5 – Thread the sewing machine
Every time I blog, I always mention threading
the sewing machine. You would be surprised
at how much of a difference it makes if the
sewing machine is not threaded properly.
Broken needles, poor tension to name a
few. Now that I’ve discovered this portable
thread stand, I use it all the time. I love it and
am going to have to invest in a couple more
since I sew on different sewing machines
depending on where I am.w
You can see though that I have a potential
problem. That fine weight thread wants to
fall off the spool. This can become a problem
if that thread gets caught somewhere. That
can lead to a broken needle which I don’t
want as broken needles can damage the
sewing machine.
Loose thread can break a needle if it catches somewhere
Thread is now contained with netting
I like to use these nets around my fine
threads so the thread stays contained and
won’t get caught. In this case, the net was
too tight and didn’t want to stay on the
spool thus defeating the purpose of the net. I
fixed that problem by stretching out the net
so it was loose, but not falling off the spool
and it worked like a charm.
6 – Choose the appropriate foot
If you’re going to do machine applique of
any kind – you must buy an applique foot. In
a pinch, you could use your clear foot, but
you just can’t do a good job if you don’t have
an open foot. Never try to applique with a
regular piecing foot. You can’t see right to
the needle because of the bar across the
front and this will prevent you from seeing to
the corners and into points on your work.
This isn’t a guideline – this is a MUST.
Nuff said!
7 – Choose the appropriate needle plate
Open toe applique foot and proper throat plate
Although this makes sense, I’ll mention it
anyway. Make sure you have the general
purpose throat plate on the sewing machine.
You’ll be doing a zig zag and you don’t want
to break a needle. You can see in the photo
to the left, that the hole for the needle is a
large oval to accommodate the width of the
zig zag stitch.
Photos by Elaine Theriault
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