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cloudy
Jul 3, 2007

Alive to the universe; dead to the world.
So, hopefully this isn't a question that gets asked too often, but I need some help! I'm not sure if this is just something that happens, or if I'm doing something wrong.

I'm sewing leather, but every once and awhile something gets all messed up on the bobbin side and threads get all caught up and the bobbin-side looks like crap and is all tangley.

I took a video, which was originally going to show the process of me making a keyfob for the purpose of asking my co-workers how I could go about doing it faster... Then it ended up illustrating the bobbin-side issue I see every once and awhile.

If anyone has some time (the video is about 5 minutes), I'd love any suggestions! (At this point I'm completely fine with having to move the thread-guide thing around as long as it makes the stitch look better, so you can disregard that part of the video, unless you do have any suggestions on speeding up the process :D)

I'm using a Juki LU-563 and upholstery thread.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVPHWYvsQWA

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cloudy
Jul 3, 2007

Alive to the universe; dead to the world.

armorer posted:

I am something of a newbie, but that looks like a tension issue to me. Can you increase the top thread tension and/or decrease the bobbin thread tension?

Thanks! Definitely pointed me in the right direction. I think I finally figured it out. I increased the top thread tension a little and also increased the bobbin thread tension. I had a double-check in the manual to make sure I was changing the bobbin tension correctly and... I wasn't. Woops. I was messing with the wrong screw the entire time.

So basically it took me all day fiddling with the tensions, but I think I found the golden settings!

Correct me if anyone thinks this is wrong, but I think if the bobbin tension is too loose, some slack can get in there around the bobbin assembly, and that's what causes the needle to pull up a bunch of extra thread. Causing a big yucky yuck.

Edit:

Turns out, I was kind of wrong in my conclusion! The tangled bobbin-side mess was because of a machine-threading issue I believe. I guess if you thread it with the presser foot down, it can cause problems with the thread getting between the tension discs properly. I've since been making sure to pull on the thread every time I lift the foot to make sure the thread is in the right position between the discs when I put the foot back down. Problem hasn't arisen since! (Since I'm sewing leather, I have to lift the foot a lot to make sure the needle lands in exactly the right place... Leather is so unforgiving.)

I found this article, which really broke things down and I think is a good read in terms of understanding thread tension http://www.threadsmagazine.com/item/4302/understanding-thread-tension/page/all

cloudy fucked around with this message at 22:59 on Apr 29, 2013

cloudy
Jul 3, 2007

Alive to the universe; dead to the world.
Does anyone have any experience with recurrent neck/upper back pain due to sewing for long periods of time?
Sewing is my full time job (luckily I get days where I don't have to sew and I get to stand or work on a computer instead) -- but when I have a big project and have to sew full time for a week sometimes I get really bad neck pain that doesn't go away for awhile. (I've been treating it with sports therapy type procedures so far: icing, rolling it, massages, etc)

Of course I am assuming it's the posture (often times I really crane my neck down to get my face right in there to do precision stuff) but I'm wondering if anyone has dealt with this and what their experience was?

Hopefully this is.. appropriate for this thread. Really just wanna know if people who do the same thing as me have the same issue, or if it's just me (caused by an entire life of being a hunched over nerd).

cloudy fucked around with this message at 17:55 on Jul 30, 2015

cloudy
Jul 3, 2007

Alive to the universe; dead to the world.

Goldaline posted:

Oh yeah, I have to work really hard not to have neck/shoulder/back issues. The combination of my weightlifting and textile hobbies are sometimes at odds with each other--my right pec/front shoulder muscles are super tight from years of pulling needle-and-thread and knitting motions and I had to do a lot of mobility work to fix it. It was messing with my overhead and bench press pretty badly.

I do mostly the same as you, plus lots of stretching. Look up mobility work outs/stretches for your specific trouble areas, and really stick to doing them every day. Get up and take lots of little breaks to move around and loosen up when you're working for long periods of time. Yoga is great too if you have the time. DDP Yoga, as goofy as it is, is a great back stretch/strengthener.

Oooooo I was going to ask about yoga, I'm glad you brought it up! Thanks for your response. Sounds like I really should be stretching every day, time to really try to get in to a new routine.

I actually had to stop weightlifting because I kept hurting my neck doing overhead press (surprise-- probably cause it was so tight from my sewing posture) so this all makes a lot of sense.

cloudy
Jul 3, 2007

Alive to the universe; dead to the world.

Pile of Kittens posted:

OSHA actually has some good suggestions for preventing strain and RSI. https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/etools/sewing/index.html

It's important that your sewing chair be able to lower to where you can see what you're working on without hunching too much. You have good light on what you're sewing, right? Like a desk lamp pointed directly at the foot?

