Complaint About Me
10-24-2010, 09:34 AM
#71
Member
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Upstate NY
Posts: 79
Do NOT look at the needle! It only goes up and down.
I make a mark well in front of the needle to use as a guide for the edge of the fabric. Keep your eyes on that mark.
This also works when making half square triangles...
Good luck.
By the way, I'm teaching my 9 yr. old neighbor how to sew and this tip helped her immensely!
I make a mark well in front of the needle to use as a guide for the edge of the fabric. Keep your eyes on that mark.
This also works when making half square triangles...
Good luck.
By the way, I'm teaching my 9 yr. old neighbor how to sew and this tip helped her immensely!
01-04-2013, 02:25 AM
#74
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Stuck in a Canadian Winter
Posts: 314
I had this problem and was very frustrated with myself. THEN I bought a Brother sewing machine at Wal Mart for a travel machine and I was able to sew a straight line right away. I realized the feed dogs on my old machine were causing the problem by skewing the fabric to the left. The cost to repair was more than my machine was worth. I now have a new machine and all my seams are straight.
01-04-2013, 02:53 AM
#75
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: South East, PA
Posts: 345
when we were working on a group quilt at our Guild, one of our more "senior" members (one who has won numerous awards by the way!!!) Worked with me to perfect my 1/4" --- turns out, a big part of the problem is a wobbly machine foot!!! I love that particular machine, but the bottom of the foot has too much "play" in it... changed to a "Litte Foot" and my problem was solved! I still use the painters tape trick, but my 1/4" is so much more accurate (Not perfect yet, but at least straight lol)
01-04-2013, 11:02 AM
#76
Super Member
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: NE Missouri
Posts: 6,418
I paper pieced dark fabric flying geese yesterday. Followed those straight lines on the paper as if laser beamed. Then Iwhen I removed the paper to attach to border on the dark fabric. eek! My poor eyes just wouldn't do the trick and I waved all over the place. Need more light and painter's tape, and a post-it note and anything else anyone knows about. Don't think it is just you!
01-04-2013, 02:48 PM
#79
Banned
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: West Islip, NY
Posts: 659
I would like to add just a few suggestions to the advice given so far (all excellent suggestions!)
1. Before you cut, spray starch your fabrics. I like MaryEllen's Best Press, but you may use any spray starch you like, even if you make your own solution. Just use it.
Try to make your fabrics feel like the weight of construction paper, and then cut them. That's how stiff they should be. I know it sounds like a lot, but I learned that suggestion from Debra Wagner, who is an award winning quilter, and she is right. So much easier to cut the fabrics, and to stack them together and piece.
2. If you feel like you need to draw a seam line (probably not necessary, but if you need "training wheels" until you get the feel of things, ok), place your fabric on a sandpaper covered mat, cardboard, whatever, and then draw lightly with a fine mechanical pencil so as not to stretch the fabrics out of shape.
3. I have used this technique when teaching kids to sew, and some adults can benefit from it as well....
when you are getting ready to place your fabric pieces Right Sides Together (RST), put a tiny drop of elmers school glue (or applique glue...whatever you have) in the seam allowance.
When i say tiny, i mean tiny...like the size of a quilt pin head, or bead.
Do it in a few places along the seam allowance of the right side of one of the fabrics. Then put your next piece of fabric on top to make your little fabric sandwich that needs to be sewn RST. Heat set the glue by pressing the fabrics with your iron. This eliminates the need for any pins.
You can assembly line sew these pieces - just stand at your ironing mat for a bit and glue and heat set a whole bunch, then feed them into the machine and cut threads after they come out the other side of your needle - typical "chain piecing".
You should have accurate 1/4" seams, and the pieces should be exactly one on top of the other with edges aligned.
4. Lastly, it's my opinion...(i'm not a machine tech, so i could be wrong, but i swear this is the case) that some machines "kick" the fabrics out of alignment. It's as if the feed dogs are mis-aligned. I can sew on some of my students machines and i can't sew straight either, then sit down at my machine and i am fine. sometimes it is not the sewer but the machine. if all else fails, get yours checked out, and/or try sewing on some other machines to see if there is a difference.
Hope this helps. Love all the suggestions here!!
1. Before you cut, spray starch your fabrics. I like MaryEllen's Best Press, but you may use any spray starch you like, even if you make your own solution. Just use it.
Try to make your fabrics feel like the weight of construction paper, and then cut them. That's how stiff they should be. I know it sounds like a lot, but I learned that suggestion from Debra Wagner, who is an award winning quilter, and she is right. So much easier to cut the fabrics, and to stack them together and piece.
2. If you feel like you need to draw a seam line (probably not necessary, but if you need "training wheels" until you get the feel of things, ok), place your fabric on a sandpaper covered mat, cardboard, whatever, and then draw lightly with a fine mechanical pencil so as not to stretch the fabrics out of shape.
3. I have used this technique when teaching kids to sew, and some adults can benefit from it as well....
when you are getting ready to place your fabric pieces Right Sides Together (RST), put a tiny drop of elmers school glue (or applique glue...whatever you have) in the seam allowance.
When i say tiny, i mean tiny...like the size of a quilt pin head, or bead.
Do it in a few places along the seam allowance of the right side of one of the fabrics. Then put your next piece of fabric on top to make your little fabric sandwich that needs to be sewn RST. Heat set the glue by pressing the fabrics with your iron. This eliminates the need for any pins.
You can assembly line sew these pieces - just stand at your ironing mat for a bit and glue and heat set a whole bunch, then feed them into the machine and cut threads after they come out the other side of your needle - typical "chain piecing".
You should have accurate 1/4" seams, and the pieces should be exactly one on top of the other with edges aligned.
4. Lastly, it's my opinion...(i'm not a machine tech, so i could be wrong, but i swear this is the case) that some machines "kick" the fabrics out of alignment. It's as if the feed dogs are mis-aligned. I can sew on some of my students machines and i can't sew straight either, then sit down at my machine and i am fine. sometimes it is not the sewer but the machine. if all else fails, get yours checked out, and/or try sewing on some other machines to see if there is a difference.
Hope this helps. Love all the suggestions here!!
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12-18-2012 08:26 AM
