Sewing stretchy fabric?

Question

I am having problems sewing stretchy fabric. I'm using jersey knit t-shirt materail and polyester thread. I have a singer model 401a sewing machine from probably 1957. It works WONDERFULLY. However, this is my frist time attempting to sew fabric that is stretchy and it just doesn't seem to be working. The stitching somehow ends up loose and ends up getting jammed in the machine. Are there any special settings that I need the machine to be on or anything like that? The booklet is far gone by now, so I really can't find any help there.

Answer 1

there is a feeder foot that I use. It just looks like a little roller with grips on it. You drop your dog feed and put the roller foot on and it feeds both top and bottom at the same rate. You might also check that your bobbin thread is correctly fed through the holder so that your bobbin tension is correct. It should be in the bobbin holder so that when you pull on the thread (after going through the tension feed) the bobbin spins clockwise. This is a common mistake. One more thing, make sure that your top pressure on your pressure foot is not too loose or too tight. Hope this helps. If not, you may be able to go to your manufacturer's website and find your answer there.

Answer 2

First of all you need to use a piece of scrap fabric to do some test stitching on. If you have a needle plate that just has a small hole for the needle to go down, I would put that in. It'll keep the fabric from being pulled down. Make sure you are using a fine machine needle, preferably one for stretch fabric. If you do not have a zigzag stitch you can use a backstitch every inch or so as you are sewing. This will secure the stitches and prevent the seam from breaking. The loose stitches could be because your upper tension needs adjusting. Try tightening the upper and do a few stitches on your scrap fabric. Look at top and bottom to make sure that your stitches are locking properly. Now try a looser tension on top and see how it compares to your first sample.
You don't want to be stretching your fabric while sewing it, since it will stretch it out of shape. Better to help it by gently pushing it under the presser foot.

Answer 3

Use needleplate with round hole and buy stretch fabric needles, they have a ballpoint tip,[just like a pen] so needle goes between knitted stitches instead of breaking thread.Try tacking first, leave a long thread and pull your fabric until thread is taut, then sew, stretching fabric so tacking thread is taut, use different coloured thread so it is easy to see. I used to use a machine that was 75 years old, just bought modern accessories for it. Good luck hope all this helps. Also use Polyester thread which has natural stretch.

Answer 4

If your machine was made in 1957, it probably does not have a zigzag setting. If it was made in 1967, it does. In that case, use a small zigzag so the stitching can stretch.

The loose stitching and getting jammed in the machine problems don't sound like issues related to straight or zigzag stitches. Check that the bobbin is loaded correctly and that you don't have loose threads or lint in the bobbin compartment.

Answer 5

I was always taught when sewing w/ stretchy fabric to pull the fabric taught under the needle. Pull on one end of the fabric behind the needle and the other end of the fabric in front of the needle. This is done so that when you stretch the fabric, it doesnt break the string.

Hope this helps.

Answer 6

Try stretching the fabric in both directions without bending your needle, and use a zig zag stitch if the machine has it. The machine was invented before that kind of material was around!

Answer 7

Have you tried loosening the tension? I have trouble with that kind of material too. Seems like 1 layer can't keep up with the other. I just loosen the tension and sew slower than usual. Hope this helps.

Answer 8

use the zig zag setting