Overlockers - advice please!

Mrs_Flittersnoop

Yes I had the same trouble, was so used to sewing over pins on my old machine that I broke my brand new overlocker cutting knife the second time I used it :eek::eek:. When I had my new Bernina machine I swore I would never sew over pins, however I did notice the other day I seem to have lapsed on that one.....very bad habit!! LOL.

Hmm, your foot may be easier to use than my method, it may hold the elastic for you instead of you getting cramp in your left hand trying to stretch it to fit the fabric you're sewing .

A good book I bought when I got my overlocker about 10, oops, no more like 15 years ago now :eek: was this one
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Creative-Serging-Complete-Decorative-Possibilities/dp/0935278613/ref=pd_bowtega_2/026-1606520-4522041?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1182868643&sr=1-2
which is fairly cheaply available now I see from Amazon. It explains things a lot better than I do and might be worth investing in.

Elastic: I get reels from www.thesewingplace.com in the States but be warned, the new postal rates from the US are quite expensive now. If you decide to try them, ask them to send it in a Global Priority envelope, that should cost you a flat rate of 11 dollars. The one I have at the moment is called non-roll, sew through, I think I got 10 yards last time I ordered which has lasted me quite a long time. There are other elastics on that site, depending on what you need it for.

HTH!
Mrs F x

Rikki

Right. :mad: I've fallen out with my overlocker.

I want to turn up and take in a t-shirt using the coverstich on my overlocker.

I am having problems with the cotton snapping when using the wide coverstitch. Changing the tension makes no difference. It does a perfect chain stitch once the cottons snapped.

When I use the narrow coverstich the cotton doesn't break but the upper needles tension is too loose and I can't get it to alter.

Any other suggestions?

Mrs_Flittersnoop

Oh Rikki. that's REALLY annoying (wherever did you manage to dredge this old thread up from:rotfl: ?)

I don't get on very well with my coverstitch I must admit but one way I forced my Elna to produce a decent stitch was to ignore the official path that the left needle thread was supposed to take, and thread it instead through the path for 'normal' stitching. (this is the next hook after the tension wheel at the top of the machine). For some reason that seemed to work.

However you have a much more up to date machine than me, which may have a more streamlined stitch path so this may all be rubbish. It may be worth triple checking the thread path though, even to the point of (sigh) unthreading the whole caboodle and trying again from scratch.

That's all I can think of, sorry. Good luck! Mrs F x

Rikki

Easier than writing out a completely new one sometimes. Sorry for the shock. :rotfl:

I have threaded and re-threaded quite a few times now, to the point of near exhaustion. :rolleyes:

There is an alternative thread path I can take for the left needle. I will give this ago, as I think you may be right in seperating the the two needle threads from the same path my create less friction/drag <- professional term.

Rikki

Mrs Flittersnoop your an angel. :A

I use the other path for the left needle and now there's no breaking thread problem with the wide coverstitch. :T I just have to tweak the tension and I'm there. :rolleyes:

mrbadexample

Rikki wrote: »

Right. :mad: I've fallen out with my overlocker.

I want to turn up and take in a t-shirt using the coverstich on my overlocker.

I am having problems with the cotton snapping when using the wide coverstitch. Changing the tension makes no difference. It does a perfect chain stitch once the cottons snapped.

When I use the narrow coverstich the cotton doesn't break but the upper needles tension is too loose and I can't get it to alter.

Any other suggestions?

Easy one really. Use stronger cotton. :whistle:
:rotfl:

Mrs_Flittersnoop

Wow, I'm so pleased it worked, Rikki! And even more impressed that you understood my garbled explanation!! :T

Thanks Mr BE, but I think you should stick to the kitchen....

Mrs F xx

beemuzed

DH bought me an overlocker about 10 years ago....I have used it a couple of times but that's all.Reading this I may actually have another go.I think it wasn't so much that I didn't get on with it as that my sewing time seemed to have just disappeared! Come on, convince me ladies!

Rikki

beemuzed wrote: »

DH bought me an overlocker about 10 years ago....I have used it a couple of times but that's all.Reading this I may actually have another go.I think it wasn't so much that I didn't get on with it as that my sewing time seemed to have just disappeared! Come on, convince me ladies!

I had always used the overlock stich on my sewing machine. Last year finally treated myself to an overlocker.

I'm beginning to wonder how I coped without one. I set both machines up and sit down and often make up the one garment all in one go. Often the sewing machine isn't used at all.
My next step is to make simple garments without a pattern, like the simple fancydress outfits I made for my son for uni. :eek:

On the advice of Mrs Flittersnoop I only have the core colours of overlock cottons and any other advice I need I just ask on here. Most of the questions on this thread are mine.

mrbadexample

Mrs_Flittersnoop wrote: »

Thanks Mr BE, but I think you should stick to the kitchen....

Mrs F xx

Yes, I think I should too, before I get rumbled.

Can someone show me the way out please?