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Sewing a REALLY bulky item

I'm at my wits end! I'm trying to sew a cat collar for one of my friends. It's a strip of fabric, with lightweight fusible interfacing on the wrong side. Then, you fold each of the long ends towards the center, and then fold the entire strip in half, so there are no raw edges, and then you stitch down the length of each side. Here's the tricky part. To put the buckle & D ring on, you fold one end over, then fold it over again. So..... I'm trying to sew through 3 layers of doubled over fabric with interfacing. It's only 1/2 inch wide, so not only is it bulky, it's awkward to sew such a small piece, and keep the buckle out of the way. I have broken THREE needles trying to sew through it! I've gone slow, I've tried turning the wheel by hand the first couple of stitches, and I've even tried zig-zagging. I'm using a "jeans" needle. Anyone have any advice? Or..... should I tell her to just go buy a cat collar?!?!

Patti in Seattle

Reply to
Patti S
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Does the short end _need_ to be folded under twice or can it just be done once around the D ring? That would decrease the bulk a lot.

My only other advice is a leather needle rather than jeans and to be sure the stitch length is fairly long (this is not the time for 2.2)

marcella

Reply to
Marcella Peek

Reply to
Taria

Sorry Patti - do it by hand with a thimble. . In message , Patti S writes

Reply to
Patti

My suggestion would be to zig-zag across the raw edge on the end and only fold over once through the buckle. Much easier in all sorts of ways.

Have fun, Pati,in Phx

Patti S wrote:

Reply to
Pati C.

I have an easier option for you: take a strip of elastic (1/2" wide x circumference of neck + 2") - make a tube of fabric to length + 1" for seam allowances - leave wrong sides facing out - take end of elastic and thread through buckle doubling elastic back - tack down - thread buckle into fabric tube (it will be on the right side of fabric when tube is turned) and stitch across width of tube to fasten the elastic into the seam - turn the tube so that the length of elastic is inside with the extra length hanging out the other end -use this end to attach D-ring by doubling over on the elastic and tuck the end into the open tube end after adjusting for neck size. The elastic will make it safer for a cat to free itself if it gets tangled anytime. jennellh

Reply to
jennellh

Howdy!

Send the cat out to choose her own. You know how picky cats are. ;-D

R/Sandy-- sending you a virtual popsicle, Patti

Reply to
Sandy Ellison

Ohhhhh Patti, PLEASE don't make me do it by hand..... lol :-)

Patti in Seattle

From: snipped-for-privacy@quik.clara.co.uk (Patti) wrote Sorry Patti - do it by hand with a thimble. . Best Regards pat on the hill

Reply to
Patti S

Thanks Marcella...... My stitch length is just about at "baste"... I only takes 4 stitches across.... lol. However, I do believe I have a leather needle somewhere, so maybe that'll do it!

Patti in Seattle

snipped-for-privacy@extra.peek.org (Marcella=A0Peek) wrote: Does the short end _need_ to be folded under twice or can it just be done once around the D ring? That would decrease the bulk a lot. My only other advice is a leather needle rather than jeans and to be sure the stitch length is fairly long (this is not the time for 2.2) marcella

Reply to
Patti S

Hi Taria I'm using the largest "jeans" needle I could find.... however, I think I'll try Marcella's suggestion of a "leather" needle. But... GREAT idea about taking something like this to a SM dealer!

Patti in Seattle

From: snipped-for-privacy@verizon.net (Taria) wrote: Bigger jeans needle? Can you let up the pressure on the foot pressure? That might help a bit. This might be a good sample to take to a sewing machine salesperson for a demo/challenge. taris

Reply to
Patti S

Hi Pati I tried that... and I just didn't like the way it looked. I know a cat really doesn't give a rip about what their collar looks like, but ..... it somehow just didn't look "finished".

Patti in Seattle

snipped-for-privacy@paticooks.com (Pati=A0C.) wrote: My suggestion would be to zig-zag across the raw edge on the end and only fold over once through the buckle. Much easier in all sorts of ways. Have fun, Pati,in Phx

Reply to
Patti S

Hi Jennellh I've printed off your directions, and will give this a shot if all else fails. It is a "breakaway" collar, but your idea certainly sounds much easier than trying to sew through 12 layers of fabric!!! Thanks!

Patti in Seattle

snipped-for-privacy@yahoo.ca (jennellh) wrote: I have an easier option for you: take a strip of elastic (1/2" wide x circumference of neck + 2") - make a tube of fabric to length + 1" for seam allowances - leave wrong sides facing out - take end of elastic and thread through buckle doubling elastic back - tack down - thread buckle into fabric tube (it will be on the right side of fabric when tube is turned) and stitch across width of tube to fasten the elastic into the seam - turn the tube so that the length of elastic is inside with the extra length hanging out the other end -use this end to attach D-ring by doubling over on the elastic and tuck the end into the open tube end after adjusting for neck size. The elastic will make it safer for a cat to free itself if it gets tangled anytime. jennellh

Reply to
Patti S

All the cat collars I've seen incorporate elastic as a safety feature, so that the cat doesn't get strangled if it gets part of a branch under its collar.

Reply to
Sally Swindells

Don't forget to try the Hump Jumper or something similar....that will get the presser foot up even with the top of that thick piece.

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Mary in VT

" > snipped-for-privacy@webtv.net (Patti S) wrote:

Reply to
MB

Here's the info..... Hump Jumper keeps the presser foot horizontal for continuous stitching. Gets the foot over the hump. Two Hump Jumper sizes included are 1/16" and 1/8". Lets any machine sew right over the thick, flat-felled jean seams, or thick seams of other heavy fabrics. Eliminates skipped stitches and broken needles. Use on jeans, drapes, quilts and other heavy fabric.

Reply to
MB

Then I would do a single layer "binding" on the end, anything to not need to double fold the end.

Pati,in Phx

Patti S wrote:

Reply to
Pati C.

Mary, thank you SO much for this info and link. I've never heard of this particular little gizmo, but it looks like something I should have!

Patti in Seattle

From: snipped-for-privacy@yahoo.net (MB) wrote: Don't forget to try the Hump Jumper or something similar....that will get the presser foot up even with the top of that thick piece.

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Mary in VT

Reply to
Patti S

piece.http://shoppersrule.com/pc/HJ/Sewmall30/index.html> Mary in VT

hola piece of greeting card folded to the thickness of what you want to machine? Very instant, no waiting for the mailman!

Joan Coventry UK

Reply to
joanb

Exactly !!! Necessity is the mother of invention !!! : )

piece.http://shoppersrule.com/pc/HJ/Sewmall30/index.html> > Mary in VT

Reply to
MB

I make cute collars for my critters by using their existing collar as a base. I use my machine to write their name and phone number on a pretty piece of material, then sew it into a tube and place the real collar through it.

We just got a new QI, another Schnoodle, sort of like the one in my sig line, but he has a black face. His name is Wolf. I still need to make his collar cover. We lost Kaz, our lab/australian shepherd, last fall. Ginger wasn't sure that she needed a new baby brother, but she's getting used to him. It's fun to have two dogs running around again, although my cats disagree vehemently.

Denise

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QI

Reply to
Denise in NH

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