SueSew

Yes it is HORRIBLE to seam-rip at 1.8. I have to use the Ott light and the big magnifying glass!

Now if I can only get over the fear that my piecing will all fall apart with such big ?! stitches...

bearisgray

When chainpiecing - i' ve found that "sewing" about 1/2 inch of air between units and leaving 1/4 inch of thread minimizes the coming apart of the units.

The default o n that machine Is 2.5.

I use about a 2.2 when strip piecing.

ghostrider

I won't even set mine down below 2.0 for paper piecing because it messes up the block size too much. For regular piecing I use 2.5 (a bit over 10 stitches per inch).

Here's how to convert back and forth easily between the settings and stitches per inch.

The basics:
The metric machine settings are the length of the stitches in millimeters. Example, a 2.5 machine setting means the stitches are each 2.5 mm long.
There are 25.4 millimeters per inch.

To get how many stitches per inch that setting equals...
25.4 ÷ 2.5 = 10.16 stitches per inch.
Dividing 25.4 by the machine setting gives you the stitches per inch.

If you want to get the setting to sew 8 stitches per inch, you go the other way...
25.4 ÷ 8 = 3.06 (round to 3.0) machine setting.
Dividing 25.4 by the stitches per inch you want gives you the machine setting you need.

Easy, yes?

ManiacQuilter2

THANKS Tartan. I always thought it was 2.5 but when looking at it closely, you are right: 2.4.

Misty's Mom

My janome 8900 has a button you press for 1/4" seam and it sets the length to 1.80. Same on my 12000.

dunster

I don't understand why the stitch length would affect the accuracy of the piecing. (Unless your stitches are absolutely too loose and they fall apart.) Can someone please explain?

GEMRM

I think the reason is that when the stitches are so close together it pulls the fabric up just the littlest bit, thus shortening the overall length. When the stitches are farther apart, there is still the tiniest pull up but less because there are fewer stitches. My interpretation is that there is always a smidge with every stitch, so the more stitches, the more pull ups.

dunster

But that doesn't explain SueSew's experience. Her blocks were too small until she changed to a shorter stitch length, and then they were large enough. Just the opposite of your explanation. I can sort of understand that more stitches would result in the fabric being pulled smaller, though I haven't experienced that. (And haven't experimented with it, so can't say it isn't true.) But why would that give greater accuracy? Most times the problem reported is that the blocks come out too small, not too large, so a looser stitch would be better if that were the case.

I watched an Eleanor Burns video where she recommended a high stitch count per inch (15?) for sewing strips that are going to be cross-cut, so there's less chance of the threads coming loose when they are cut. I understand doing that, but how does it contribute to accuracy? Inquiring minds need to know.

Jan in VA

I don't fret about what the # on the machine is as long as I can easily fit that seam ripper point under a stitch and as long as the length holds up to repeated use.
In class I've had students change their length if I've been helping them reverse sew and found it a pain to rip the seams.

Jan in VA

ann31039

My brother had the stitch length like that. It defaulted to a 1.8 which I didn't like. Now its dead and I'm sewing on my Moms old Kenmore. It took a bit to get used to the "old" stitch lengths of 6 8 10 12 again. I am so much happier on the Kenmore though, it is all metal and I don't have to chase it around the table. And it is so much quieter.