CaleyH

I recently purchased a Baby Lock Jazz 2. I also own a Singer Quantum Stylist 9960.

I just read that your piecing and quilting can be significantly improved if you us a straight stitch throat plate. I just looked for one for my Baby Lock, but it seems it doesn't exist for this model.

Since the needle is basically just going through the center of the zig zag hole when doing straight stitching, wouldn't it be possible to just fit some plastic type tape or some thin, stiff plastic over the zig zag slot? Then you just create a hole the size required for your needle to pass through. This would hopefully give enough support to either side of the needle opening so that the fabric cannot sag or get snaggle down into the slot.

I'm trying to prevent the occasional occurrence of fabric somehow being sucked down that zig zag slot. It's frustrating to have to pry the fabric out of that slot. Of course, this pulling down of the fabric has only occurred on my Singer. So far the Baby Lock hasn't tried to eat anything

CaleyH

I just discovered that My Singer doesn't have a straight stitch throat plate option. What the Singer tech said about my fabric being eaten by the slot is that the stitch length might need to be adjusted, and that to use a new needle for each project, and I am guessing that once you transition from piecing to quilting, to also change the needle.

So I guess I have answered one question already. Any other suggestions or comments would be welcomed, as I usually try to make the threads I start useful to others with similar problems.

joe'smom

That's too bad that neither of your machines has a straight stitch plate available. I wonder if it's possible that there could be a straight stitch plate out there that is compatible with either machine. You might inquire at sewingpartsonline.com.

SusieQOH

I agree that you should see if you can find a straight stitch plate. It would be a whole lot easier than trying to improvise. Good luck!

Gay

Try using 'leaders & enders' with scraps, may help.

CaleyH

Gay, I did that with my Singer. I used a leader, then just stitched similar things one after the other. I later discovered that if you first lower your needle, that seems to eliminate most of the fabric eating problem, though not all the time. Once I change to a new needle, that usually eliminates the problem for some time, until that needle apparently dulls.

Joe'sMom and SusieQOH, I found that site for sewing machine parts, and got overwhelmed my first visit. Maybe I will be able to figure out how to search for something that will work.

mkc

I've just spent a bunch of time searching and you're right - there is no straight stitch plate available for either the Jazz or the Jazz 2.

Seems like an oversight on the part of Baby Lock since they market it as a machine for quilters.

Tartan

I have use a couple of layers of painter’s tape to create a single hole plate. You have to be careful not to cover the feed dogs so they can still work. It also has an added benefit of forgetting you have a single hole plate on when you decide to zig zag.

joe'smom

I would suggest you simply find the 'contact us' link and write them an email explaining the problem. They are a very helpful website.