Sewing machine advice

[fluter]

A lady a few doors down has a machine in her basement that she says I can have if I go get it...

If it's a treadle Singer that belonged to her grandmother, take it.

I was allowed (carefully) to use those as a child, and drove a modern machine very briefly as a teenager. My wife gave her Singer away about 20 years ago. All my experience is strictly amateur.

A couple of years ago, we acquired an entry level (~ $100) Singer from Target---I believe it was exclusive to the chain. It's fairly simple and straightforward, and it's mechanical. It works well for my needs, i.e. straight and zig-zag. I'll try a buttonhole one day, I'm sure, at least for fun.

I decline to try more than 4 layers of khaki-pants type material with it!! It sewed the front/outer waistband seam on my Xkilt, but I did the inside by hand. I didn't think it (and I) would be accurate enough to "stitch in the ditch," and I didn't want to tear it up on its first project.

If you're not doing Carhartt weight fabric, it might do the job. I've enjoyed mine. I probably would have done well to search a local repair shop for used machines, but this one was sort of a gift from SWMBO.

[Whidbey78]

Well I went and got the machine--well more like excavated it from the middle layers of 30 years of accumulated belongings. Oh, and had a cup of coffee and home made cinnamon roll. Nobody bakes like a grandmother.

Talk about a completely mind-blowing coincidence...it's the exact same machine!! Janome 781FA with Vogue Stitch nameplate! Different color though.
She said it quit working about 15 years ago and she never had it fixed. She just replaced it and it had been downstairs ever since. The posts for the thread spools were broken off, but I scavenged those from mine. The belt was about shot, but my machine had a good one. The control knobs were gone...swapped those. Swapped the plate over the feed dogs because mine has guide marks and took the best pieces of each bobbin assembly(not sure what it's called) from each. Cleaned and lubricated it, plugged it in and found out the foot control is shot--plugged mine in and it worked. That was probably the original problem all those years ago. Didn't sew for squat no matter what I did with the tension. It just kept jamming up and snapping threads or tangling down below. I re-threaded it after watching how it moved (mechanically, a sewing machine is basically like a bailer that doesn't tie knots) and skipped a loop next to the take-up arm that is labeled "Thread here for chain stitching" even though that's what I'm doing(I assume a chain stitch is the same as a straight stitch). It works fine as long as it's started kinda quickly...it tends to get a rats nest around the bobbin if I start slowly. Once it's moving I can slow down, but can't start that way. No adjustments that I could find, even internally, beyond bobbin and top tension and presser foot pressure (except of course the stitch settings). After a few tweaks it stitches straight, evenly, and as long as I set the top tension right everything looks perfect. Threaded the bobbin red and used identical black thread and tested it on some wool blend that was cut off the bottom of a jacket I modded for kilt wear (which was easy, even by hand, thanks to all the tips from xmarkers!!!). Stitched around a 4x4 piece using every length of stitch and the red and black could only be seen from their respective sides. Tried the zig-zag. Worked just as well. Even bar tacking came out well. Haven't tried a buttonhole yet, but she gave me a foot for it. I then folded that in half so I was stitching through 4 layers and it just kept on truckin'! I almost folded it over again, but instead added a layer on each side for a total of six. For a home model this thing has some power. As long as I "stay on the gas" it works. Slow down with that much fabric and it tangles and balls up, but it doesn't struggle to handle it, just gets all out of whack. The presser foot is a weird 2-piece unit with an adjustable red guide marker and a horizontal adjustment screw for it on the right. She said it was designed for students but she liked it because it eliminated swapping to an edging foot because the guide and the right half of the foot are individually spring loaded and drop over edges. She's right, it will do that, and is handy,but I don't like it. It works fine in the open but it's very bulky and will be a pain in tight spots. She said she just did some quilting and light crafts with it so it never bothered her. That can be remedied with a replacement. All in all I think once I get used to this machine I can do some pretty good stuff.

