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Sewing related

I gleaned this from a yahoo group that I read and found it very interesting, it might help someone in their hour of need!

Who knows what the Digital Ten sewing machine looks like? See the answer at the end of this message!

Bonnie, in Middletown, VA

I am a repair-tech in training. I have added a few things to the list and here it is. I am still learning, so do not claim to know everything.

Sewing Machine Tune Up check list:

  1. Plug the machine into a power source that works.

  1. Lift up the presser foot lever before attaching the feet.

  2. Don't check the tension without putting the presser foot down.

  1. No matter if you've done it a million times, always double check that the needle is inserted correctly, flat side of needle away from last thread guide.

  2. Ditto the thread direction in threading the needle.

  1. Ditto the upper thread path.

  2. Even after doing the above, when all else fails, unthread the machine, take out the bobbin (consider winding a new bobbin), take needle out (and replace unless it's a new needle)

  1. Make sure thread on top and in bobbin are same brand. Yes, it matters!

Then rethread, re-needle, re-bobbin etc. You'd be surprised how many times this works on a fussy machine.

  1. BTW, while the bobbin is out, check the bobbin race for thread, needle bits, dust bunnies etc. Also, check the hook for burrs. Burrs cause skipped stitches or thread breaking. You may have to feel the edge with a finger nail to feel it.

  1. Remove needle plate and remove lint and fluff from feed-dogs.

  2. Check around hole in bobbin for smoothness. If not smooth, it could be causing thread breaking and other problems.

  1. Birds nesting or loose thread on the bottom of fabric is upper tension problem. Make sure machine is threaded properly and/or look for lint in tension rings.

Very important: Cheap thread (Coats & Clark, etc) causes more lint build up in the uneven way it is wound, so please don't use it! Gutermann & Mettler are the only ones I use.

Singer brand needles are made to bend when they hit something. A bent needle causes damage and burrs to the hook and creates thread breaking, skipped or dropped stitches. Schmetz needles are the only ones I use!

Answer:

Hands!

ten fingers (digits)

Reply to
Bonnie Patterson
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Time is too tight right now for me to take on all of these (and I could just smile at the ending and go on) but there's one thing on this list, well, . . . several actually, but one I just must object to. The list says: "Very important: Cheap thread (Coats & Clark, etc) causes more lint build up in the uneven way it is wound, so please don't use it! Gutermann & Mettler are the only ones I use." Nay, nay, nay. Not so. Coats & Clark thread is (1) not cheap and (2) Gutermann is the linty, shedding one that I won't buy or use. The paint job on my Berninas is bright white and it is really easy to see if a spool of thread is molting fibers like a happy black cat on a white sweater. I'm not a card-carrying member of the Coats & Clark fan club but that thread has been just fine to fall back on when I've needed it. Off my podium now. Back to quilting. Polly

Reply to
Polly Esther

Polly, I so agree with you. Because of all the hype about C+C thread, I tried Gutermann, and boy did it ever cause lint. I threw it out--awful stuff. Gen

Reply to
Gen

Me as well...I use C&C all the time...no problems at all.

-Irene

Reply to
IMS

Isn't that odd ? I have never found Gutermann to be any lintier than Aurofil. I have never tried C&C so can't comment on that.

Dee in Oz

Reply to
Dee in Oz

I also use mostly C&C thread - no problems for me (on my Viking Lily). BTW, does anyone have any feedback on the new C&C thread - pros AND cons! (It's poly-wrapped over poly). Just wondering.... I still have tons of the older thread (poly-wrapped over cotton) and probably won't need to replace any soon . I did call their 800 number and had them mail me a conversion chart, so when the time comes, I won't have to bring the (nearly) empty spools to find the right color.

Reply to
ME-Judy

Howdy!

For machine piecing: Have some of the new C&C poly over poly; don't much care for it, put it away for give-away. I have found that Hobby Lobby still carries the poly over cotton, stocked up on it. It's a bit "dusty", leaves some fur balls under the bobbin case but that's easily cleaned. (Janome Décor Excel) For handquilting it's Gütermann Handquilting, by choice, best results and color integrity. I use C&C handquiltng thread in utility quilts and in a pinch. But I really love the Gütermann Handquilting thread. Read another list of "tips" this week where someone recommended pulling handquilting thread thru' wax or hair or other "stuff"; good HAND quilting thread doesn't need any extra treatment; saves time & money to get the good tools, first. ;-)

Cheers! Happy New Year!

R/Sandy

Reply to
Sandy Ellison

And now see, I can't use anything other than either Gutermann or Mettler ... my spool pin is one of those vertical ones. If I use C&C thread, the thread leadin' off the spool tangles in the little notch they carve into the spool. Worse, the tension's never right!

I've never had ANY luck with anything other than cross wound threads. If ya'll have any suggestions on what I can do to make C&C work, I'd love to hear'em!! I used to use C&C on my other machine (which has since gone to the SM store in the sky) and I loved it. Easy to find (everyone that carries ANYthing crafty carries C&C), easy to use, lots of colors ... I even had all sorts of repro ads for C&C hung in my sewin' room!!

Hugs!!

Reply to
SewVeryCreative

Well, supposedly, the reason you pull it through Thread Heaven (or something similar) isn't so much because of the handlin' ... it makes it more durable and helps it "blend into" the fabric. And the extra "coating" of wax seals in the color and keeps color out (like if one of your fabrics bleeds in the wash - but then, I guess if your fabric in your quilt bleeds, you've got bigger problems than the thread!!!).

