Perfecting Serger/Overlocker Tension

We are ready for week 2 in our Relationship Rescue: You and Your Serger Series. Now that we have our machines all threaded, we get to do some actual serging today!

Why is tension adjustment important? A balanced stitch doesn't just look better, but it actually makes for a stronger seam. Once you get your tension right you won't have to reinforce a serged seam with the sewing machine.

So grab a scrap of mid-weight fabric (like quilting cotton), click the link below and I'll meet you by your machine!

This tutorial covers tension adjustments for the 3 or 4 thread overlock stitch.
Just as a reference, here is a picture with the serger's tension dials labeled. The serger I'm using is the Brother 1034D. The higher the number, the harder the tension disks will squeeze the thread and and the tighter the thread will be.

I've threaded the machine with 4 different colors of thread:

Left Needle: Green
Right Needle: Red
Upper Looper: Black
Lower Looper: Sky Blue

Just like with our sewing machines, it's best to adjust tension using a similar weight fabric to our project fabric. This is a scrap of quilting cotton that I sent through the machine right side (pretty side) up.

If you are starting from scratch, start by setting all the tension dials at 4. 

Balanced Stitch

First, lets look at what we want. A balanced stitch is one where the looper threads (the black and blue threads in the picture) meet right at the edge of fabric and the needle threads do not pucker or gape.

Needles
 
For 4 thread stitching you will need to adjust both needle thread tensions; in 3 thread stitching there is only one needle thread tension to adjust.
 
Tight Needle Tension: 

If the needle tension is too tight, the fabric will start to pucker and ripple. This is great for ruffles, but not for regular serging. If you see this, loosen the needle tension until the fabric doesn't bunch up.

Loose Needle Tension:

If the needle tension is too loose, there will be loops on the back of the fabric.

If you see this, tighten the needle thread tensions until the needle thread just barely shows on the wrong side of the fabric.

Loopers

The loopers are a bit tricky since they effect each other. If the looper threads aren't meeting at the very edge of the fabric, take note of which thread is being pulled to the incorrect side.

Remember-- the upper looper thread should be on top of the fabric, and the lower looper should be on the bottom of the fabric. 


If the upper looper thread is being pulled to the bottom of the fabric...

In these pictures, the black thread is being pulled to the bottom (wrong side of the fabric). The upper looper tension could be too loose or the lower looper tension could be too tight. Here you have to make a judgment call about which to adjust first.

Try looking at the thread-- in this picture the threads look pulled tight, so I would loosen the lower looper tension.

In this picture the threads look loose and gappy, so I'd tighten the upper looper tension.

 


If the lower looper thread is being pulled to the top of the fabric... 

In this picture, the blue thread has been pulled to the top (right side) of the fabric. This means the upper looper tension could be too tight or the lower looper tension could be too loose.

Again, if the threads look loose and gappy, tighten the lower looper tension. If the threads look pulled taut loosen the upper looper tension.


Tricks and Tips:

1) If you aren't sure what's wrong, start by adjusting the needle tensions, and then work on the looper tensions.

2) Try using a slightly different color thread in one of your loopers so you can easily tell which looper thread is misbehaving. For example, 90% of the time I use cream colored thread in my needles and upper looper, and white in my lower looper. I can tell the difference when I'm trying to adjust the tension, but it's not noticeable on my finished project.

3) You can use the same scrap of fabric over and over when you are adjusting--simply position the fabric so the serger trims off the old serging.
 

Once you've figured out the settings for a balanced stitch you should just need to make minor adjustments to accommodate different types/thicknesses of fabric. For the most part I keep the 1034D's tension setting on all '4's' unless I'm sewing something very thick or stretchy.

If you have any questions or tips of your own, leave a comment below or use the contact form on the menu above. I'd love to hear from you!

Hope to see you back here next week for the next  serger 'Relationship Rescue' post!

My Pants Are Trying to Kill Me

I'm sure you think I"m exaggerating, but I"m not. The other day when I was running around getting everything ready for our rakhi ceremony, my jeans pushed me down the stairs.

The view when you are walking dowstairs

Well... maybe they didn't push me, but they were long enough to to cause me to trip and crash into our bottom of the stairs baby gate.

The view from the floor.

I'm fine (well, a I was a little sore and embarrassed); but something had to be done about those homicidal jeans.

I'm short and love the clearance racks, which means I often come home with pants that are too long with plans to hem them up. I normally use the pinch hem (tutorial from Thinking In Shapes) method for jeans because you can't tell they've been hemmed at all. 

