Sewing is difficult, sewing machines are worse

[Terran Terran]

I’ve thought of a couple different scenarios, including rolling over my fingers with the cutter. I can’t see not getting away with a least a little bit of scissor work. I’ll use a plastic guide to hold it while I’m cutting. It’s doing the simple things, when I let my guard down and hurt myself. I think if I was making several of the same thing, I’d make a pattern. I think marking the fabric is a good compromise. Especially at my skill level. I have a couple old sheets that I can practice on. Make some sun shirts.

[Terran Terran]

After cutting out a couple pieces of fabric, I’ve decided making patterns is the better choice. At least for me as a beginner. Cutting on the table, if it moves ever so slightly, my lines shift. Paper is just easier to handle, easier to double check, and I’m not wasting fabric. It goes fairly quickly. Easy enough to trace the lines. I’m using brown wrapping paper. I think I could just make templates using cardboard or something stiffer.  With a few nuances, I still think a projector is a good choice, especially for someone with more refined skills. Trying to learn two things at once can be a bit daunting though not overwhelming.

[Jerry Adams]

“if it moves ever so slightly, my lines shift”

yeah, that’s a problem n matter how you do it

hold down the corners of fabric with tape

put weights on the pattern so it doesn’t shift

half way through tracing for one pattern, when it shifts, realign to the lines you’ve already traced

[Terran Terran]

I’m currently using a fold up camp table. I have to be careful leaning on it. I pulled out my can goods for weight plus some hand weights. Some pieces were still off.  I’m going to blame the fabric to some degree. It’s a lightweight tensile made for sheets. I maybe should practice with a heavier fabric and work my way down. I forgot to pick up an iron when I was in town. I might try some starch. I hate going to town. I like to make do with I have on hand.

[Megan W]

Hey Terran Terran,

I’ve found that taping out the fabric with gentle tension can work – I have to make sure the fabric isn’t distorted ‘tho, particularly if it’s stretchy. Some fabric doesn’t stick well.

My current favourite is using lots of sockets from my sidchrome socket set as weights. I place them on the fabric on each side of the cutting line – lowers the risk of the material shifting as i cut.

Scissors result in more shifting- when possible, I use a cutting wheel or a hot knife…… or trace the pattern onto the fabric and then cut. Then it doesn’t matter if the material shifts, I still know where to cut.

Can you brace your table somehow?

Cheers

[Jerry Adams]

My janome drops stitches so I took it in to get serviced.  I’ve had it for 20+ years, made about 5 each – tents, sleeping bags, packs, pants, shirts, jackets,…

The guy said the manufacturer says to get machine serviced once a year but he thought 2 years was fine.  A lot of people never get them serviced (like me).

He said the dropped stitches were because the hook underneath has a burr.  And there was another defect.  $170 including general cleaning and servicing.  Three weeks.  I have no machine for three weeks, I am uneasy : )

He said Janome makes machines for a bunch of brands, including Baby Lock.  I was looking at the baby locks and they looked just like my janome.

He thought janome was a good machine for home sewers.

The janome does not have sealed bearings.  It has bearings that absorb oil so don’t need to be frequently lubricated, but after a while they will dry out.

[Terran Terran]

I think much of my downfall was from not having an iron. In trying to smooth out the wrinkles, I’d end up stretching the fabric. It’s been snowing all day so I didn’t go into town and get one. I started cutting the fabric directly. Making smaller pieces of fabric, then trimming them. I cut the straight edges first, holding it flat with a straight edge. I then mark the curves with a series of dots. Drawing a line bunches up the fabric. The image appears on top of the straight edge. Makes it easy to line up. I find if I mark it, I get a little off. Then if my cuts off a little, I’m off a lot. If I cut out the steps, I reduce the errors.

I have a heavier table I can move in. Mostly I have to be aware.

[peter v]

burrs on the hook ;

the hook must be 100% free of burrs, as come from sometimes breaking the needle. remove the hook and inspect, perhaps even using teeth or tongue (very sensitive) to check for the teeny little imperfections on the point. if found, no bfd, simply employ the smoother side of a common foam-filled-nail-file to hone the point. that ends the burr for sure.

as far as material sliding about under a pattern, one partial cure is to make patterns out of 1/4″ hardboard (like masonite, but comes in 4’x4′ sheets at the box store) and drive thumb screws, those little colored pin things, thru it, and they will pierce onto your cutting table and keep the materials stable .. ish. jolly good cutting boards of decent size come from , I kid you not … “cuttingboard.com”. Lordy but I love a market driven economy. got a 4′ x 6′ one right here in my single wide, because, you never know when you have to .. I have no idea, flence a whale… but the acerage comes in handy quite often.

am reassembling the Ducati heads now. wish me luck.

cheers,

v.

