machine applique - help

I tried machine appliqué for the first time yesterday and I've ended up
with a soft sculpture! It's so puckered my patch is now a bowl shape.
How do you stop this from happening?
--
M Rimmer

I was just at my 3 hour lesson on my new Janome on Tuesday and she
was showing me machine applique and how it can pucker. She said
to place paper underneath........stitch........then pull off the back
carefully.
I was doing some machine applique last night and FORGOT what she
had said and it was had a slight pull look to it. I pressed it flat and
it is fine but I took some freezer paper and ironed to the back of the
other four appliqués. Haven't had time to sew since I ironed it
but I'm sure it will do the trick,
Susie

I tried machine appliqué for the first time yesterday and I've ended up
with a soft sculpture! It's so puckered my patch is now a bowl shape.
How do you stop this from happening?
--
M Rimmer

Mel, You can use" stitch and tear"
--
Estelle UK
http://uk.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/gal.../ph//my_photos
or use some cheap fabric like curtain lining that trim away or paper
underneath and tear away.All three of these work for me!
"M Rimmer" wrote in message
...
I tried machine appliqué for the first time yesterday and I've ended up
with a soft sculpture! It's so puckered my patch is now a bowl shape. How
do you stop this from happening?
--
M Rimmer

Did you use a stabilizer on the back. I find a lightweight tear-away
really helps.

Maureen

M Rimmer wrote:

I tried machine appliqué for the first time yesterday and I've ended up
with a soft sculpture! It's so puckered my patch is now a bowl shape.
How do you stop this from happening?

You have to use a stabilizer on the back.
Gen

"M Rimmer" wrote in message
...
I tried machine appliqué for the first time yesterday and I've ended up
with a soft sculpture! It's so puckered my patch is now a bowl shape.
How do you stop this from happening?
--
M Rimmer

I never use a stabilizer. I do baste only if I don't use the light weight
heat & bond and then there is no traveling.

--
http://community.webshots.com/user/snigdibbly
SNIGDIBBLY
~e~
"
/ \
http://members.ebay.com/aboutme/snigdibbly.
http://www.ebaystores.com/snigdibbly...ox&refid=store
"Don/Gen" wrote in message
...
You have to use a stabilizer on the back.
Gen

"M Rimmer" wrote in message
...
I tried machine appliqué for the first time yesterday and I've ended up
with a soft sculpture! It's so puckered my patch is now a bowl shape.
How do you stop this from happening?
--
M Rimmer

Hello everyone,
I'm Catherine and have been chatting Susie on her private email. Decided
to call on the group for help.
When I needed help before, I wrote a few lines and got so much help. It
was wonderful how helpful those on here are. Thank you all. For me, this
is the top place to go when help is needed. I have learned so much from
this group. Wish I could met you all and have a big tea party.
But back to my problem. My trouble tonight is with metallic thread. I
can sew for a few minutes and then the thread breaks from the needle. It
seems the thread is tight as it goes down through the tension regulating
dial. I have the tension set on 0 now, the lowest setting on my maching
(Janome 6500P). Purchased a new package of needles today. They are
called (metalfil 130-750H-M 80/11 ) marketed out of Montreal by the
Symak Sales Co. It says there made in Germany. I am not sure if these
are the right ones for the job as I am not fully up on the machine. I
ordered my machine from out of town, so did not have the opportunity for
the free lesson's.

I hope this doesn't get me into any trouble. I saved this note from another
list I'm on. Linda did tell someone that she could send the information on
to someone else. Just know that all this is from a very reputable teacher
and has been posted somewhat publicly on a large listserve.

Keep in mind that if you cannot get the thread to sew properly in the
needle, you can almost always use it in the bobbin and work upside down,
instead. That being said, what can you do if you really want to sew with
specialty threads in the needle?

First of all, buy a good metallic or specialty thread. Good, easy-to-use
metallic threads do exist. My current favorites are Yenmet, YLI, Superior
and Madeira FS#20 black core Jewel thread. The first three are fine
metallics in beautiful colors that are coated with a fine resin and do not
shred in your needle. The last is a black core thread with a metallic wound
around it that sews just like cotton - you don't need any special needles or
goop at all. If you want a good sliver metallic (flat, tinsel-like thread),
buy Superior Glitter thread.

Next most essential: Put a topstitching needle in your sewing machine,
preferably a Schmetz System 130N, size 100 or 110. These needles are as big
as a horse's leg, but do you really care how big a hole you make as long as
thread does not break? They are somewhat hard to find, but you can usually
find them at a store that specializes in selling sewing machines. I get
them from my local Bernina/Pfaff/Elna/White/whatever sewing machine store.
(He also carries Yenmet & YLI thread, so I figure I have it made.) Truly, a
topstitching needle makes all of the difference in the world. Get them
directly from Schmetz, if you need to, at www.schmetz.com. And NO!
metallica or metalfil or Jeans needles are NOT THE SAME! These needles are
built to do metallic threadwork or embroidery on a single layer of fabric;
topstitching needles are meant to go through several tough layers, and can
work magic.