But this particular pair of jeans had a wide flare, and I had to take a lot off the bottom. Pinching was not possible.

 

This time I just measured how much to take off, subtracted my hem amount, and marked roughly with chalk

I serged along that line, then turned it up twice and topstitched. I didn't even have to cut them!

 

Voila, the jeans have been rehabilitated and are fit to become a contributing member in my wardrobe once more. The whole process took about 15 minutes--- so worth it!

 

A pinch hem would look better, though.


Does anyone know an easy way to shorten jeans with a wide flare but still keep the original hem? I'd love to know!

Threading Your Serger or Overlocker

I'm so excited for our first Serger Series post!

The first session is the hardest in any relationship counseling. This week, we are getting into the nitty gritty of threading your serger or overlocker. It may not be glamorous, but knowing how to thread your serger correctly is the basis for a long and happy life together.

Along the way I'll share a few frustration saving tips and tricks. 

Click the link below to get started! You can see more serger tutorials here or at the tutorials tab at the top of the page.

 Relationship Rescue Week 1: Threading Your Serger

If you are already a pro at threading your serger, skip ahead to our Week 2: Perfecting Serger Tension post. 

Ok, let's jump in! These instructions assume you are using a 3 or 4 thread serger that is not 'air threaded'. The serger I"m using here is the Brother 1034D

One caveat-- I'm trying to be as detailed as possible, especially when it comes to threading those pesky loopers. That being said, I haven't seen your particular machine. If you are having issues, I encourage you to read through your manual-- and you can always email me or comment here for help!

Thread & Tension Guides

Threading your serger starts with your thread! Since sergers feed thread through the machine faster than a regular sewing machine; using spool caps and thread cone inserts are a must.

Pull your thread through the fully extended thread tree and the thread guides above the tension disks.

Pull your threads through tension disks making sure they are well seated between the disks. I find it faster to do this for all 4 threads at once, since I'm short and I have to stand up to reach the thread tree.

I've labeled the looper and needle threads in the picture above. Order matters in serger threading-- always thread in this order:

1) Upper looper
2) Lower looper
3) Right needle
4) Left needle

Threading out of order will cause thread jams.


Upper Looper

Always start with the upper looper thread. Pull the thread through the thread guides. (Yours should be similar-- check your manual to be sure).

Turn your handwheel toward you until the upper looper is accessible.

Then, using your tweezers pull the thread through the eye in the upper looper .

Okay, the upper looper's done!

If you have had problems with your serger, the lower looper is probably the one that makes you cringe. If that's you, take a deep breath because that's what we're doing next.

We are going to cover two lower looper threading systems- regular and 'lay in'.

Lower Looper-- Regular (non- lay-in) version

(I switched to my old machine for these photos)
 
Pull the thread through the lower looper thread guides.

Turn your hand wheel until you have access to the thread guides that are attached the lower looper and pull your thread through the guides.

Now turn your handwheel until you see the  left edge of the lower looper peeking out.

Use your tweezers to grab the thread and thread the eye or thread guide on the left side of the lower looper.

Now, using your tweezers again, bring your thread back to the right side of the lower looper. 

Here is the tricky part. Because we have to keep turning the handweel to thread the lower looper, it's easy to get the lower looper thread under the upper looper arm. This will cause the thread to jam every.single.time.

We need to make sure the upper and lower looper threads do not cross.

The best way to do this is to turn the handwheel (always toward you) until the lower looper is above the upper looper. Then thread the lower looper.   

Here's a close up:

See how the upper and lower looper threads are free of each other? That's exactly what we want.

Lower Looper -- Lay In Version (I'm using a Brother 1034D )

This style is slightly easier to thread since the 'threading lever' threads the left edge of the lower looper for us.

Pull the thread through the lower looper thread guides.

For this style, pull out the small 'threading lever'. Position the thread so it's just resting against the lever as shown.

Push the lever back into place while holding the end of the thread.

 

Thread the eye of the lower looper, making sure not to cross threads with the upper looper. In other words, make sure that the lower looper thread is over the upper looper thread.

 

Needle Threads

Yay! Your loopers are done. Happy dance! Threading the needles are the easy part. Thread the right needle first then the left needle second.

Make sure your thread is well seated in the tension disks, then run it through the thread guides.

Then pull the thread through the thread guide in front of the needle bar and then the needle.

And you're done!

Thread Chain
Just like with a sewing machine, I find it's easier to start serging with a small piece of fabric under the presser foot-- it helps keep the thread from being pulled back into the machine. After that, you should easily be able to make a thread chain.

