down, boy, down

Sara,

This isn't unusual, and probably nothing on the sewing machine needs to be adjusted. It happens because the presser foot is putting slight forward pressure on the upper fabric, while the feed dogs are pulling the lower fabric layer back. A walking (even-feed) foot is designed to equalize the interaction, so if you have one, using it is a good solution. Otherwise, there are several things you can do. Sometimes holding the two fabrics slightly taut, one hand in front of the presser foot and the other in back, is the answer. Or I like to hold a bamboo skewer along the seam line as the fabric approaches the presser foot; this keeps the top layer from shifting forward.

Some machines do have an knob or screw that adjusts the presser foot's pressure, so if your sm has that it would be worth experimenting with it.

Doreen in Alabama

You don't mention what type of fabric this happens with.

Your machine should have an adjustment for the pressure the foot exerts against the fabric; I'd try this first. It may be set too 'light.'

-Irene

You could try several things:

Lessening the foot pressure A teflon coated presser foot A roller foot (has wheels or rollers in it) A walking or even=feed foot (gives you feed teeth on top as well as under the fabric)

It's because the fabric on the bottom is being transported by the feed dogs, while the top fabric is just being carried along with it. If you've got an adjustable presser foot pressure knob or dial, play with that a bit. Even feed or dual feed feet can help.

But the most help, imo, is learning proper fabric handling techniques. There's an article in Threads #87 by Diduch on how to hold fabric while you're sewing (without pins!) and make the seams come out evenly. Even better, ask your library to interlibrary loan Margaret Islander's Industrial shortcuts dvd or video

and watch how she starts a seam, handles the fabric, and ends the seam. Learning the methods speeds up your sewing and increases the accuracy, and they really aren't hard to get in the habit of doing this.

Kay

WOW!! I hope your library has this dvd in stock! I know it's nearly a 2 hour video but that price is outrageous.