help sewing

[brian fitzmartin]

how do you get a wide stich. i have my machine set on 8 and my stiches are very close together. does the foot preasure have any thing to do with the movement of the fabric.
thanks, brian

[Sarah Kirkconnell]

Brian, what type of machine are you sewing on? Are you fiddling with the stitch length or the tensions settings?
The foot pressure (when you put down the foot to sew) is what keeps the fabric in line (with your hands as well) to feed thru evenly as you sew.

[brian fitzmartin]

i believe i have it set to the widest stich lehght.it is an old kenmore more than 30 years but very good shape

[Sarah Kirkconnell]

If you haven't, due to it's age, I would suggest opening it up, cleaning it with a machine brush (they are small) and doing an oil job with machine oil. I wouldn't suggest using the longest stitch length, as that is what you use for "basting stitches" and it doesn't hold well.
You may want to play with the tension as well.
A good idea is to take scraps of fabric and sew, adjusting the dials as you go. Look at the fabric carefully and note where it gets good :-)

[brian fitzmartin]

i'm sewing spintex so i'm asumeing that the material is slipping under the foot. but i'm improving going to make a insulated jacket for my dog .the material is heavier so i think it will be easier this time.thanks for your help.

[Daniel Benthal]

Brian,

I'm also using a ~30 year old Kenmore. When sewing slippery fabrics such as silnylon or spintex I need to gently pull the seam behind the needle to allow the feed dogs to stitch evenly. I often have the machine set at 8 stitches per inch and only get that by helping the fabric move through the foot and feed dogs. A walking foot also helps which you can pick up at most Sears sewing dept.

Dan

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