The Sewing Place
Machine Talk => Overlockers & Coverstitchers => Topic started by: pip on November 02, 2019, 02:05:14 AM
-
As it has the guard thing, I can't watch where the needle and cutter is going and it's easy to accidentally cut where you don't want to :'(. With a normal machine you could just unpick and redo the seam. It's a Janome 8002DX. I got it because a reviewer said a 10 yr old should be able to use it ;). I guess I just need to practise more. I don't feel like I have the control over it as with the normal machine, but I love it apart from that.
-
Get some scrap fabric and just randomly sew it til you get rhe hang of it. Usually a machine will go slower with a light touch on the pedal.
-
As you have discovered, sewing with an overlocker is completely different from using a sewing machine. As said you need to practise on some scraps but don't 'think' sewing machine. Figure out a way of using markings or points on the machine bed to guide you. Mine has a couple of useful notches on the front of the foot that I can use to gauge a 5/8" seam and if I line up with the edge of the bed I get a good 3/8" seam. You have to remember that you can't achieve the same accuracy that you get with a sewing machine.
-
I'm fairly new to overlocking, too, and I was surprised that there were no obvious markings to use as guidelines, and no help in the manual. I have done as Ploshkin suggests, and found things to line the fabric up with. I might put some marks of my own on the foot with a permanent marker at some stage.
I'm sure the 10 year old would need a lot of assistance!
-
@pip I bought a second hand overlocker a few months ago and ended up joining the forum to see if I could get any help with it. Poor Ploshkin, who is my sister but lives over 150 miles away, gave me lots of email help trying to work out what I was doing wrong when it wouldn't work! I got the hang of it but what helped me tremendously was to go on a day workshop that I found out about.
-
Mine is an older Janome and it has a guide to the right of where it is stitching/cutting to show the 5/8 position etc, but also, as Ploshkins, 2 little notches on the foot that show the needle positions.
-
My Bernina has two teeny bumps on the front of the foot, in line with the needles. As soon as I bought it I applied two teeny blobs of red nail varnish over those bumps; it helps a lot. Also it has seam allowance markings embossed on the casing just behind/right of the needles. A couple of lines drawn with a sharpie pen would do the same.
Like learning to thread it, you need to practice using it. Gather up an assortment of fabrics and set aside some time to play. Once you've mastered it a tee shirt or leggings using stretchy fabric can be put together very quickly. :trousers:
-
Mine (an ancient Brother, but very similar to the 1034D) has a mark on the front of the foot that corresponds to where the needle enters the fabric (left needle if you have a 4 thread one). It's a 3 thread machine so the needle thread is what I need to watch as I've already sewn the seam and you want it parallel to that. It also has markings to the right but I don't use them often.
Maybe you could practise with just three threads (use the left needle) until you get the hang of it?
-
Thanks, those are some helpful ideas. It's interesting to hear that you don't get the same accuracy as with the normal sewing machine. And I have to get the hang of going slow on the pedal. On the sewing machine I have a setting for adjusting the speed, which makes such a difference.
-
I bought this book and it’s really helped me a lot.
-
I found this (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l8TUwNRgSXc) which includes a section on threading.
There is a little colour coded map inside your machine, same as mine (Janome 9300DX). I was a bit nervous threading mine at first but it was much easier than I thought. I'd been worried by reading about it but I purloined :angel: some long veh veh pointy surgical forceps and it's a piece of cake. :cake: :)
-
Thanks, those are some helpful ideas. It's interesting to hear that you don't get the same accuracy as with the normal sewing machine. And I have to get the hang of going slow on the pedal. On the sewing machine I have a setting for adjusting the speed, which makes such a difference.
Not sure which way you use the foot pedal @pip , but I think I use mine the 'wrong' way, not like the clutch on a car. I find by using it 'my' way I have my heel on the floor and can control it much better even in stocking feet at times. I do it on both my regular machine, overlocker and coverstitch.
-
Well @wrenkins THAT was very very Mr Chumnley-Warner wasnt it ... Also I believe the work of the devil!
What crazy conflabulation of threading was that all about ... the stuff of nightmares me thinks!
Good Luck Pip!
-
Not sure which way you use the foot pedal @pip , but I think I use mine the 'wrong' way, not like the clutch on a car. I find by using it 'my' way I have my heel on the floor and can control it much better even in stocking feet at times. I do it on both my regular machine, overlocker and coverstitch.
I use the floor pedal in much the same way as the accelorator pedal in the car with my heel on the floor and the further down I press the faster it goes, and being right footed I use the right foot for both. Indeed the modern 'clamshell' pedals are hinged so that the foot rests on the pedal with the toes pointing away from that hinge.
-
I use the floor pedal in much the same way as the accelorator pedal in the car with my heel on the floor and the further down I press the faster it goes, and being right footed I use the right foot for both. Indeed the modern 'clamshell' pedals are hinged so that the foot rests on the pedal with the toes pointing away from that hinge.
That's the opposite way to what I do but I've done it like that since my first sewing machine, 40 years or so ago! I accept it's the wrong way but I can control the speed much better that way.
-
This is a good book too - made sense of a lot of the weirdness that an overlocker brings to your life!
https://www.bookdepository.com/COMPLETE-SERGER-HANDBOOK-Chris-James/9780806998077?ref=grid-view&qid=1572784531581&sr=1-1
-
"@pip I bought a second hand overlocker a few months ago and ended up joining the forum to see if I could get any help with it. Poor Ploshkin, who is my sister but lives over 150 miles away, gave me lots of email help trying to work out what I was doing wrong when it wouldn't work! I got the hang of it but what helped me tremendously was to go on a day workshop that I found out about."
It would be great to have a workshop around here. Whenever I find one I'll be there in a shot!
(Haven't got the hang of quoting yet)
-
@pip , tbh, I think you really just need to put the hours in to get rid of the fear. I remember getting my first O/L years and years ago (pre-Google :)) and it seemed an impossible task.
Gradually though, I became more daring, and found ways of using the machine which suited me best. The manual too, shouldn't be ignored, it's full of helpful info (assuming it's a good translation!)
Good luck, look forward to seeing your progress.
Jessie
-
One of the best things you can do to get to know your overlocker - regardless of the make - is to download the Sewing Mastery booklet which was for Bernina overlockers but do not be put off by this, have a look back on TSP for the link to this which was posted by Morgan, you can then steadily work through the various pages attaching your sewn samples and that should help you both with understanding and sewing with an overlocker - good luck.
-
When I got my overlocker a few years ago, I didn't know they were scary, so I just turned it on, threaded it up and made a few jersey tops and wondered why on earth I didn't get one sooner 0_0
-
Must admit I wasn't scared of mine either. It was 30 years ago though and there was no internet to make you feel that you had to be perfect with every new 'toy' the moment you got it out of the box or that you should be scared of them!
I mainly used it for hems of garments I had to shorten back then. Being only 5'1" that usually meant everything I bought and having to cut the fabric. I used a lot of old sheets cut into strips to practice the different settings and I found the process quite therapeutic!
-
Thanks for all the help! I'm starting to get the hang of it. Haven't had any more 'incidents' with cutting off too much
-
When I first had mine I got a couple of bath towels from the charity shop and used the overlocker to cut/edge them into face cloth sized squares. I curved the corners which gave me practice in manoeuvering the fabric. I ended up with a nice pile of cleaning cloths for the batchroom, kitcen etc.
-
I'm the same as @Bodgeitandscarper. Don't read too much, just play!