Sewing, thread, sewing machines + masking tape / duct tape differences
Edit: This post contains lots of helpful comments for overall sewing method, machines and thread now!
I tried using the duct tape method of where you dull the tape by putting it against standard cloth/cotton a few times before applying it to the head, but it's become a huge mess where some pieces just haven't stuck together right, rips, shreds, too ( Read more... )
I tried using the duct tape method of where you dull the tape by putting it against standard cloth/cotton a few times before applying it to the head, but it's become a huge mess where some pieces just haven't stuck together right, rips, shreds, too ( Read more... )
It looks to me like the thread on your bobbin is not properly wound (VERY loose in appearance). It's a pain, but as you let the machine wind the bobbin for you, go slow and hold the end of the thread through the hole near the center of the bobbin for a few turns (so it catches), then snip it short and continue going slow as the bobbin winds.
The thread also looks to be upholstry thread, which due to its thickness and slight inflexibility (compared to regular thread), will give almost every machine problems (actually, I haven't yet found a machine that will use upholstry thread without having an epic fail, as yours looks to be doing). In fact, what you are showing here looks EXACTLY like what happened to me when I tried to sew with my machine using upholstry thread, and if that's the case, I'd say all your troubles are the result of that (my problem was fixed completely by switching to regular thread).
Upholstry thread is best used for hand sewing things that are very stiff and rough, like leather and thick upholstry fabrics (and sometimes, not even then). Try switching the thread to standard acrylic thread and see if that helps.
(Upholstry thread tends to catch everywhere it can because the thread is so thick, so that's why you're seeing problems in multiple places.)
If you are worried about the standard thread not being strong enough and the seams not holding, the best thing is to do as the corset makers do and sew the same seams a few times! :) I know fursuit makers think their masterpieces get the rough end of the deal, but corsets have to take even more punishment when they are used. What you do is sew a seam with a decent stitch length (not tension, length), then sew the same seam but change the stitch length to be longer. For example, on my machine the stitch lengths go from buttonhole stitch lengths labeled 0 (.5mm long at most) up to about half an inch which is labeled 6 (usually used for when you are gathering fabric, which fursuit makers rarely do, so ignore). To make a seam I know will be soild, I sew the seam at my standard length of 2.5 (found it works well for most thing), then go over it again with a 3.5, and finally with a quick 4.5 (which is one more repition just for my piece of mind). I haven't had a seam bust yet when I've done this (felt way too fat in pieces made too small, but the seams still held!).
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And are you using this Singer sewing machine? http://www.amazon.com/Singer-CG590-Commercial-Sewing-Machine/dp/B002NR6SXQ/ref=sr_1_12?s=arts-crafts&ie=UTF8&qid=1354086821&sr=1-12
It just... those pics look awfully familiar, like my old Singer (that was fail-tastic waaaay too often).
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The thread was loose after the incidence and knotted in the bobbin XD I can re-do the bobbin though. I've noticed when sewing, the machine pulls too much thread from the spool and it can sometimes get tangled underneath the spool around the metal bar that holds it.
I'm not sure if the stitch lengths are the same with yours compared to mine. I have as a base 2.5 I usually sew at 13.0 though, and it takes quite a while to do. 13.5 is the next and 14.0 after that.
My machine is a Brother EX-660 ^-^;
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1 time on low-stress areas is sufficient, with thread appropriate for sewing machines.
2 times on high-stress areas (like crotch/seat/armpit) is enough, again, with thread appropriate for sewing machines.
Upholstery thread is not really the right choice for many sewing machines, and Brothers are a typically lower-end brand that aren't really reliable enough to handle it. You will probably have to use a high quality more expensive thread like Guttermann for that machine to be happy, or keep experimenting to find the right thread that works with your picky machine.
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<3 gotta give a HUGE thank you!
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And the stitch lengths that work really well are an average one and a large one. Small stitch lengths will cause the fur to rip. Too big a stitch length and the seam can rip more easily. Thus, the compromise. :)
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I subscribe to this mantra: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KISS_principle
Its quite important to me, and I try to make everything I share simple enough for even the most beginning of beginners!
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I meant that if you change your stitch length (to be longer than your regular setting) when you go over a seam again, then the seam remains flexible but is reinforced nicely, without the prospect of tearing the fabric.
(Although, since I'm already being weird, you could always try to princess seam everything, but princess seaming a fursuit is sort of like using the Power Glove to beat BattleToads: certainly an achievement, but nobody will ever have the patience to earn it.)
I'm a teacher, so I'm a big fan of the KISS principle, but I tend to keep Albert Einstein in mind: "Things should be made as simple as possible, and no simpler."
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Hopefully I am clear in response. Going over seams more than needed on faux fur increases the risk of the backing of the faux fur perforating and tearing when stressed, you want a seam that needs to give out to give out on the seam rather than the backing of the fur to prevent extremely costly repairs vs just repairing the seam itself with a new line of stitches.
Many professional makers sew their seams with a straight stitch once, for good reason.
Many professional makers also sew their high stress areas such as their crotch or armpits a second time, but that's it. (this is typically addressed with a zigzag stitch and not a different stitch length whatsoever)
I am here to make it simple for new people who are perhaps reading on and trying to decide what advice to take, I don't think I'll be changing your mind if you feel there is added benefit for the extra step and effort, but I feel it is important to clarify this to others reading.
