I am trying to sew on this little Singer tiny tailor machine, but can't seem to get the bottom thread to cooperate. The bobbin is wound right, but it is off set to the right of the needle. I don't know how to get the bottom thread under the needle, and the instructions seem like something is missing. If anyone has used one of these machines....HELP.
TIA Mike
Mike, The Tiny Tailor machine is not suitable for general sewing work. Many readers of the sewing newsgroups have complained about the quality of the machine's stitching. If you Google for it you'll find opinions on the machine, and complaints about the threading and tensions. It is not a good machine to learn on, because it will cause problems and frustrate you. They are made cheaply, and it shows in the quality of the machine. =20
An older, used machine such as a vintage Singer, Kenmore or White would work much better than a Tiny Tailor.
-Irene
-------------- You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.=20
--Mae West=20
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Thanks...I know this is an inexpensive machine and I bought it long ago for an occassional hem or patch and got it to work then...I am looking at sewing some patches on a Cub Scout uniform only and if I could get this to thread right I could probably figure out how to do that. I am really not much into sewing and it is unlikely I will go buy a machine, instead I will have the patches sewn on elsewhere. It's just frustrating to not be able to get this to work. I appreciate your help though. Mike
Mike, The Tiny Tailor machine is not suitable for general sewing work. Many readers of the sewing newsgroups have complained about the quality of the machine's stitching. If you Google for it you'll find opinions on the machine, and complaints about the threading and tensions. It is not a good machine to learn on, because it will cause problems and frustrate you. They are made cheaply, and it shows in the quality of the machine.
An older, used machine such as a vintage Singer, Kenmore or White would work much better than a Tiny Tailor.
-Irene
-------------- You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.
--Mae West
--------------
Mike, If cub scout patches are as tough as girl scout patches to sew, then the tiny tailor may be a wash for this task. Those patches seem to have some kind of plastic coating on the back of them that is truly nasty to get through. A regular machine can do it but I'm not sure that the tiny tailor could do the job even if you get it working. My niece has a similar machine to the tiny tailor and I doubt that she can sew on her patches with it. I speak from experience both from the sewing machine angle and the patches aspect. I have been sewing for many years and have owned everything from an old Kenmore to a tol Viking. Any of them would be able to sew on the patches. That said, I still pull out a hand sewing needle and a good thimble when I need to sew on my two daughters' patches. We have iron-on patches now but I have found some of those may need a stitch here or there to keep them from peeling off. I hope you find an answer that works for you.
Marilyn
Use fabric glue or sew them on by hand. It's the only way. DS is a Wolf, working on his Bear, and the Tiny Tailor will *not* be able to go through those patches. I bend a needle every time I sew patches on to his uniform by hand. The newer patches are plastic backed, and it really takes some power to get through them. I've had some success sewing on the larger sleeve patches using my Viking on slooowest speed at full power, but that's impossible for the arrowheads and animal patches. I've found it actually easier to sew them on by hand.
jenn
-- Jenn Ridley : snipped-for-privacy@chartermi.net
I don't know about Cub Sprout patches, but I sewed my son's Tae Kwon Do (sp?) patches on with my Singer 400a manually -- just spin the wheel with one finger while carefully guiding the fabric with the other finger
-- and it was perfect.
I've sewn these girl & boy scout patches for nieces & nephews using my old Singers (401 in particular) with no problem at all.=20
-Irene
-------------- You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.=20
--Mae West=20
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My preference for sewing on patches is to use a clear nylon thread in the top with the bobbin thread matching the fabric. Use a medium zig zag with a stitch length of about 2. Slowly go around the patch, stopping with the needle down and repositioning as needed. The nylon thread disappears almost completely in the patches with a satin stitch border and they're not very noticeable in the other patches.
I really don't recommend the fusible patches. Kids grow so fast that even if you get a Cub or Brownie uniform 2 sizes too big they'll still find a way to grow out of it before they move to the next level! Removing stitching isn't too hard, but removing the adhesive and then reapplying them to the new uniform is really bad!!!
Pam
Bin it. You are better using and old fashioned hand cranked needle and thread. Honest! :)
The problem is that the arrow points (and the achievement patches) are so small (half inch by half inch or so) that they shift around under the presser foot, and the animal patches go on the pocket. I've not figured out how to get a sewing machine inside a pocket, and I don't want to sew the pocket shut, even though it is only the bottom third of an unused breast pocket.
jenn
-- Jenn Ridley : snipped-for-privacy@chartermi.net
Baste the arrow points on with glue stick. Wonderful stuff, useful for all sorts of things, and it washes out.
As far as the patches on the pocket go, the only way would be to remove the pocket and sew it back on afterwards. Even I don't dislike hand-sewing that much.
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