The Sewing Place
Machine Talk => Sewing Machines => Topic started by: HappyCampers on May 03, 2022, 15:39:42 PM
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my daughter has been playing with her new Janome 360DC and one thing we have noticed is that the zigzag stitch isn't very flat across its width (if that makes sense), it tends to pull the fabric together in a ruckle
Changing to 3 stitches per zig or zag reduces this a lot - not sure if this is inevitable or can be tuned out by something on the machine, my guess is simple tension adjustment wont help?
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Is she using the zigzag for finishing seams?
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Try loosening the tension. The numbers given usually work but that doesn't mean for every fabric! Also try reducing the foot pressure. I nearly always use '2' for everything rather than '3' which is I think the default setting.
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Is your daughter using the right foot with a zigzag stitch to finish seam edges?
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Jane does struggle with this with fine fabrics, no matter what I do with the tension and even using finer thread. One of the reasons I caved into the overlocker want! Before Bernie arrived on the scene I used more Jane friendly seam finishes, where necessary.
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I think most machines would have trouble with a single layer of fabric - unless it's quite sturdy. We usually sew two pieces of fabric together to make a seam, so using fine fabric in a single layer, may need some form of stabiliser to achieve a 'flat' look.
Jessie
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I always suggest the triple zig zag stitch as it does lay flatter.
You could always use some sort of tear away embroidery stabiliser or wash away which would help. But could be a bit pricy just for this. Alternative is to try different types of seams
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@HappyCampers Have you tried using the overedge foot (C) instead of the standard foot (A)?
There's an online manual for your machine and this is recommended on page 25 of the manual (page 28 of the PDF).
https://www.thesewingstudio.co.uk/machine-data/downloads/janome/janome-360dc-instruction-manual.pdf
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my daughter has been playing with her new Janome 360DC and one thing we have noticed is that the zigzag stitch isn't very flat across its width (if that makes sense), it tends to pull the fabric together in a ruckle
Changing to 3 stitches per zig or zag reduces this a lot - not sure if this is inevitable or can be tuned out by something on the machine, my guess is simple tension adjustment wont help?
You'd be surprised what a difference it can make. My machines default stitch tension is 3.8. Switching to a zig zag stitch automatically adjusts the tension to 3. That's the top stitch in my pic. Dropping tension to 0 leaves a finish as the 2nd stitch shows.
This fabric is thin as anything polyester lining.
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My Janome does this (its called tunnelling) and I've never been able to sort it. You could try a tear-away stabiliser underneath or, if you are using this to finish the edges, do a different finish.
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The wider the zig zag stitch is, the more likely it is to tunnel. As mentioned before, use some type of stabiliser if necessary. A looser tension helps, but it is all a matter of practice and trial runs before you make the final article!
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When I had my old Husqvarna & before I knew overlockers existed my go to seam finish was to zig zag and trim each side and press open. My machine did a lovely, neat zig zag on a single layer of any fabric. When I got my first Pfaff I found the zig zag to be pretty poor and it would invariably tunnel on a single layer of most fabrics regardless of stitch width. It is what prompted me to buy an overlocker. I just never used the zig zag stitch because it wasn't satisfactory. I have found my current Pfaff to do a much better stitch.
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thanks folks, it all makes sense now
it looks like I am expecting too much from a zigzag stitch . . . still learning :)
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A single zig zag is a bit problematic on single fabric thicknesses unless they are pretty stiff.
As you found, on its own, triple zig zag works better simply becuase the gap between successive stitches is much smaller, so there is less to "pull"..
A proper overcasting foot makes a big difference as it holds the thread over the edge of the fabric while the stitch is formed.
If you are brave enough to do it, dropping the bobbin tension as well as the top tension is likely to help a lot.
If you have a machine with a separate shuttle that holds the bobbin (Berninas for example) some folk have a second shuttle that they adjust according to what they need to do and use that if needed, leaving the original one untouched.
For some reason, bobbin tension adjustment is now feared and often recommended against by those who don't understand it, but there is no magic about it. If you understand what you're doing it can solve several problems.
The older machines told you in the instructions how to adjust it, recognizing that there is no one size fits all for it.
Unfortunately, if you have a modern horizontal hook machine, it is not really practical to keep changing bobbin tension and then returning it to "normal" every time.
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I found with my Bernina that using the overlock foot with a vari-overlock stitch gives a flat edge which is much better than a three-step zigzag. I only found this out by reading the manual more closely.
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Is vari-lock something specific to Berninas? Whar sort of stitch is it?
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It’s 2 straight stitches, a zigzag then 2 stitches and a zigzag and so on. All the manufacturers seem to call this type of stitch by different names so I think it’s a case of looking at what stitches your machine does.
I have just looked at the Janome stitch chart and 10, 13 and 40 all look similar to the Bernina varilock.