UL fabric sewing question

[Jennifer Mitol]

I’m practicing making a rolled hem with silnylon and it’s driving me nuts.  I have a rolled hem foot, but my main problem is actually getting the stitch started.  No matter what I do, including putting some parchment paper under the first few inches of the seam, I can’t seem to get the first inch or so to not be a big blob of fabric and knots and stray thread.  It seems like if I start at the end of the fabric it just pulls the lightweight stuff down with the needle and everything gets all tangled from there.  How do you keep the UL stuff stable and sturdy when you start the stitch???

Now, for a straight seam I usually just start about 1.5 inches down, sew a bit, then back sew to the edge, then keep going.  But that doesn’t work trying to make a rolled hem with the special foot…and I’m about to throw my sewing machine out the window.

HELP!!!!!

You Tube has failed me with this one….

 

[Jerry Adams]

I may have a special foot, but If so, I don’t use it

I just fold over twice and sew.  Start 1 inch from the end and sew the seam, then go back and finish the last inch later.  Takes longer though.  Probably a professional seamster wouldn’t do this

[Ken Thompson]

I don’t use the special foot either. My Necchi has a reverse switch that doesn’t need to be held while sewing so I can actually start by doing the hem in reverse, then forward using both hands to hold the fabric.

[James Marco]

I never use the special foot either. Just roll and stitch. ‘Corse, if you are as fumble fingered as I am you can just seam things once, then roll the seam, then sticth twice to flatten things. Straight stitching is pretty easy for me. My wife actually rolls things then stitches them so she only does two lines of stitches. It may take a bit longer, but the special feet don’t work too well with thinner fabric’s. She does the top and bottom fabric together. I think she calls it a walking foot.

[Mary D]

I’d offer two tips–first of all, when you start a seam, make sure that both threads are pulled back taut for the first few stitches. Second–I’d recommend changing your needle (#80 0r #90 and microfiber is good, too). If both of these don’t work, it may be time to get your machine out to a repair shop for a tune up.

[Roger Caffin]

Several good hints above. My 2c compendium follows.

Needle: #60 is quite big enough. Larger will give you problems. (Commercial users go for a larger needle for speed and power, and don’t care about the hole size. We do.)

Thread: very fine – 120 gauge on my scale. Thick thread will give you problems. Stock Gutermann is a shade thick imho, but may work. Fine poly-cotton thread is plenty strong enough.

Stitch tension: this will need tuning for UL fabrics. Practice first on scrap to get the top tension right. Read the manuals about this.

Stitch length: not long: that causes too much puckering. 10 – 12 stitches/inch should be OK.

Presser foot: use a roller foot, not a hemming foot. The later works fine on heavier fabrics, but is very tricky on UL fabrics and slippery fabrics like silk and silnylon.

Pinning: strongly advised for the first few inches. Most UL fabrics are tricky enough to control! I pin full-length just to be sure. Yeah, slower, but it WORKS.

Technique: there are several ways to do this.
* Start with a little fabric showing behind the presser foot and go in reverse to the edge, then forwards. This locks the end of the thread, but can still cause significant problems.
* Start at the edge, go forwards, backwards and then forwards to lock the thread end, but apply tension to the fabric from the front and the back. At the front you just hold the fabric – simple. At the back you need 3 – 4 ” tails on the thread, and you hold these (top and bottom) tightly to apply tension.

In reality, provided you apply tension via the ends of the threads and the fabric at the front, you will get satisfactory results most of the time. Conversely, if you don’t apply tension, I can’t imagine any good results. I have to admit I don’t remember seeing this tip in any sewing books, but I may have forgotten.

Cheers

 

 

[Hoosier T]

Yea it sounds like you’re not keeping the tails of the thread tight when you start. I used to always have that blob until I realized I had to hold the tails TIGHT. I always start by using the hand wheel and dropping the needle through the fabric then use the pedal, sort of like when you are turning a 90 degree corner and you drop the needle so you can turn the fabric around the needle. When you turn the knob, you will feel the tail of the thread trying to pull down into the sewing machine. Don’t let it. Sometimes it can pull so hard you’re sure it is supposed to go but it’s not so you really have to hold on tight when you drop the needle manually for the first stitch. My $.02…

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