I'll try it out for a while and see how it performs on some actual projects. I'll keep you recommendations in mind and keep looking just in case this thing proves to be a lemon after all.

So, after writing a small book, I'm going to jack my own thread. What can I do about the slow speed performance on start up? I'm not really big on "peeling out" every time I take off, especially when I only want to do a short stitch or a bar tack that isn't an inch long. Also, There is a switch on the plug that says Hi/Low. It doesnt seem to do anything and I haven't had a chance to take one apart and investigate. What is that for?

And thanks again guys.

[fluter]

Wow, major score!

[Dixiecat]

1. make sure that the top tension is completely clean and the setting is between 3-5.
2. make sure your presser foot is all the way down when sewing. The presser foot is designed to engage the upper tension disks. When not all the way down or if you have a good thickness of fabric under it, it will not engage the tension disks properly and you'll get a rat's nest of thread in the bobbin area.
Also, make sure that the presser foot pressure is at normal setting.
3. make sure your bobbin is threaded correctly. when placing the bobbin in the holder, the thread should come off the top of the bobbin to the right.
4. check your bobbin tension. after the bobbin is in and the thread hooked in, hold the bobbin thread and jerk the bobbin assembly, the bobbin should release thread on the jerk, otherwise hold steady.
5. post a pic or two so that we can see how you've got it threaded

Lucky score btw!

[Whidbey78]

Thanks Dixiecat. Good call. I took the tensioner cover off, cleaned a bunch of compacted crud out of the very center of the disks and the adjustment now seems pretty linear and not touchy at all. Tried a slow stitch and it works great even if the needle starts at a snail's pace. You're a lifesaver!

I talked to the prior owner and she said that the instruction book(now lost) did say to thread through that loop that I skipped, but she never could get it to work either and even took it to a repair shop in Rapid City right after she got it. They said that they had a dozen people in with the same problem and weren't sure why it was there as they had never seen it one a Janome or most other makes that was that high up and that far to the left. It's not like it's not needed, just it the wrong spot to be useful. So I guess I'll let that remain a mystery...it works great now.

Until I get used to the machine I'm just practicing basic straight stitches, following lines, and working out any other kinks that pop up!! Maybe tonight I'll make a few sets of flashes out of some material I have on hand and when I'm a little more confident start on a solid color kilt, semi-traditional style. The real question now is box or knife pleat. Or go for broke with a RevK?

Thanks again for all your help!

[Dixiecat]

YW Whidbey. I used to teach sewing machine use and maintenance.

Dixie's Sewing Troubleshooter

Whenever you encounter a stitching issue always start with the acronym TNT.
T: Tension
N: Needle
T: Thread

Tension: unthread machine, clean tension areas and adjust tension if necessary, rethread carefully, try again.
Once I did this 10-12 times when finally a small piece of thread fell out of the tension disks and everything was fine.

Needle: unthread at needle, check to make sure needle is inserted properly, that the needle is not bent or has any burrs, rethread, try again and replace if problem reoccurs. Does needle match thread requirement, fabric type? replace with proper needle if necessary. Do you have a Singer needle in a non-Singer machine (it will have a red band on it)? Replace with new non-singer needle.
I hear people say all the time, 'I sew over pins, it's no problem'. Not true. The needle can nick a pin and get a burr, or just get bent slightly and screw your stitching up. Take your pins out as you come to them to save your sanity. And, you'd be surprised the number of times people have a Singer needle in their machine when they shouldn't. Stupid Singer marketing says their needles are good for tons of machines. Only true if your machine was made by Singer, and old to boot. Your needle should match the project you're stitching on. Don't use a size 9 (80) needle to sew denim. Oh, and don't use a regular needle to sew knits. Check out machine needle size and type charts online

Thread: unthread machine, rethread machine, retry. Is thread the right kind for the needle or fabric type? Is thread old or was 3 for $1? Replace with new and brand name type thread.
OMG, if you see a bin of 3 for $1 thread, please walk past it. I've never had problems with brand names threads (well, the old Coats Dual-Duty was temperamental) but, the cheap thread is just that, cheap.