[Jerry Adams]

Thanks, but i will not be using my tongue to check to see if there’s a burr on the hook ;)

I could probably have fixed that, yeah one of those nail files would be good.  Might as well just have an experienced person clean and lube everything.

[Terran Terran]

After 20 years, $170 isn’t bad. After not oiling it for 20 years, all parts would be suspect. I tend to do a lot of that stuff myself. Fewer trips to town.

I ordered 2 yards of AD60 and 4 yards of Polartec Delta from FabricsDirect1 on Etsy. Less than half price.  Around $12/yard compared to $27/yard. A few dollars for shipping  Some of the listed fabrics were described as seconds with less than 10% damage, but not all of them. Still i suspected to get seconds at that price. The AD did have a few small holes. Not a big deal to cut around them. I’m not disappointed. For the clincher, he sent me an additional 2 yards of  a grid fleece fabric as well as 2 yards of what I believe might be AD120. Other than a rough cut on the ends, and those couple holes in the AD60, I noticed no other damage.  Other than a hold up with the USPS, shipping was fast. Great reviews and I’ll give him another one.

 

[Terran Terran]

[Terran Terran]

The Thing.

 

[MJ H]

I like it. Less of a Leatherface vibe than what you had last week.

[Jerry Adams]

don’t go into a bank wearing that : )

[Terran Terran]

A stocking mask. It came out a little tighter than I wanted. I didn’t want it tight around my mouth or under my nostrils. I think the moisture would be dispensed better if it was looser. It is warm. Very easy to breath through. The green isn’t the most flattering color. Still has that swamp creature look.

[Jerry Adams]

that definitely has a swamp creature vibe

[Terran Terran]

I gave up on my first project. It was just practice anyway. The tencel fabric wasn’t too forgiving. I figured out my camping table had a slight hump where it folded which threw my cuts off.

Making a second sun hoodie. Using the Polartec Delta. A much friendlier fabric. Not sure on the UPF. I may use the Ritz sun block on it  Seconds. It does have some flaws, but it’s all usable.

I bought some fabric rulers. I use a larger one with weights to hold the fabric down. Direct cuts. Not making patterns. It works out much better. Cutting on the floor.

 

[Terran Terran]

I had some threads tangled so I pulled the plate to get them out and my bobbin holder popped out. I think I got it back on right. Everything seems to be working until I put the plate back on. The holder spins 90*, then gets stuck causing the machine to jam. The needle ends up hitting the holder. I wanted to finish my project so I can head out of town, but I’ve been messing with it all day. Trying to figure out what I’m doing wrong or if I need a new one.

[Megan W]

Is there still a thread stuck in there somewhere?

[Terran Terran]

Thanks Megan. I don’t think I do. Perhaps underneath. It only goes back in one way. The red alignment dots line up. I found a picture and it looks correct. Nothing appears broken. I thought maybe it was missing a return spring or something. I was hoping to wait 20 years before spending another $170 on it. The machine is in good shape. Well taken care of . I’m sure it’s something I caused.

[Jerry Adams]

That’s pretty funny.

Sewing machines have many parts and not immediately obvious what they’re all doing, yet it’s possible to get them working again.

Usually

[Terran Terran]

Thanks. Even if it’s corny, finding the humor makes every experience a positive one. It’s not the trail you take, it’s the trail you end up on that counts.

[Terran Terran]

The part I have circled stops the bobbin case from rotating. It was slightly out of position. Now we know.

[Terran Terran]

I finished my sun shirt. Everything I see on the market looks too hot, especially with the hood. I did it with the Polartec Delta. I’m glad I did. It’s very light and very breathable.

Polartec Delta

 

With Delta, no chemical treatments are used. Polartec instead knits together hydrophobic and hydrophilic fibers, the contrasting result dispersing moisture, increasing airflow, and (unlike wet cotton) reducing friction against the skin when you move.

 

 

[Jerry Adams]

nice looking shirt, good sewing job

does it block the sun?

[Author]

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