Troubleshooting:

If your looper threads are jamming or breaking:

• Verify your looper threads aren't crossed
• Make sure the needles were threaded after the looper threads
• Check that your needles are installed properly. Remove them, and push them all the way back in. Your left needle should be higher than your right needle.

If your stitch quality is poor or inconsistent

• Check that your thread is in the tension disks properly
• Make sure that the thread caps and cone inserts are on properly
• Consider changing your needle and/ or cutting blade

General Hints:

• I use a bit of thread wax (or even candle wax) to stiffen the ends of my thread to make it easier to thread the needles and loopers.
• It is possible to rethread your loopers by 'tying on' a new thread.  Snip the upper looper and lower looper threads between the thread tree and tension disks. Replace the spools, tie the new thread to the old with a small overhand knot and pull through the loopers.  
• If you are running short on thread cones, you use thread spools in your needles. You can even wind your own threads spools from your serger cones! 

Phew! I know this was a detailed post, but I wanted to make this 'guide' as complete as possible. I hope this was helpful to you and we'll see you back next week. We are going to tackle tension! (Edit: The Week 2 post is up: Perfecting Serger Tension)

If you have any tips of your own you'd like to share-- or have questions about troubleshooting your serger, email me or leave a comment here!

Pre-loved

A few days a go I found this little bunny on our kitchen counter.

 In pieces.

This little bunny had clearly had a rough life. Stuffing was escaping his joints, his arm was wounded and his little ear had been amputated.

My husband asked (gently) if we should throw him away.

The bunny is obviously not a favorite amongst the kids, and it's not their only handmade toy. What's special (to me) is *when* he was made. This little guy was hand knit by me before I had kids, or was pregnant, or even married.

Sometime in the early 2000's, I knit him up, then decided he was too cute to give away. He would have to wait for the children he was meant for-- mine.

 He's proof that Ishaan and Amaani were loved, cherished and wanted before they existed in this world. They were pre-loved.


So, I couldn't throw him away. I patched him up, and he's good as he ever was! Stuffing contained.

And both ears on.

Yarn crafts were my first love and taking these pictures made me want to get back into knitting! The pattern for the bunny is from Last Minute Knitted Gifts.

Happy Rakhi + Sew Mama Sew Guest Posts

Happy Rakhi everyone!

 

First, some sewing business! My very first guest posts went up on the Sew, Mama, Sew Blog this week. Check them out!

• Sewing Basics: Narrow and Rolled Hems with a Serger
• Sewing Basics: Ruffles and Easing with a Serger

I'm absolutely thrilled to be invited to contribute because I have been a reader of their blog for years! In fact, all the baby quilts I've made have come from Elizabeth Hartman's Charm Square Baby Quilt Pattern from the Sew, Mama Sew Tutorial page.

They have a fabulous collection of intermediate and advanced sewing tutorials and patterns; and just launched a new series of Sewing Basics posts that I'm so lucky to be a part of. 
Now back to Raksha Bhandan. Amaani wasn't feeling well, so our little ceremony was postponed. I should have pictures next week! I did manage to find a few links regarding rakhi that I thought you might enjoy.

• An adorable cartoon video explaining Rakhi from Global Wonders (via You Tube)
• How to Avoid Getting a Rakhi-- Apparently, getting Rakhi's from girls you have a romantic interest in is a common schoolyard problem

And I linked to this last year, but it so cute it had to be posted again-- 

• Elmo's First Rakhi!

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend! And I"ll see you back next week for our first Relationship Rescue: You and Your Serger series tutorial!

Relationship Rescue: You and Your Serger

I"m so excited to introduce my very first tutorial series! Each week in August I'll be posting a new serger/overlocker tutorial.

I have to admit something. My current serger is my second serger. My previous serger and I got a divorce. It was a rocky relationship from the start, we fought, we yelled, and eventually both of us said things we couldn't take back.

Now that I'm with my new serger, things are going much more smoothly. I realize now how I contributed to the problems with my previous (serger) relationship. I don't want this to happen to you!

This month I'm going to try something new on the blog-- each Wenesday in August I'll post a new, in depth tutorial on serger basics. If you are having trouble threading your machine or adjusting tension, tune in!

 

Here's what we've done so far:


Week 1: Threading Your Serger
Week 2: Perfecting Serger Tension
Week 3: Understanding Your Serger's Features
Quick Tip: Threading a Serger Out of Order
Week 4: Serging Curves

Once you and your machine are friends again, you'll have a firm foundation on which to spend many, many happy years together.

Hopefully, we'll see you back here next Wednesday!