Originally Posted by
Jan in VA
Your fabric is probably pulled to the side a little bit and you can't tell it. Watch carefully next time you stop and see if the fabric is relaxed, with no minute puckering around the needle hole. You also might try very slightly wiggling the fabric back and forth a smidge and then letting it naturally relax back in to position.
Handling the fabric without moving it *too* much is the hardest part of the process for me.
Jan in VA
I had to think about this for a while. Having the fabric move when the needle was down was a puzzle. Then I tried lifting the presser foot with the needle still down when I'm ready to go again. You'd be surprised at how much the fabric moves and relaxes, and the needle moves, too. It surprised me the first time I saw my needle bent over, and when I lifted the presser foot, it went back into position.
This happens to me when sewing regular seams, also. When I have everything straightened out to sew the next few inches, the fabric is crunched up under the needle. Just lifting the presser foot with the needle still down holding the fabric where it belongs, allows it to relax into the correct position.