The Sewing Place
The Emporia => Embroidery and Embellishment => Topic started by: Tr4cie on July 19, 2022, 12:30:57 PM
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Hello!
In pretty new to sewing, and I've recently upgraded my basic machine to a Silver 404. This is my first experience with a machine that has decorative stitches, and I'm keen to use them in my projects. However, I'm struggling to get them to look how they are supposed to. The machine will sew evenly, but the finished patterns just look wrong! I'm sure there's an obvious reason for this, but it's beyond my limited experience!
Can anyone offer some advice?
Thank you!
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Can you describe this "wrongness" so we can understand a bit better? :)
You'll get there.
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Do you mean they look different to the pictogram on the machine? That's not uncommon. Are you using the correct foot? Decorative stitches don't work well with the standard foot.
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Don't they @Lachica ? Mine do.I only ever use the one foot that came fitted on the machine :thinking:
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All the machines I've ever had with decorative stitches (4 to date) have a dedicated foot with a wide groove underneath. This is to allow sideways movement which you wouldn't want when, for example, patchworking.
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I can only speak for the 2 machines I've had....both Brothet. I've never changed the foot and have used lots of the 200+ decorative stitches as embellishments. They've all worked ok. I have a mirror setting and a sideways setting but they still work with the general foot.
What is the specific difficulty @Tr4cie ?
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Are they puckering? If they are you may need to add some tearaway stabiliser underneath.
The best thing to do is to get a piece of plain cotton -about A4 size - add some backing to it to give it body and then play with every stitch. Narrowing, lengthening, mirroring etc all give different effects. Use up unwanted dark thread on light fabric and light thread on dark fabric so you can easily see the stitches.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UH3mSogGQ-I this is a Youtube video that describes how and why to do a 'stitch bible' or 'stitch book'
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Thank you for your replies. There's definitely some things I'll try.
It's difficult to describe the issues I've been having, so I'll attached an example.
The picture shows how the stitch should look, next to the results I'm getting.
I've tried using a satin stitch foot. Could it be a fault with the machine?
Thank you again!
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Have you got the stitch length settings as they should be? Are the feed dogs properly engaged?
This is a pattern where the fabric needs to go backwards and forwards as well as the needle moving left and right.
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What sort of fabric are you using? I generally find that this type of pattern doesn't like stretch fabric too much.
Have you got the right sort of needle inserted?
Are you using good quality thread? You may get away with using cheap thread on straight stiches but you embroidery stitches don't like it.
Have tried slowing down the speed of the machine, again i find you get a more consistent stitch if you go slow.
Have you tried any of the other decorative stiches and do you get better/same results?
Worse case scenario is that the stepping motor is kaput (this gives an even feed), is the machine under warranty? Can you take it back to were you bought it from?
This is a British company so you should be able to contact them direct for help.
Sorry lots of questions but no solutions.
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@Lachica I was wondering why the "honeycomb" stitch I use for edge stitching my napkins took the B foot instead of the A foot. I always use the foot the machine tells me to but never actually knew the reason behind the A/B differences. The rest of the feet are more obvious.
Now I'll have to go sample and check out the difference in what it looks like. :thinking:
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The first thing is check the straight stitch is ok. Then the zig zag stitch.
Is this a new machine or second hand? As @realale says you will need some stabiliser underneath. Failing that always sample on double fabric and never a single layer.
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@Lowena your machine tells you which foot to use when the stitch is selected. It may work with the J foot but not as well as using the correct foot. It prevents build up of stitches in one place when using the correct foot and may also allow you to see more clearly and position them better when using fancy stitches.
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Have you got the stitch length settings as they should be? Are the feed dogs properly engaged?
I believe the machine automatically selects the recommended settings for each stitch.
I'm not sure about the feed dogs. How would I check this?
Thank you!
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What sort of fabric are you using? I generally find that this type of pattern doesn't like stretch fabric too much.
Have you got the right sort of needle inserted?
Are you using good quality thread? You may get away with using cheap thread on straight stiches but you embroidery stitches don't like it.
Have tried slowing down the speed of the machine, again i find you get a more consistent stitch if you go slow.
Have you tried any of the other decorative stiches and do you get better/same results?
Worse case scenario is that the stepping motor is kaput (this gives an even feed), is the machine under warranty? Can you take it back to were you bought it from?
This is a British company so you should be able to contact them direct for help.
Sorry lots of questions but no solutions.
Thank you - that's given me a lot to think about. That fabric was a bit of scrap stretch denim, so I will try a firmer fabric. The thread is decent quality, but I may not be using the right needle. Is there a type that is recommended?
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The first thing is check the straight stitch is ok. Then the zig zag stitch.
Is this a new machine or second hand? As @realale says you will need some stabiliser underneath. Failing that always sample on double fabric and never a single layer.
The machine is new. The straight stitch and zig zag work perfectly, so it's probably something I'm doing wrong!
I will try with a double layer of fabric!
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I would suspect that the stretch in the fabric is the problem here. You could try a non-stretch stabiliser or layer it on top of a non-stretch fabric (though you might still get a little stretch from the pressure of the foot that way).
I second making a stitch book out of a double layer of non-stretch fabric. It’s always good to know what stitches really look like before you start using them on a real project.
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It does look like the machine is stitching the pattern out without enough back and forth.
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Like @SeamBean says, I think the problem here is the stretch in the fabric, and also the fact that it hasn't been stabilised. Also, the stretch fabric will skip stitches if the wrong needle is inserted.
Another here who recommends a sample book.
Jessie
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@Tr4cie HERE (https://www.schmetzneedles.com/pages/sewing-machine-needle-chart) ia a good chart on different needle types. Unless you are using a specialist embroidery thread then i would go with a universal in the correct size for your fabric. And don't forget to change it regularly i.e. every time you sew with a different fabric/new project. Again as with thread, don't waste your money on cheap unbranded needles, they are more trouble than they are worth.
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Not much to add other than echoing using the correct type and size of new needles and using good quality branded thread such as Gütermann. Don’t waste your money on cheap threads from Aldi or Lidl.
Schmetz also have an App you can download to your phone with needle info on. Can be handy when you’re out shopping and buying fabric to also buy the matching thread and correct needle at the same time.
My Juki hated Moon thread and anything vaguely fluffy but the Brother machines seem far less fussy.
Also, I bought some pretty metallic embroidery threads that I use when jazzing something up. You definitely need to use the correct needle though as too small an eye will shred the thread.
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EMbroidery needles have a much bigger eye than other needles - intended to make it less likely that delicate threads will shred as they pass through, but in many cases they work just fine for regular sewing and are easier to thread!
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Have you tried using the balance facility on your machine as this should solve the problem.
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After correcting anything you need to correct, get a large piece of fabric (non-stretch) and test out every one of the decorative stitches. This will give you a chance to experiment as well as a guide to how they really stitch out.