8 – Set up the stitch on the sewing machine
We’re almost ready to stitch!
Now is the time to set up the stitch on the sewing machine.
On the touch panel of the Sapphire 930, the first 10 stitches
of the first menu are featured. I’m choosing number 5 which
is an ordinary zig zag.
Now here’s where you’ll have to play. I try to make that stitch
as narrow as I can. But I have to make it wide enough so that
it covers the edge of the applique. In this case, I’m using a
stitch width of 1.0. Now to play with the length – I want an
elongated zig zag. If I make the stitches too close together,
the stitches will be much more visible. After playing around, I
choose a stitch length of 3.0.
Stitch length is set to 3.0 and stitch width is set to 1.0 for an elongated zig zag.
9 – Do a test stitch out
You must do sample stitch outs. There’s no way around it – oh
– you could just start stitching, but then be prepared to rip out.
I usually start by stitching out the zig zag on a scrap of fabric
and once I’m happy, I’ll try that stitch on a sample of applique.
I want to know if I can readily cover the edge of the applique
– it isn’t only what the sewing machine can do – it’s what you
can do. If you need a wider stitch because you’re having trouble with the edge – then you might want to use a wider stitch.
Stitch out to test the stitch length and width
I have stitched miles of invisible machine applique so I don’t
do that part of the stitch out any more. But all sewing machines are different. I always test the length and width until I’m
happy.
I still have the stitch outs from the raw edge applique that
I showed you at the beginning of this post. I don’t keep
all m