more serger help

Practice with scraps...a lot! On curves or corners, you need to learn how to push-pull-guide the fabric "just so" so that the edges are under the needles *after* leaving the cutter. It takes some doing, but practice, practice, practice.

Do you have one of the Palmer Pletsch serger books?

have wonderful tips and illustrations, I have two and they were my bibles when I first got a serger.NAYY,

Beverly

I have "sewing with sergers" and it says nothing about this corner issue!! I'm glad its something thats just a skill i can learn instead of somethign wrong with my machine. I know I'm a sewing novice already!!

And I just found out wooly nylon is hard to sew with. Oops. I'll buy something else today.

I think the problem may be that as the last bit of fabric slides under the foot, it pulls slightly to the left, and therefore is not getting caught by the threads. It might help to gently guide the fabric with your left hand, pushing to the right to keep it straight under the foot. Also, be sure the weight of the fabric is not pulling it offline.

??? I love wooly nylon for some things, it's very useful if you need lots of stretch in a seam. And it can be decorative.

When you say it's "...hard to sew with.." do you perhaps mean it's hard to thread through the looper eyes? If so, try waxing it with beeswax first, that makes it nice and stiff and narrow enough to thread even through a needle eye.

Beverly

Hi Beth.. The corner issue sounds to me like your pressure foot is pressing to hard...it's the machined top screw on the top left of the machine and that determines how hard the feed dog and the presser (pressure?) foot work together. Some fabrics like a light touch. In the case of stretchy stuff, I find a light touch is better.

Perry What model is your serger?

I've been trying to shove the fabric under there but I'll practice on some scraps and see how it goes. It does NOT do this on double layers of the same fabric or thicker fabric (fleece works great).

I have no idea what I mean. In another place onlinne they told me that its difficult to sew with!! Harder to get the correct tension is what I expect they mean.

;-) Do not believe everything you read online. In my experience, adjusting tension for wooly nylon in no more difficult than for any other thread. I make it a habit to test thread tension on the actual fabric I'm going to be using *every* time I start a new project.

Beverly

Its a babylock protege - I've just ordered the manual. Probably should have ordered first and sewed later. I got it at the local auction house for a song.

Its stretchy stuff, yes!! I'll try loosening the presser foot!!

Thank you very much!!

A Butler floss threader (for dental floss) is ideal for threading loopers. When I use wooly nylon in the serger, I only use it in the loopers, not in the needles. Threading needles is a whole 'nother issue for me. I need mechanical help there, too, so I use a needle threader and a magnifying glass.

I'm hoping my manual will help clear things up for me a little.

Thanks Beverly!

I've always been a great needle threader..but 'm getting older!!

Aren't we all? But it beats heck out of the alternative!!

In addition to Beverly's good counsel, consider adding stabilizer to the seams (or even just the ends of seams) of not-so-terribly stable fabric. Tissue paper, toilet paper of the type my DH refers to as "John Wayne" (it's rough and it's tough and it don't take no...), water soluble stabilizer, starch, elmer's school glue... ;-)

I've got several types of stabilizer around the house (i mostly do applique) - I'll try some!! thanks!!