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Now I get that you weren't talking about that, just seams with a regular allowance.
Zigzags work very well for reinforcement too, but if the backing on the fur is thin or too flexible, it can cause bunching which stresses the fabric on either side of the zigzag. :P I tend to use zigzags inside the seam to keep things from fraying too much.
As far as simple, like I said, I can appreciate that. But I also know many people out there like to know more than the basics, or at least an explanation of why the basics are the basics. Being told just to do something is fine, but being told why you are doing it that way and not another... well, that's learning. ;)
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I tend to be a bit slow too. *glances at huge pile of fabric collected over the years and winces* So I totally get where you're coming from. But I'm a paranoid nutcase about my sewing, so I go over the seams three times when in question (not very often, but in the crotches of pants or underarm seams, it works nicely). I've found sewing the seam once works for most things just fine (and my corset-making book suggests only going over seams twice, so yeah, I'm just a paranoid nutcase XP). Probably just sewing it once and seeing what happens will be your safest bet.
I use regular Coats and Clarks thread with very few problems (and, honestly, I only have problems when I do something wrong). So you might try that.
Okay, onto what other problems this could be if the upholstry thread wasn't it. Maybe we can troubleshoot this...
The needle shouldn't be that hard to thread. If it is, the needle could be damaged or made for a thread that is much smaller (like those made for flimsy fabric), so you should switch to a different needle if you have a very hard time getting the thread through the eye. And look at the needle to make sure it isn't bent. Bent needles are no good and need to be replaced.
Also, double check how the spool on the top of the machine is positioned. Some spools will have a notch or slit in the plastic at one end. If this is the case for your thread, that end needs to be facing down on the spool, away from the end where the thread pulls loose, or else it can catch, drag, and generally wreck everything.
It may seem small, but double check to make sure the thread is passing through every point it should be. Once, I was sewing and minding my business when my machine started clunking terribly and the thread was pulled every which way. I found the problem to be part of the thread had jumped out of the arm (part that tugs the thread before it gets to the needle) and so was getting stuck in the bobbin. Took me five pieces of test fabric and 30 minutes to finally see it too. ^^;;;
Generally (not always), if the bobbin thread tangles easily, that means there's too much top tension, so you could try backing down a little. It also could be that the bobbin is in the wrong way (done this one SO many times -_-;;;). Double check that the bobbin is spinning in the correct direction when you pull the bobbin thread (and since I'm unfamiliar with the computerized Brothers, which are excellent machines BTW, you'll have to check your instruction manual to find out exactly how the bobbin should go and what direction it should spin).
Lint may be a culprit, so spray a bit of compressed air into certain areas of the machine.
Finally, I'm not familiar with those stitch lengths because I haven't messed with computerized machines enough, but do this: try to get a scrap piece of regular flat fabric (not fur) and sew a straight line. Take a ruler and measure the distance between the stitches. If the stitches are really, really close (1-3mm), then the thick fur material might be causing the problems (but the fix is to just widen the stitch length).
If nothing works, then perhaps the repair people did not do a proper job, so you need to take it back in and yell at them. But hopefully one of these suggestions will trigger something (if not the solution, then maybe towards the right path to a solution).
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I am just now using the attachment for this type of fabric as recommended, but I might have a feeling this machine just hates anything thick. The best thing I can do for now is flip the thread over and make the stitches huge in length so it goes through the machine more and keep my fingers crossed until a really old machine comes my way. :X
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Good luck on hunting for an older machine! If you find two, maybe pass along that info? :) I've been trying for a few years, but every old machine I've come across has been too expensive (antique status jacks up the price such that newer high-end machines are the better deal), missing parts, or rusted up in such a way as to be unrepairable. ;_;
By attachment, do you mean a walking foot to help ease the fabric through the machine? Or is it something else for thick fabric?
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Yeah, I have a new attachment I just got I believe it's a walking foot. I probably broke my machine's timing because I wasn't using this before when I was sewing thick fabrics, but strangely it broke while sewing cotton and made a ball of thread at the bottom, strangely.
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For us furries, who don't do lots of fancy embroidery work or pretty seams and just want to do straight stitches, these older machines can do wonders. Like with everything, though, you have to take care of them, and that troubles some people, who would rather just throw stuff out and buy new the second something doesn't work (which isn't THIS community at all).
On the flipside, an old machine that was never taken care of won't do anybody any good, so you do have to be critical of what you buy, just like with anything else. And because it's an older machine, there's no warranty or factory guaranty, so if you have problems, you have nobody to go complain to (and if it needs a part, there's a chance that part is no longer made). You can only take it to be fixed and hope it can be and the parts aren't worn down to inadequacy.
Hmm... Walking feet for the top fabric are a good idea, but since this is an attachment (and thus takes up room when installed), you could try without and see if the machine works better. My Pfaff has a permanent one in place (which I only turn off for buttonholes because the buttonhole foot doesn't fit otherwise), but the only time I've found it absolutely necessary to use is on stretchy fabrics (like spandex) and slidy fabrics (like satin), because the foot keeps them in place. For fur backing, which isn't really stretchy or slidy, you may not need the walking foot.
Ugh...! I hate timing issues! >_<;;; They are so difficult to fix and avoid. I read below that you are looking into repairing the machine yourself, and I wish you the best of luck on that. :)
I have no clue why your machine made a thread ball, but if you figure it out, pass that info along! I'm curious to know why as well.
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