Well since last week's adventure with this machine, I have been reading up about coverstitch in general, have delved into my overlocking thread boxes and about to disrupt my room in search of some Avalon which of course has to be right at the back and at the bottom of a pile of large boxes - one of the things I have read about is to place some Avalon on top of the fabric to be coverstitched and by using this it makes the stitch go deeper, and once the Avalon is removed with water there is more room for the stitch to breathe as it were and then there should be no more tunnelling - we shall see.  I have also put the ordinary overlocking foot back on the machine - the special foot for coverstitch has a large bump at its ankle and this gets in the way of threading the needles, and that foot is so difficult to get into position - I had to remove the needles in order to get the foot in place.

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Sewalongs and Competitions / Re: Weekly Sewing Club Wednesdays 2-4pm
« on: March 13, 2024, 17:01:01 PM »
Well I managed to get a decent row of coverstitching, tried it on the fabric of my M&S thermal vests and yet again just rubbish.  Consulted the manual yet again, and then had a brilliant idea to go looking for a video on You Tube, so have just finished watching that and they used the normal overlocking foot for coverstitch instead of the special one, so that will be my next try.  I did try using the wire needle threader - still quite awkward mostly because of the special coverstitch foot, so tomorrow afternoon i will try again.  The woolly nylon thread kept on breaking and thus was unthreaded  - quite why I don't know, but I will persevere. 

Another question is why does this keep on tunnelling - should I be loosening the tension on the lower looper thread?

The machine is the Bernina 2500DCET combined overlocker and coverstitcher.

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Sewalongs and Competitions / Re: Weekly Sewing Club Tuesdays 2-4pm
« on: March 13, 2024, 11:24:37 AM »
Ohsewsimple thank you for that link, I actually do have something like that  that came with the machine, but it is the hinge part of the foot that is the problem.  Then if I take the foot off I need to remove the needles in order to get it back into position, and then it is difficult getting the needles back in their rightful place - just no room to move.  When I wake up a bit more (very late getting up this morning) I am going to totally unthread this machine, and rethread following closely the instruction manual and then see what happens.  I did wake up in the night and think oh it is the huge cone of woolly nylon that is too big to sit on the appropriate part at the back of the machine,  and thought had it fallen over and thus was not running freely, but no it is still standing upright.  If I am unthreading, I might just change the needles whilst I am at it, and I actually do have some specific coverstitch needles - maybe that is the answer.

If anyone else has any ideas as to what is wrong, please do say as I am totally new to coverstitch - thanks.

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Sewalongs and Competitions / Re: Weekly Sewing Club Tuesdays 2-4pm
« on: March 12, 2024, 19:25:04 PM »
Thanks coffeeandcake, I am going to totally unthread it tomorrow and rethread as per the instruction manual and see what happens.  I have a feeling it is something where the two needle threads go as they are seperate paths through the tension discs, but then go through the same channel until the needles.  I have a special coverstitch foot, and find with this in place it is so difficult to actually thread the needles, but I cannot get the foot into position if the needles are already in place, I will persevere though as I do like the finish it gives, it is just holding me up a bit.  Luckily I have two overlockers, this one that converts to coverstitch, and another which is just for overlocking, so once I have mastered this I can leave this one set up - well that is my plan.  Of course I do not have any washaway hem tape - something I need to get along with some other colours of woolly nylon - my shopping list keeps on growing!

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Sewalongs and Competitions / Re: Weekly Sewing Club Tuesdays 2-4pm
« on: March 12, 2024, 16:25:08 PM »
Was I the only one in sewing club this afternoon?  Decided to have another go at coverstitching, and have had enough of it today - it refuses to stitch properly, tiny stitches instead of a normal decent length one and I haven't changed the stitch length setting, it sounds as if it is sewing properly then I find somehow it has unthreaded one of the needles or the lower looper thread has broken, so enough is enough for today.  I have to say it is an awkward thing to thread, despite having a neat (my own) needle threader, and the amount of wasted thread is growing.  It stitched perfectly over the weekend and I do wonder what I have done wrong.  I think I will switch machines over and finish off what I was trying to do in a completely different way and this machine can have a little sulk until it learns to behave.  Wonder what I will be sewing at tomorrows club meeting - do hope some of you others will join me - it is rather lonely.

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