Sewnoma

I noticed the same thing on the Kenmore I recently got - it's straight stitch only but my stitches looked slanty. I put a ruler against them and they're actually straight, it's the thread that's got a bit of a twist going and creating an optical illusion. I'm still sewing with one of the wooden spools of thread it came with; I think maybe if I try some thinner thread (like Aurifil) that might be minimized. I haven't tried flipping the spool yet, either - I was thinking maybe it's got the twist of the thread going the wrong way.

Mrs. SewNSew

For those of you thinking this is a dedicated straight stitch machine vs. zig-zag capable issue i took photos. I should have done that first!

First is the machine so you can see it is definitely a straight stitch only model. Secondly a sample (hurried off on a napkin) showing what I mean. The stitch line is perfectly straight but the stitches are just a bit slanted or perhaps twisted.

sdhaevrsi

What a pretty machine, Christy. What is it, for ose of us not so good at identifying?

My FW stitches nicer than most (all?) of my other straight stitch macines, though I need to really test them out and compare. FW are known for their really "straight" straight stitches. How does your FW compare? And the 301s?

Mrs. SewNSew

This machine is unknown for sure. I picked it up in a thrift for 5.00 because it appealed to me but it has no good identifiers. In back underneath the motor it has a decal "Made in Italy" and it very strongly resembles a Necchi BC. It has similar elements to other machines in the Necchi family but nothing to identify it 100% as a true Necchi. For that reason I call it my Necchi clone. I have no idea what year it was produced either. It has a serial number, but I haven't had any luck finding out much about it.

My Featherweight produces straighter stitches and I don't have the 301 out to test right now. Ha~I KNOW it's the 301 you really want to know about though. heehee!

Macybaby

A lot has to do with the orientation of the bobbin and if it's full rotary or oscillating. Many quilters prefer the Singer 15 to the 201 as the 201 is full rotary and because of that puts an additional twist to the thread, which can result in a more pronounced slant. For seaming it's not a big deal, but one likes nice straight stitches for Quilting as they are visible.

it would be interesting to compare this to a VS machine, as I don't think the thread is twisted at all with that motion.

ArchaicArcane

Using exactly the same thread (top and bottom) and needle and fabric in each machine, do the stitches look better on one machine than the other?

That bobbin thread looks thick on my screen. If it is, it would create a large obstacle to wrap around, giving the look of a twist much more than a thin bobbin thread.
(You knew I'd have a "discovery assignment, right? )

I can make a FW or 301 stitch "crooked" by doing the same thing. The stitches will line up with a ruler, but look twisted.

hmmm. Another blog post idea.

J Miller

Christy,

Like others have said, it's a thread, needle, fabric type thing more than a machine thing. I have many machines and most will do this with some threads - fabrics and not with others. Other machines don't do it as much but sometimes they do.
I can't tell by the picture, but how is the bobbin set up on that cute little machine?

MacyBaby,

I thought they preferred the 15s cos they were vertical loading bobbins whereas the 201 is a horizontal system. This is the first I've heard of it being because of the oscillating vs rotary thing.

Joe

Mrs. SewNSew

This makes the most sense to me. I checked this particular machine and it's a vertical oscillating bobbin.

ArchaicArcane

I'm confused too, I could swear all of the "quilting machines" I've seen or stitched with are rotary. APQS, JUKI TL98, and even the Tin Lizzy is, I think. I only have one of those here ATM but I will go verify later. The first 2 make beautiful straight stitches, the 3rd needs more set up before I can judge it fairly but I don't recall a noticeable twist. One reason I don't love the oscillating is that it seems noisier than a rotary. That said, I was also completely unable to bond with my 115 which is a rotary and love my 15. I just know it's loud comparatively.

Mrs. SewNSew

Tammi, I'm not sure about the thickness. Call me an idiot but I generally just grab a spool of thread and am happy if the color matches! I've only recently started noticing that some are cotton and some are polyester threads but have never really looked at the thickness. Some of the older spools I have don't even have the label stuck on anymore.

I've gotton so many spools of thread when picking up machines that I now try and sort what seems thicker to one area. Most of them all feel the same to me! If I get a lot of breakage with a thread I double check the bobbin, the needle and the guides for rough spots and if none are found the spool is considered too old and dumped in the trash.

Both the bobbin and the top threads on this machine read cotton/poly blends but I can't find where it states a thickness. ?? Should it say on the spool?