I was hoping to finish up these bags today, they just need buttonholes. Three buttonholes each, ten bags, shouldn't take more than an hour or so, right? Wrong. The test buttonhole looked great, but the first buttonhole on an actual bag stalled halfway through. The machine kept sewing, but the fabric stopped feeding through, resulting in a huge tangle. The problem is still not fixed, even though I've tried the following remedies with not a single successful test buttonhole:
- Cleaning & oiling the machine
- Changing the top thread (I'm using buttonhole thread on the top, and regular thread on the bottom, but having both threads the same doesn't make a difference)
- Fresh needle (heavyweight, since I'm sewing denim)
- Changing the bobbin
- Rethreading the bobbin for more bottom tension (recommended in the manual)
- Changing the pressure on the presser foot
- Using the manual buttonhole program instead of the automatic program
Needless to say, I've wasted hours, and I'm running out of ideas--or at least I'm running out of ideas that won't cost $50+ (like replacing the bobbin holder) or that will take longer than I have before Sock Summit (like taking it in for service). At this point, I've got my fingers crossed that it's related to it being 85+ degrees in the sewing room, and that when it cools down it will work.
Any suggestions? Before I move from anger to panic?
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I'm Buddy Rich When I Fly Off The Handle: Beastie Boys, "Sabotage"
3 comments:
You can try increasing the pressure on the foot of the sewing machine. You can also try loosening it. It depends on the machine.
Another thing you can try is to put tissue paper on the top and bottom of the fabric. Sometime it helps.
Deb in PA
The folks at Quality Sewing are great for help on machines http://www.qualitysewing.com/locations.html I've been to the Northgate and Ballard stores and received excellent assistance that did not require leaving my machine for service. However, I am completely willing to believe that the problem is caused by the heat---it was freakin' HOT yesterday!
If you need any help, email me on the renton group yahoo list. I've got a sewing machine too. - Charity
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