Why are my straight stitches slanted?
 

On some of my machines the straight stitches line up like little soldiers and on some they line up as slightly slanted soldiers. Why is that? Does it have anything to do with which way the needle threads?

Jenny from Sew-Classic had something about this on her blog. The last time I went looking for it though I couldn't find it.

Basically though, sometimes it's more the fabric, needle and thread combo.

My way of describing it is that when a stitch is made - the 2 threads basically "twist" around each other. That twist sometimes shows a little on top of the fabric, sometimes it's hidden inside - even if the stitch is properly "locked" in the middle.

If you stitch it out without thread and the holes line up and are straight, there's nothing wrong with the machine. If the holes are all over the place, there's something to troubleshoot.

That makes sense. I just finished working on my Necchi clone and got it stitching. The stitches are perfectly lined up but each one has the tiniest tilt. It just reminded me I have others that do this..the Singer 99 comes to mind immediately. It's odd to me that some machines have this slight tilt and others do not.

My FW sews straighter than any of my other machines, and I have been told that that is a major reason that quilters favor the FW. And by straighter, I mean each individual stitch lines up with the next like you describe, like little soldiers.

I've always heard that the FW stitches are straighter because it only makes a straight stitch; it doesn't have a zigzag stitch. Not sure if it's true, but it makes sense.

That makes perfect sense to me IrishNY. Machines (of any kind) that are made to do one thing well, usually do it better than machines that are made to do many things.

Well, that can't be it because the machines I am thinking about, both the Necchi clone machine and the Singer 99 are straight stitch only machines.

The same is really true of any of the SS machines. And if the stitches are a little left and right of where you're trying to sew, that's what you're seeing. if the stitches are straight but the thread sort of waves from one side of the hole to the other side of the next hole, that's just the thread, the knot and the fabric dancing. :)

Yes as cashs-mom said, if your machine does straight and zig zag stitches, the straight stitches will have a bit of a wave to them. It may help them to stitch straighter if you use the straight stitch plate on your machine.

If your machine has a "step motor" which means the needle motion is up, over, and down, the stitches will be offset. The step motor allows zig zag motion. Machines with straight stitch only, ie, a Singer 221, the stitches will always be in exact alignment.