Next, pay attention to the way your thread is wound on the spool. If your
thread is wound about your spool horizontally, so you see even bands of
thread (Talon, Coats & Clark, most sliver and Glitter threads), the thread
must come off of the SIDE of the spool (not one of the ends), whether the
spool is sitting vertically or horizontally. Try it with some sliver
thread - try pulling it off the side and it will stay nice and flat; try
pulling it off over one of the ends and it will spin itself into a tizzy.
The same happens - to a lesser or greater degree - with all horizontally, or
"stacked" threads. If your thread is wound about the spool in a figure 8
fashion, it is meant to come off the top of the spool. Some crosswound
threads (Halo, Yenmet, etc.) have big spools with larger "bottom" for the
cone to sit on, and it is easy to tell the top and the bottom. If you have
a Guterman or Sulky crosswound thread, though, you usually cannot tell the
top and the bottom (don't go by the printing, it tells you nothing) until
you test it. With these skinny spools, hold the thread spool horizontally
and pull some thread off of one of the ends, and hold that thread up by the
spool itself (about 1/2" away) and see if the threads twist themselves
around one another. Let the thread drop. Test the other end. Whichever
end twists the LEAST is the end you want the thread to come off of. If you
only have one sort of spoolpin, figure out some way to get the thread to
come off properly, no matter what kind of spool it is. Get creative and
figure out where you can position your thread so that it comes off the spool
correctly before it goes to your thread guides, or get a ThreadPro gadget.
It sits beside your sewing machine and has horizontal and vertical spool
pins on it. The thread is taken off the spool horizontally, goes up to a
smoothing foam pad, then is sent to your machine in the normal fashion.

No, they are not paying me a commission; it really does make using specialty
threads much easier. They have a website at (www.threadpro.com), and you
usually see them do demonstrations at the major sewing conferences. They
are also available at a lot of quilting stores and at www.clothilde.com.

Lower your top tension by one or two numbers, however much you can lessen it
and still get a good stitch. Superior Thread company even recommends
turning it all the way down to "1." Keep in mind that you MUST have your
presser foot UP to thread your needle and DOWN to change the tension. You
can twiddle the dial all you want, but it won't take effect unless you have
the presser foot DOWN when you change the tension.

It may be sufficient just to use the same thread in the top as you do in the
bobbin, but you may need to put a fine thread in your bobbin such as a fine
machine embroidery thread, or "bobbin" thread in your bobbin to keep the
stitches locking evenly. When I quilt a two-sided quilt, I will often use a
very fine (.oo4 mm) invisible thread in the bobbin, so that even though I
lessen the top tension considerably, I never see the thread coming to the
top. If you do this, be sure to wind your invisible threads more slowly
than you usually do, and only fill the bobbin halfway, or the top (even of
metal bobbins) of the bobbin will pop off, or the bobbin will become
distorted (the plastic ones). Ask me how I know this. Janome sells plastic
bobbins pre-wound with invisible thread for about a quarter more than their
empty ones for a package of 10. Don't ask me where to get them (I got them
at the Painted Pony in Houston), but I imagine most Janome dealers will sell
them, as well.

Next, determine whether or not your sewing machine has a computer-regulated
tension disc, and lubricate your thread accordingly. If your machine has a
manual tension, like mine, you can use Sewer's Aide or Sewer's Ease directly
on the thread; if not, put a piece of moleskin just above where the thread
goes to the needle, and squirt that with Sewer's Aide, or do both. If there
is nowhere to put the moleskin, and your thread is giving you fits, just
squirt a little Sewers' Aide on the back of your needle every half hour or
so.

Another problem that some threads (especially the 1000 yard stacked thread
spools) have, is that they tend to hop off of the spool and twine themselves
around the bottom of the spool pin get caught and the next thing you know,
you break the needle. If you are lucky enough to have two vertical spool
pins, put your thread on the spool pin farthest away from the needle, with
the thread coming off the back of the spool. Put a plastic drinking straw
over the other spool pin. Thread your thread through a large sewing machine
needle, and stick it through the drinking straw, above the level of the
thread spool. Take the thread out of the needle and continue threading the
machine normally. With the thread going through the drinking straw above
the level of the top of the spool, the thread cannot get caught around the
bottom of the spool pin, anymore.

Some people buy little stretchy things and slip them over the spool from the
bottom, or tie a piece of yarn around the spool in the middle, forcing the
thread to come off the spool from the top. This also works, if you do not
have a second spool pin.

Some machines have a hooky thing as their first thread guide, and you can
actually watch your thread being shredded as it goes through this guide
(Berninas, especially). Tape a little safety pin to the top the machine
just by this guide, and thread the thread through it instead of the thread
guide. It will really help.

If you are having trouble with free motion stitching and you have a Brother
electronic machine, set the stitch length on "4." This will override the
magical thing inside that breaks your stitches.

Hope some of this helps....

Linda S. Schmidt
2003 Teacher of the Year
2004 Bernina Fashion


But back to my problem. My trouble tonight is with metallic thread. I
can sew for a few minutes and then the thread breaks from the needle. It
seems the thread is tight as it goes down through the tension regulating
dial. I have the tension set on 0 now, the lowest setting on my maching
(Janome 6500P). Purchased a new package of needles today. They are
called (metalfil 130-750H-M 80/11 ) marketed out of Montreal by the
Symak Sales Co. It says there made in Germany. I am not sure if these
are the right ones for the job as I am not fully up on the machine. I
ordered my machine from out of town, so did not have the opportunity for
the free lesson's.

I've done it again with stitch and tear stabiliser and it worked a
treat. Thanks everyone who suggested this.

In message , Don/Gen
writes
You have to use a stabilizer on the back.
Gen

"M Rimmer" wrote in message
...
I tried machine appliqué for the first time yesterday and I've ended up
with a soft sculpture! It's so puckered my patch is now a bowl shape.
How do you stop this from happening?
--
M Rimmer




--
M Rimmer