Wow, awesome resource. Thank you!
I do have an adjustable light pointed right at the foot. But I definitely need a better chair like they show in the workstation setup examples.

cloudy
Jul 3, 2007

Alive to the universe; dead to the world.
One thing that also helped me is realizing that the tension discs in my machine release tension every time I raise the presser foot. So, every time I raise the foot for some sweet 90 degree pivot action, or whatever, I'm always sure to pull the top thread through the machine a bit to ensure the tension remains constant, and so the thread stays seated in the tension mechanism where it's supposed to be. If I didn't pull the thread through, that's when I would get the bobbin tangle of death.

cloudy
Jul 3, 2007

Alive to the universe; dead to the world.
So, I am going to try to make something nice for myself for the first time. Normally I just make Halloween costumes :)

I am going to try to do a poor man's dupe of this dress: https://www.chotronette.com/shop/mint-lemonade/

I have never worked with lace before, though! My current plan, which is not very well thought out, is to use an "easy"-grade pattern that I bought, and just do a lace overlay. Because I couldn't really find a lace dress pattern that I liked. (I honestly don't mind one bit that the bodice will not be see-through because of this).

Will that work? Basically just cut a lace version and a fabric version of the same pieces and pin it all together and sew? Will the lace cause any weird problems that I'm not accounting for?

cloudy
Jul 3, 2007

Alive to the universe; dead to the world.
Thank you! That's exactly the kind of thing I was looking for. Not sure what kind of lace I'm going to buy yet, but hopefully I can find something that looks a bit more weighty while still keeping it under-budget.

I found a youtube video that I think explains it with visuals (skip to 1:19). Looks like it's gonna be tough.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GK2Jwg5BqcI

cloudy
Jul 3, 2007

Alive to the universe; dead to the world.
My only suggestion is go really slow when learning, but yeah it takes practice. Try to figure out how to look at two things at once: where the needle is and where you want it to be.

cloudy
Jul 3, 2007

Alive to the universe; dead to the world.
Just wanted to say that I don't post in here much, but I love your art-inspired pieces Goldaline. They are an inspiration <3

cloudy
Jul 3, 2007

Alive to the universe; dead to the world.

Goldaline posted:

Ah, man, thank you so much! This is just dumb old cosplay though! Somehow I can't really justify it as 'real' work so I feel a bit silly spending so much time on them. But it's fun I guess, and I get to wear them at conventions!

I see no reason why cosplay, which is based on cool art, can't be real work! :swoon: Like, if you wanted to make a portfolio that was all about the colorful and avant garde, this could totally be in it! (Assuming that sort of thing is allowed.... Pieces based off other peoples art, etc).

cloudy
Jul 3, 2007

Alive to the universe; dead to the world.
That horse quilt is gorgeous! Though I am skeptical of the denim, haha. I would also love to see the end result of that bird pattern.

cloudy
Jul 3, 2007

Alive to the universe; dead to the world.
I actually found really good video documentation of my machine on Youtube. Have you searched for the exact model there, and tried to re-adjust timing on your own?

Also did you make sure to try and clean it out really well in case faux fur fibers are stuck all in the mechanism?
(edit: just realized you said you only broke a needle so maybe this wouldn't be an issue for you. Just thinking about how my main issues always stem from thread getting caught under the bobbin case. Maybe a bit of needle got stuck somewhere?)

cloudy fucked around with this message at 15:37 on Sep 21, 2017

cloudy
Jul 3, 2007

Alive to the universe; dead to the world.
I know! I am consistently impressed with how artistic and well-designed your work is, Goldaline. I know a lot is cosplay inspired which is really cool as well, especially because that forces the design to get pushed to these extreme places you don't normally see! I've even randomly seen you on twitter, maybe because we are just in the same kind of circles/demographics but I find that SO COOL! YOU ARE DOING SO GOOD THE WEBSITE LOOKS AWESOME!!

cloudy
Jul 3, 2007

Alive to the universe; dead to the world.
Hey, that fabric and print placement looks awesome 👌

My suggestion is if you ever come across some confusing instructions, try to look it up on YouTube so you can actually see someone doing it-- most of the time you can find the right technique being explained/demonstrated.

But those do look great! Especially for a first time and working from an old set of instructions!

cloudy
Jul 3, 2007

Alive to the universe; dead to the world.

there wolf posted:

Threads been quiet so here's some baby quilt content. I've been trying to downsize my stash so I've been limiting myself to only using what I've already bought.




I got this fabric seven years ago and way over bought, ending up with almost twice as many flying geese blocks as I planned. Since the goal was to use up as much as possible, I decided to make the top bigger which meant I needed more backing than what I'd already bought; came up with the elaborate back as an excuse to use up the original backing, that unicorn print, and a bunch more geese blocks. That ended up taking way longer than I thought, and I had to tie the quilt instead of quilting it to get it done on time.




Learned my lesson and made a much, much simpler back this time so I could actually quilt it. Out of all the quilts I've made, this is probably my favorite.