I usually do run mine through TH - my Gramma did and she always recommended it (though she didn't use TH - she used plain ol' uncolored beeswax). And the times that I've not, I've seen the thread get a bit threadworn. But the ones that had a trip through TH are still just as new as the day I quilted'em in!! I'd rather use beeswax, but here where I live, TH is easier to come by! :)

Reply to
SewVeryCreative

I thought the vertical (up and down) spool pin was supposed to be better for C&C and similar spools, and the horizontal spool pin was better for the crosswound threads. I use my horizontal pin for both. When I am using the C&C, I make sure the notch in the spool is at the opposite end from where the thread comes off the spool; then I don't have any trouble with it catching the thread. The only thing I use the vertical pin for is for Sulky monofilament; that seems to work better on the vertical pin.

Julia in MN

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SewVeryCreative wrote:

Reply to
Julia in MN

Both of my Vikings came with two spool holders, a small one and a wide one. The wide one is wider than the top of 'regular' spools by about

1/8".

I put my regular spool on the vertical spool, then put the wider spool holder on last. Because it is wider than the spool it keeps the thread from getting caught in the notch and I've never had a problem :)

-Irene

Reply to
IMS

i think Star thread is the worst. it's ok for piecing, but not to quilt with. i like C&C, it's ok. Gutermann is ok too. i cant find Meztler here anywhere. i used to love to use that for garments. amy in CNY

Reply to
amy

I made a mistake - my spool pin is horizontal (not enough caffeine in my bloodstream yet)!!! You'd figger that after sittin' at my sewin' machine for the past 4 hours, I would remembered that!!! : /

Yeesh ... no wonder when I help my kids with their homework they get bad grades and get "A"s when I *don't* help'em!!!

I'll trade FQs for brain cells!! Any takers???!! :)

Hugs!!

Reply to
SewVeryCreative

So have you tried turning your spool around so the notch is opposite the end where the thread comes off?

Julia in MN

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SewVeryCreative wrote:

Reply to
Julia in MN

It must be machine-dependent. I've had no trouble with the C&C Star brand thread, for either piecing or quilting. It doesn't seem to lint up my machine as bad as the Dual-Duty. My very favorite is Aurifil, but it is expensive. My second choice is Essential Thread from .

None of my Elnas have ever balked at using different threads on top and in the bottom. My mother's old Bernina didn't handle the situation very well, though.

Julia in MN

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amy wrote:

Reply to
Julia in MN

Yes, but then it feeds from the "back" (I know, rotten way of describin' it, but again, I've got a terrible lack of brain cells today)... and that's where I get the tension problems. I have tried durn nigh everything - even "sanding off" the notch. But no matter what I try, my SM's too cranky to sew with anything other than cross wound!! So, I'm not so much brand loyal as I am anything that's cross-wound loyal. I wish C&C would come out with a cross wound thread - I'd use it in a NY second!!!

I do have a "slot" for a vertical spool pin, but I lost the pin years ago and can never remember to get a new one! Even when I had it, though, it just didn't work as well as the horizontal one!! It was harder to get the tension right and I'd have skipped stitches. Do you think it's me or my sewin' machine?!?

Reply to
SewVeryCreative

Good old beeswax... many people say they use it but the problem is that they tend to not complete the prep of using it. If you just pull the thread through the beeswax, the wax stays on the out side of the thread, until the first time you pull that thread through the fabric. Ever notice a little "pile" of wax at that first stitch?? That is the wax coming off the thread. To really work well the wax needs to be heated to penetrate the fibers of the thread. Some people can manage this by running it through their fingers a few times, but the classic way is to press it with the iron. Commercially prepared Hand Quilting thread has a coating on it which is similar to the beeswax, and is penetrated through the fibers of the thread. (As I remember, the "old fashioned way to use the wax was to melt it, and immerse the whole spool of thread until the wax had gotten all the way through. Messy, but easier than using a flat iron, heated on the wood stove. ) Thread Heaven is designed to penetrate the thread more easily and is a silicone (?? I think) based product. It helps the thread glide through the fabric more easily. I use it a lot with embroidery floss, but not often with other hand work.

As for C&C thread, I don't like to use Dual Duty. When I got my first Viking machine it was just when DD came on the market. And I was told to not use it if at all possible. It does tend to be lintier than other threads and I always have problems with the "wrapping" shredding. But that may just be me. The older stuff was/is cotton wrapped around a polyester core, the new is all poly so why not just use a standard plied poly thread?? Then there isn't the problem with the "wrapping" part shredding.

Actually, for hand quilting I have been using some of the Americana brand from Jo-Ann's. It is inexpensive, but seems to be pretty good quality. One of these days I will remember to pick up some Gutterman Hand Quilting thread to try it too.

Pati, in Phx

SewVeryCreative wrote:

Reply to
Pati C.

Simple fix---put the notched end down rather than up-no more catching. Surprised you didn't know that. It's been the advice for years. Gen

Reply to
Gen

I think you're thinking that I've got a vertical spool pin (I did write that earlier and corrected myself in a subsequent post). With my horizontal pin, if I do that, it feeds from the "back" and the tension's all cattywampus.

Thanks though. :)

Reply to
SewVeryCreative

On my horizontal spool machines I have these plastic caps that I'm supposed to use to hold the spool in place. (can you tell I forget this sometimes?) If yours has that, what about using the really big cap with a smaller spool. I would think the cap would hold the thread up and away from the edge of the spool so it couldn't catch on the notch.

marcella

Reply to
Marcella Peek

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