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Great news... life always seems so nice when your machine hums along!
Oiling is different from brand to brand and even vary within the brand's line up. Your best bet is to look through the manual that should have come with the machine. Some of the newest machines don't have places for the consumer to do the oiling but you do have to take the machine in for the repair person to clean and re-lubricate the insides we can't get to. Other machines only have oiling in the bobbin race area and some in other parts. There are some on line services that sell manuals to machines if you are without the original.
You will have some choices to make on the needles.
Universal are sort of all purpose type needles but are the ones I use the least. If you can afford to get only one pack, though, then they are the best bet for doing most sewing.
Microtex are generally the sharpest and are great for just about any woven cloth (not good for stretch fabrics at all!!). For all purpose sewing usually a size 12 is going to get you through a lot of projects. For heavier fabrics or many layers you may need a 14. If you want to hedge your bets go with a pack of mixed sizes.
Ball point and Jersey are pretty much the same needle and are made for any stretchy fabrics and if you sew on elastic a lot they are a good thing to use. For the average project a size 12 covers the most uses.
For denim, duck and very heavy cottons you will need to have a needle with some thickness to it to get through the fabric without killing your machine. The Denim needle usually comes in larger sizes like 14, 16 and sometimes 18. In most cases the 16 will be perfect. A 16 Microtex or Universal are good second choices.
You know, I am very impressed with the way this thread has developed. There is so much to discuss,... needles and thread and tension and oiling, etc. I think it is really great the way folks are responding with enough information on one topic to keep it informative without being overwhelming. Kudos to all, consider yourself repped!
You know, I am very impressed with the way this thread has developed. There is so much to discuss,... needles and thread and tension and oiling, etc. I think it is really great the way folks are responding with enough information on one topic to keep it informative without being overwhelming. Kudos to all, consider yourself repped!
yeah isn't it great! i've learnt more in these couple of pages of postings than i have over the last 0.5yr!
some things might sound elementary to experienced sewers....but when J&Em talked about the different sizes of needles..i was like "WOW! exactly the info that i need"
It's always good to see people pick up the hobby of stitching in some form and I've been at it for a while. Much of what I learned I taught to myself originally. Over the years I read a lot of books and every once in a while I'd be lucky enough to find a good class or a more experienced seamstress to learn from. It's been a little while since I actually taught it.
Aside from some forums it's hard to find fellow seamstresses. So few people are interested in, let alone capable of doing, any sewing so I'm all for ANY interest! Maybe a few others will drop in and contribute!
If you don't have the benefit of instruction and are trying to teach yourself, you might want to consider picking up a basic reference book like the Reader's Digest Guide to Sewing which is both fairly comprehensive and easy to follow. My copy has really come in handy over the years.
one question....someone mentioned about adjusting foot tension...how can that be done? i'm unable to sew on the more elastic type of fabrics (i.e. lycra, tshirt material) without stretching them?
On my machine their is no foot tension adjustment, you have to switch the all-purpose foot out for a special purpose foot for stretchy fabrics. I'm not sure about other machines, but I can't recall ever adjusting foot tension on any machine I have used.
tilli I've got an older version of the Reader's Digest book and have lent it out a bunch of times with the same recommendation. It covers many of the basics and has pretty good illustrations.
Some home machines and certain industrial machines have a presser foot adjustment for the amount the presser foot actually squashes down on the fabric as it is moved through. With experienced use it can make feeding multiple layers easier. If set too high it may actually make it harder to work with some fabrics, especially delicate and stretchy ones and if set too low it will make for very uneven stitching. Most modern sergers have this adjustment as well as the differential feed which compensates for fabric stretch during the sewing process. My regular sewers have built in walking feet so there is no need to change the presser foot pressure as far as I can tell, but on the serger it makes a difference, especially with thick layers and layers with different stretch in them.
tilli none of my machines have a stretch foot (foot for stretch fabric) so now I am curious... what does it look like and how does it work? Maybe I should be looking at the sewing store next time for one for my machines? I've got a minicollection growing of specialty feet now, so what's one more? LOL
I thought that the difference was that it was much more petite and lightweight than the standard foot so that it could glide over the fabric without stretching, but now you have my doubting myself! I know it came with a couple different feet and I thought one was for stretchy fabrics but I might be remembering wrong, it's been a long time since I sewed anything stretchy. I'll dig out my manual and I'll get back to you.
i bought this hardcover book from borders at a fantastic price - "How to Sew" by Nicki Trench. It provides some very basic info on sewing and techniques....and also some simple pieces that a beginner sewer can start off with (with patterns). think i only paid like less than $4 for it.
i also learn alot from the online video sewing instructions. those are really great as i can see step-by-step how something is being sewn
Last edited by bigfatturkey; 04-14-2010 at 04:57 PM..
I thought that the difference was that it was much more petite and lightweight than the standard foot so that it could glide over the fabric without stretching, but now you have my doubting myself! I know it came with a couple different feet and I thought one was for stretchy fabrics but I might be remembering wrong, it's been a long time since I sewed anything stretchy. I'll dig out my manual and I'll get back to you.
I found the manual and you are right, it's not a special foot for stretchy fabrics. I was (apparently, mis-)remembering an illustration for how to set up the machine for stretch fabrics, using the standard foot for lightweight fabrics combined with an appropriate ball-point needle.
Presser foot "pressure" adjustment. On top of the machine, directly over the presser foot is a screw or perhaps a knob. It is used to adjust the downward pressure of the foot on fabric. If you are sewing multiple layers and have too much pressure, it will cause the fabric to not feed through evenly and can cause problems with your stitches.
Check your model's instruction book. Some sewing machines come with a screwdriver specifically for adjusting if it's a screw. I found when I sew multiple layers of duck or leather, I need to adjust my pressure to nearly it's lightest setting.
DO make a note where it is (I use nailpolish to make a mark BEFORE I change it). Then I use a different color to mark where it works best for that fabric/project.
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I've got a minicollection growing of specialty feet now, so what's one more? LOL