If you've followed along with the Primer and are still having issues, walk away and have a cup of tea, then go back and do it all again, but this time, throw a clean and oiling in before starting. If you still can't find or fix the problem, post here or get some local advise. If that doesn't help, you probably have a real issue and should get it repaired.

BTW, that little loop for chain stitching? There is or was an attachment that would give you a chain stitch. A fork-type thingy if I remember correctly that either snapped on the cover plate or was inserted inside the bobbin assembly. Probably one of those things only available via special order.

[Old Hippie]

she never could get it to work either and even took it to a repair shop in Rapid City

Sounds like you got a good machine. My old New Home came from one of those little rail-siding towns between Huron and Brookings. I know Rapid City! Worked a few years there for Golden West/Duhamel Broadcasting.

Good luck with it!

:ootd:

[Pleater]

It seems as though you are on your way now.

The straight stitch is not a chain stitch - I have chain stitch on my machine, it requires the bobbin and holder to be replaced then the thread is caught and pulled through loops of itself rather than the normal two thread sewing.

You can get all sorts of different feet for different jobs, inserting zips for instance, or ones which look like tiny roller skates for knitteds. I have some which will put in small pleats for fine cloth - not kilt type pleats, more ruffles in shirts.

When starting off, I was taught to assist the motor by starting the wheel on the right turning, to overcome the resistance of the internal workings, though a clean and grease (lithium grease) a couple of times a year can help keep things moving easily. If the machine has stood for a long time it might take some little while for the new lube to work through all the bearings. It ought to get smoother with use and care.

My personal favourite kilt pleating style is the reverse Kingussie, by the way.

Anne the Pleater :ootd:

[Dixiecat]

When starting off, I was taught to assist the motor by starting the wheel on the right turning, to overcome the resistance of the internal workings

This works very well for older machines partly due to the above, but also, if the machine is electric, due to the way the power is fed to the motor.

In older machines the peddle foot controls the speed of the machine by controlling the amount of power the motor gets. So, if going fast, the machine is getting full power. Going slow, the foot peddle cuts power to the motor. Which is why when starting slow you'll need to assist the motor.

Newer machines generally come equipped with electronic foot peddles that allow the motor to operate at full power even at slow speeds. Sometimes you can retrofit older machines with the electronic feet.

Tip: When you stop sewing and before you take the fabric out, turn the wheel (always towards you) so that the take-up lever is at the highest position, then pull the fabric out and cut the threads leaving about 3" of thread in the needle. If you do this, you should never have your thread come out of the needle when you start to sew.

[Whidbey78]

I had forgotten about assisting on take-off. Like I said in the OP, Home-Ec class was a LONG time ago. I still had hair back then. It's coming back to me.

I gave it a deep cleaning and lube the night before last. It helped a little. Being an old machine it uses a rheostat as opposed to pulse-width modulation to control the motor. I'm thinking about building a PWM control for it just because I have the stuff and that's my other hobbie...mad scientist.

I made a trial "X-Kilt pleat section" out of some cotton scrap I had. It was light shirtweight stuff-a $1 quilting peice I picked up to make flashes from. It was good practice. Basically it's three 2 1/2" box pleats stitched along the edges to hold the pleat, stitched down to the fell, and with a 1 inch waistband and a belt loop. A model-sized piece of the back of a kilt! I was pretty proud of it, but my wife wasn't impressed that I woke her up to show her. I guess it could have waited till morning. Anyhow, it's comming back to me. I'm feeling more confident after having that success with hard to work with lightweight stretchy cloth. I think I'm going to go get some 10-12 oz poly-cotton tomorrow and start on an X-kilt type project with a more traditional look--like one of Matt Newsome's box pleat kilts but with a slightly modern flair. The bug done got me!