Hi Group,
Alas, not just tinkering, but sewing as well!
First of all, if any of you remember Ziggy (my Anker Phoenix 429) from previous posts; I gave him a nose job! Removed that scary-looking Roman-nose-like lamp. I think he is so much more handsome now...
Now, my questions has to do with presser foot tension and a magical gidget (cross between gadget and widget) on the back of him. Following are some photos. Essentially, when this gidget is engaged, it appears that it allows the presser foot to go down, but not quite all the way, and still engages the tension. I thought this would be great for sewing thicker fabrics, for example. However, when I tried this (sewing thick felt), what happened instead was that it would not stitch! In zig zag, only one side of the stitches hooked in with the bobbin thread. Things did not go well in straight stitch either. So I am thinking the perhaps this was not designed for this use at all; I think it may have more to do with free motion. (That is what the manual seems to say it is for, I think. But you know, German language and all...)
So, I really hope someone can help me determine just what I am meant to use this gadget for. Following are some photos:
Firstly, a photo of the presser foot in natural down position. Spring is not engaged:
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Now, a photo of the presser foot in natural up position. Spring is not engaged:
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In neither photo above, had I moved the thick spring. In the next photo, I have engaged the spring (nudging it to the left, under the presser foot lever, and then lowered the presser foot lever. You can see how the presser foot then drops, but leaves 1/4 inch or so of space between the foot and the feed dogs.
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So, that's it. I really appreciate any advice. I have not seen this sort of thing before. I am a card-carrying novice at sewing, also, so even if your answer seems obvious to you, it may not be apparent to me!
I should add that the hole in the presser foot, while it may look in the photo as though it is meant to receive the spring, is actually a threaded hole; therefore, stuffing a non-threaded spring in there would wreck it. Any ideas what the threaded hole may be meant to receive?
Amelia and Miriam both have/have had a similar machine, and I am dearly hoping they might chime in :-)
Oh, and finally, here he is, Ziggy, with his nose job. Handsome fella, eh?
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