My question is why would you want to 'ease in' a longer piece? It will just create puckers in the seam, which are ugly. Make sure your pieces are the same size before you sew. Then pin and use your fingers to make sure they don't shift while they are being sewn.
If it's garment sewing, sometimes you do get longer pattern pieces to "ease in", but the puckers (gathers) in garments are acceptable for certain bulgy places on the body. I would never leave the easing up to the mechanics of a machine where I have zero control of what happens. I pin center and either end and work my easing in with more pins and fingers, so I know what result I will get.
Prism99
06-14-2018 07:30 AM
Originally Posted by Barb2018
(Post 8075348)
I was taught that when sewing, if one of the fabrics is just slightly longer, put it on the bottom and the feed dogs will ease it in. I've seen this work, so OK. But...if this is true, how can we sew together two fabrics that are exactly the same size and the top one doesm'e end up longer at the end of the seam? Either the feed dogs pull in more fabric or they don't. Thanks for any input...this is really bothering me.
It's not a wacky question!
The feed dogs feed the bottom layer of fabric faster when they are allowed to pull the fabric through. If you apply some kind of pressure to that bottom layer, the feed dogs are prevented from pulling the fabric as much as they would without pressure. This is why, when sewing two pieces of fabric together, I place a finger on the fabric as I am sewing (or hold the two ends together in my hand). It keeps the two layers matched as they are pulled under the presser foot. That little bit of pressure controls how much the feed dogs can move that bottom layer.
If I want the feed dogs to ease in that bottom layer, then I feed the two fabrics without any pressure. If there is excess fabric in the bottom fabric that I want to ease in, then the bottom layer is a little longer than the top layer. In that case, by holding the ends together I am holding back the top fabric slightly while the feed dogs work their little hearts out feeding that bottom fabric faster.
Don't think I am doing a great job explaining this. If you start with 2 equal lengths of fabric and hold the ends together while sewing, you are holding back that bottom layer so it doesn't feed faster than the top layer. If you start with the bottom layer slightly longer and want it to ease it, holding the 2 ends together holds back the top layer while the bottom layer is looser, allowing the feed dogs to gather that fabric lightly as you sew.
ube quilting
06-14-2018 07:40 AM
I have been Elmers Washable School Glue for long seams, seams with intricate piecing that need to match, sewing bias seams and attaching the binding. I love it.
Denver_35
06-14-2018 07:45 AM
This was so helpful. Thanks for your detailed explanation!
Irishrose2
06-14-2018 02:07 PM
If I'm sewing anything longer that a foot, I pin it. No surprises wanted. Other than that, my piecing machine doesn't really shift fabric, but I don't have the pressure on the presser foot too strong, either.
vschieve
06-14-2018 03:13 PM
All Pfaffs, since the 2100 series from the 1970's, have the IDT foot built on the machine, and every person I know that own a Pfaff use it not only for quilting, but for piecing as well. It holds/keeps the fabric layers in place.
christinelf
06-14-2018 07:19 PM
I also cut the fabric the same size, then I pin, pin and pin. Then I am old school and I hand baste it with thread. I don’t like sewing the edge full of the pins I put in. It might take a few more minutes, but I am always happy with the result.
