Machine Made Kilt Problems...

[richardljohnson]

I am working on the 3rd machine made kilt with PV material. I have a continual problem which has been present on the previous 2. Matching up fabric strips AFTER machine sewn! I have tried different 'feet' devices and even a 'freehand' but I still have a problem.

I admit that only 2 does not make a full life of experience but I am looking for suggestions. True, the misalignment is only a fraction of an inch but the matching stripes look like the 'Mark of Zorro' attack.

At a distance it is not too noticable but upclose it is not something I want to live with.

Any suggestions?

Thank,
Richard-

[switchblade5984]

hmmmmmmmmm i take it that using non tartan fabric is out huh?

[richardljohnson]

Been there and did that and got the 9 camo kilts in the closet to prove it!

Trying my hand at tartan PV now.

Richard-

[The Wizard of BC]

Look at your stripes. Is the one that was on the bottom now slightly higher than the stripe that was on the top?
If this is so, your problem is that the feed dogs are pulling the underneath fabric but the top is being held by the foot.
There are a couple of things to do. First, if possible on your machine, loosen the foot pressure as much as possible.
Then with a practice piece, sew a small seam. After sewing, see how much off your stripes are. Then sew another seam. But this time offset the stripes slightly in the opposite direction. Just exactly the same amount they were thrown off on the first test.
By offsetting the stripes before they go into the foot you compensate for the misalignment.
Practice, practice. After about two or three test passes you should find how much offset is needed and how to hold the fabric to get the required final result.
This practice and holding a slight amount of tension in your fabric as you allow it to pass under the foot will usually solve your problem.

[Canuck]

A teflon pressure foot is also available for about $12 at most sewing centres. Allows the material to glide easier.
Cheers
Robert

[bubba]

A teflon pressure foot is also available for about $12 at most sewing centres. Allows the material to glide easier.
Cheers
Robert

Another option is a roller foot

[richardljohnson]

I did buy the 'extra' lifter foot (suppose to come down on the top piece of fabric while the foot lifts to create a "clamping" action). This works about 1 out of 5 stitches. This is a new machine so I am still getting the feel for it but I am still having problems after about 400 practice and 50 real stitches. Just looking for some extra ideas. I will look at the teflon and seeing about adjusting the foot.

Richard-

[mddock58]

Some machines have a "Walking Foot" attachment that guides the top at the same speed as the feed dogs to help eliminate shifting of the fabric.

[Barb T]

The "offset stripe" problem plagues those who make hand-stitched kilts as well (just look at the back of kilts at Highland games, and you'll see that lots of people don't get it right there, either)! The best solution, as Steve says, is careful offset and, for machine stitching, holding the fabric tight and taught. If the fabric is under tension from front to back as it feeds through the machine, the top layer is less likely to crawl. And do all the things with the feet and the feed dogs that you can. A quilting foot can help, which is maybe what you already have.

Barb

[The Wizard of BC]

I don't really call myself a professional seamstress. I'm a hack when compared to those ladies that sew for real.

Let me try to describe a technic they use.

Professional machines have what is called a knee lift. All three of my Professional machines have them. It's a bar that you move with your knee that will lift the foot, allowing you to use both hands to control the fabric.

Pros sew in short fast bursts. First they grasp the fabric with one hand behind the foot. Then they position the fabric in front of the foot with the other. Then they pull the fabric taut between their two hands. This stretching of the fabric locks it in position, top and bottom, with no chance of slipping.
Then they start the machine and allow the feed dogs to pull both hands and the fabric thru for about 2-3 inches. Then they stop. re-position their hands and repeat.
I have found this to be the biggest help in accurate stitching. Only when doing long lines of stitches using a guide do I run the machine in long runs.

After seeing the magnificant work Rocky and Kelly at USAKilts do, I tried a machine sewn Tartan. This technic of pulling the fabric taut between my hands and locking the top and bottom together for a short burst, and then setting up for the next burst, was the secret I found that worked best. The machine will pull the fabric, and your hands, through. If you pull to hard with your bsck hand and retard the fabric, your stitch length will be short. If you try to pull the fabric thru the machine with you top hand, your stitch length will be long. Just let the maching pull both hands thru evenly while you concentrate on keeping tension on the fabric and watching to keep your stitch line straight and the pattern lined up.

A Professional uses the same foot for 99 44/100's of all their work. It's not the foot, machine, or any other gimmick that does the job for you. Those things are helpers only. Hand to eye coordination, care, taking your time, and having pride in your work are the secret.

Get real good at ripping out a line of stitches. I seemed to rip out three lines for every one I got right in the beginning. The machine is just a machine. It can't do the work for you. It just stitches faster.

This is why some people believe you can still call a machine sewn garment "hand made". It's because it's your hands, not the machine that do the work. You simply use the machine to push the needle through the fabric while you sew.

The kilts Barb makes are so far beyond anything I do. They are works of art not simply hand made kilts. I've sat on Barb's deck with some of her kilts in my hand and .........let me just say, not one stitch is visible in any of her pleats. Not one line of the tartan is mis-aligned. Not one pattern off center.
No machine stitched kilt will ever come even close to the perfection of a Barb Tewksbury hand stitched kilt.

Then their are the rest of us. We do the best we can. We take pride in the job we do. And we dream of owning a true hand sewn kilt.