Sideways / Directional Sewing
 

Hello,

I am very new to the sewing world and have a very specific task in mind. I am looking to sew stripes up the side of a pant leg and do not want to have to pull the inner seem apart to do this.

I have learned that some models of sewing machine have a "Sideways" or Directional Sewing option. I have been trying to research these machines and find what the average price for something with this feature is however essentially all the manufacture sites do not show prices and do not link to dealers with websites that have the ability to buy online.

I am hoping someone here may be able to give me insight into what the least I would have to spend on a machine that is capable of doing this task.

Thanks,

Doug

You can accomplish this by lowering your feed dogs. Feed dogs are those teeth under your presser foot that feed "guide" fabric under the needle automatically. When you lower the feed dogs, than you have to guide the fabric manually in the direction you want to go. This is called free-motion. Most machines have the ability to lower the feed dogs either by a switch or button. I gotta warn you, though...this takes practice because you now have to move fabric at the correct speed to ensure your stitch length stays uniformed. So, practice on scraps first... If there is another way to do "stitch sideways" I am not familiar with it.....
And, since it's a pant leg, this may prove difficult without opening a seam.
Welcome to the board...

I think unless you have a machine with a very long free arm(can't think of one) so the pant leg won't bunch up under the machines arm or a post machine(industrial) you're not going to accomplish this task the way you're imagining it to be done unless you sew it by hand.

Cari

There are machines that sew sideways. As far as I know, cost is several thousand dollars. If you have a specific machine in mind, you can get an idea of pricing by creating a free account at patternreview.com and doing a search for reviews on that machine. All of the reviews are written by people who have purchased that model, and they typically include their purchase cost in the review.

For me it would be less trouble to open up the inner seam than to struggle with it closed. It would also help in lining up the stripes so they're straight and lay flat.

My BERNINA machines have a free arm which I access by taking off the snap on platform. When I repair my husband's jeans I slip the pants leg over the free arm and lower the feed dogs (like Teen mentioned) and stitch the patch on. There is no reason you could not sew the stripe on in the same way if your machine has this feature. You would need to practice the stitching to be consistent. Good luck with your endeavor.

Welcome from western NY and happy quilting :)

I have a Husqvarna Designer 1 which has a feature which allows you to sew sideways. I was so excited when I saw that. However you cannot adjust the stitch length, very short, and it is used mainly for darning and patching. If anyone who has this model knows how to increase the stitch length, I would appreciate that info. Doesn't quite answer your question though.

HI and welcome. I have a Viking (big bucks) that does 8 way directional stitching. As mentioned above, depending on the length of your free arm, and the inseam length, you may or may not have enough room for the entire pant leg to be scrunched onto it. if you do want to pursue this, take a pair of slacks with you to the dealership.
I personally would also just open the opposite seam.

Hi & Welcome!

Even with a machine with directional sewing, it is going to be difficult to get the lengthwise pant leg under the machine foot without opening the seam. At some point the material will bunch up and might catch the underside of pant leg.

It would be easier to open seam line and then restitch. You might not have to open seam into the hem area depending on the project.

Another option is to use a permanent fabric glue and glue on the stripes. I would use a bias tape maker so the edges are turned under if you are using fabric. Ribbon could be attached directly to the pant legs.

Good luck & again Welcome!

I have a Viking Husqvarna Ruby Royale mucho bucks, sews multi directional but for what you want probably not cost effective what about using the iron on hem tape to attach your stripes?

Sounds like a lot of trouble. If the pants are for infrequent wear, fuse the stripe on the pants. Put something inside the pant's leg like parchment paper before fusing.

My first high end babylock did it and it was about 1800

Since you are new to sewing, take our advice, open up the inter seam from crotch to hem, lay the pants leg flat, pin the "ribbon" down the outside seam, centering it. Sew from top to bottom, re-sew inter seam, re-hem. Forgot to tell you, fold down the top ribbon by waist so you will not have a raw edge.

I agree with Patricia's advice. An alternative is to hand sew the stripes/ribbon to the side of the pants. I would probably choose the hand sewing option myself.

My Brother machine does this, it cost around $2000. I don't think you would be able to sew the stripes on using this feature unless the legs were very wide.

My Epic and my last 2 previous Vikings did that all directional stitch, I never have really used it, should try it someday. I have a fairly big harp but I don think a pants leg would fit nicely all the way on it. The advice to open the seam, seems the best !!!!

I have a Babylock Ellegante the sews both backwards and sideways. I've never used these stitches, only to try them out. My machine cost about $5000.00 but that was 11 years ago.

I have simply sewed the stripe on my sweats by hand.

My Bernina 1630, TOL about 20 years ago, sews a sideways stitch. I paid $550 on ebay.

Even if you had a machine that could do this, it's going to be such a hassle trying to sew a stripe on straight from inside a tube (the unopened pant leg). I can't imagine crooked stripes looking good! Bite the bullet and open the inseams to sew the stripes on. It will be less of a hassle and give much better results.

I have just found out that the Husqvarna Viking 980Q has this feature and they are having a great sale right now. I am at a retreat and one of the ladies here works at Joann's and she told me about it. I had never heard of this option. Thanks for asking the question.

I just asked this lady about changing the stitch length and she no you can't. She has the latest machine and she tried it (she works for Husqvarna).

Absolutely right! It's much easier than buying another machine and then having to learn techniques on it and most likely still being disappointed. Pulling the stitches on readymade pants is usually fairly easy if you have a good, sharp seam ripper. You will have much less struggle keeping your ribbon flat and straight this way.

If the materials can tolerate an iron and washing, you can make the task easier for yourself by using washable school glue to baste the ribbon exactly where you want it so you won't have to pull pins as you go, which might make the ribbon wobble. You do this by gluing a little at a time and quickly pressing it with a dry iron to quickly set the glue. (Steam will make the glue not stick.) Sew the pants and then wash out the glue. I use this technique on bindings, and it's a godsend.

Another alternative worth considering is Stitch Witchery, but it does tend to stiffen the fabric a bit. I've used it occasionally over the years and have had good results with nothing letting go. You would definitely want to test it with the specific ribbon and pants fabric before doing the real project.

Final alternative: professional tailor. In spite of all my experience in sewing, I have taken chores I didn't want to do to tailors, and have been pleased and surprised at how reasonable they were, but the last time I did that was to have the naugahyde sleeves shortened on my daughter's letter jacket in high school, about 25 years ago. It's worth looking into if you're reluctant to tackle this project, especially if the pants are expensive and the job has to be perfect.

I have a DSM that sets sideways, but it sounds like it will come apart when I use it. Kind of a kerchunck, kerchunk, kerchunk. I have only tried it once. If I try it again, I will try it doing free motion quilting. It makes a loop de loop, and others according to the manual.