Bonlou

Thanks,Wow- there is sure a lot to learn. I got some needles with the machine but it doesn't say what they are, in English. It says, "Enifache Nadel" Whatever that means.
Guess I have to learn a new language too. :-)

I took that one out and put in a Universal Regular Point Needle Style2020 Size 90/14. I was thinking that would work better for going through the layers of material.
Probably the wrong one?

I had looked in Wal-Mart, and this is about all they had. So, I'd better go to JoAnn's and see what I can find. You said a "Sharp." Is that all I need to know?

thepolyparrot

You're right - there is a lot of teeny little details to keep straight! The google translator says that enifache nadel means "simple needle," so I would guess that means they're ordinary. (sharps)

A sharp won't usually say it's a sharp on the package - but it also won't say Ball Point or Universal. It may say "For Wovens" or something like that.

The "universal" needle is universally a pain in the neck - it works fine in some machines in some situations, but generally, it doesn't sew wovens as well as sharps and it doesn't sew knits as well as ball points.

Check your manual to be sure of the class of needle that you need. Most home sewing machines take a standard 15x1 needle system. They're also known as HAx1, 130 or 705 or 2020 - and other numbers depending upon who makes them.

Most stores don't sell many needles that aren't for this system, but you may find some serger needles - DBx1, BLx4, etc. Be careful that you're not shopping in the serger needles. :)

I like Organ brand - very good quality and low cost - I buy them by the hundred on eBay for about $15 - or here:
http://www.ctsusa.com/product.aspx?pf_id=21HOME .

Schmetz and Klasse' needles are also very good quality, but they're a lot more expensive. The advantage to Schmetz is that they make tons of different kinds of 15 x 1 class needles - embroidery, topstitching, quilting, metallic, twin, wing, denim, etc.

Bonlou

thanks...that is a lot of good information that I did not know.

Barb44

Thanks, polyparrot, for the needle info. I have been sewing for years and did not know all that.

I've learned more on this board in 2 months than I've learned in 54 years sewing.

thepolyparrot

You're not alone! :mrgreen: I've been sewing since I was about nine and I didn't know any of this stuff until the last few years, when I started collecting vintage sewing machines.

Thank God for the internet. If you're having a problem, you can put your symptoms into a search engine and a kajillion sites will tell you what might be wrong.

If you're having trouble getting tomatoes to set fruit in Texas in the summer or you can't get the nose on your baby doll sculpt to look like a baby or you can't find a certain kind of scrapbook paper or fabric, you just go on line and you'll find more info than you need. :)

nativetexan

i didn't know you could do zig zag with a walking foot.
my zig zag gives me uneven stitches at times with a regular foot. every once in awhile.

thepolyparrot

If the walking foot/even feed foot is made for zig-zag machines, you can use zig-zag stitches - but if you use a stitch which alternates forward and backward feed, the foot won't coordinate with the machine's feed and the stitch may not look right.

When you have uneven stitches with your zig-zag, do you have skipped stitches? Or is the length between the stitches uneven? Or is the width of the zig-zag uneven?

If it's unevenness in the length, try using the even feed foot and/or applying a little more pressure with the pressure adjustment, so that the feed dogs are controlling the fabric better. If you can't do that, try loosening the thread tension a tiny bit at a time and see if that helps. Check the backside of the stitching after every adjustment - at some point, the tension is going to get too loose and you'll have loops of needle thread on the back and you'll know to put some tension back on the needle thread.

If it's unevenness in the width of the stitch, the mechanism that moves the needlebar from side to side might need oiling (especially on a vintage machine) or (if you have a selector dial or toggle to select the stitch width) it could be that the width selector isn't fully seated and might need to be oiled.

If it's a computerized machine, I haven't a clue about those at all. I have to go to the manual almost every time I use one of those and I'm always afraid I'll break something.

This is one of the things I love about my "old gals," if I do manage to break something, I can usually figure out what it is and fix it pretty quickly. :)

tinker

You should also check your bobbin , sometimes they don't wind correctly Tinker