Just wanted to say that these are beautiful!! You have an amazing sense of color and design. I love them!

cloudy
Jul 3, 2007

Alive to the universe; dead to the world.
Tons of variables can affect the friction between the thread and the machine, I think. Coatings, content, bonding and twists, etc. So I would think if you switch brands you should probably expect to have to tweak tension a bit.

I hate it when I can't find a color in the brand I like, and have to get some other brand that has slippery thread. Stupid slippery thread.

cloudy
Jul 3, 2007

Alive to the universe; dead to the world.
Yep. Tension is meant to be changed, not one size fits all. So you might have to change it if you go from working on really thin material to thicker material as well.

I do really wish there were machines that could figure it out automatically though. Why has science not gone far enough???

cloudy
Jul 3, 2007

Alive to the universe; dead to the world.
I'd just sew a large patch over the area that is wearing out. If you have an old pair of jeans that isn't worth saving (and made from a similar material) that would be a good source for the patch.

cloudy
Jul 3, 2007

Alive to the universe; dead to the world.
Weird question that I've had for forever now. I bought some fancy Gingher scissors, and exclusively cut fabric with them. If ANY lint gets between the blades, it is so hard to open and close them. So basically ANY fabric I cut is a miserable experience. But I bought the fancy scissors so cutting fabric would be nicer. Any one else run in to this? Maybe the tightness of the bolt is wrong?

cloudy
Jul 3, 2007

Alive to the universe; dead to the world.
I've just been cutting four 16 x 1.5 inch strips from the material I am using.... Then turning those into straps, attached at each corner of the mask. (Like this lady suggests: https://thecraftyquilter.com/2020/03/versatile-face-mask-pattern-and-tutorial/ )

Then you tie the straps behind your head. Though admittedly it's a lot more time and work.

cloudy
Jul 3, 2007

Alive to the universe; dead to the world.

Bingo Bango posted:

I've been making the A.B. Mask (For a Nurse By a Nurse) and been really happy with the results. Gets a better fit than just the rectangles and easy to whip up in large batches.

Anyone know if this style works better with glasses fogging, or if there is no hope for me?

I've worn the actual ppe masks in that style that you could get at a drug store previously, and they were the worst glasses foggers, absolutely no vision for me. I've made a few t-shirt material masks in the fitted pattern (without much issue, the link I posted earlier in the thread may be easier/have better steps written out or something) and they cause less fog, but still some fog nonetheless to the point where I'm still not happy.

cloudy
Jul 3, 2007

Alive to the universe; dead to the world.
Soooo, this might not be super relevant to you because I just used Spoonflower for a small single personal project, and not for a larger order. But I was unhappy with their print quality (washed out colors).

cloudy
Jul 3, 2007

Alive to the universe; dead to the world.
I'm an OklaHO for OU!

cloudy
Jul 3, 2007

Alive to the universe; dead to the world.
edit: totally changing the direction of this post...

Any recs for good beginning quilting books or resources? I have a skillshare membership for some amount of months and there seems a decent program on there, but if anyone has something they love let me know!

cloudy fucked around with this message at 23:38 on Jun 9, 2021

cloudy
Jul 3, 2007

Alive to the universe; dead to the world.
Thank you!! You are a gem 💎

I'm excited to try something new. Just purchased my first mid-range NEW machine. I'm 34 and I've made it this long with a 90's hand-me-down. The end of an era.

cloudy
Jul 3, 2007

Alive to the universe; dead to the world.
I took all of your advice-- thank you all! Bought a quarter inch foot as well as a walking foot (as recommended by the nice sewing store ladies). Here's my first mini quilt, was hoping it'd be decent enough to hang on my little blanket ladder, and I think I did OK!

https://twitter.com/c10udy/status/1405646705496887303?s=19

Definitely figured out the areas that I will need to improve on. If you all are up for some quilt discourse... I watched 2 different tutorials, and got told 2 different recommendations for seams. One person said press seams to the side and nest, the other said press all seams open. Also one person said backstitching wasn't necessary when piecing, another said it was. Is this the "salt or no salt in pasta water" of the quilting world???

cloudy
Jul 3, 2007

Alive to the universe; dead to the world.

Lead out in cuffs posted:

Are those mitered corners on the border?

Yeah! Finishing that binding was some kind of torture. Gotta get better at that maneuver.


Lead out in cuffs posted:

I also feel like pressing to the side might be stronger?

Yeah, that's what I was thinking! I pressed mine flat because it's easier to not have to think about which direction to press. But I wonder if the pro opinion is flat for art quilts that will rarely see a washing machine, and to the side/nested for utilitarian quilts... utili-quilts.

cloudy
Jul 3, 2007

Alive to the universe; dead to the world.
I agree that your idea would be an advanced project. I like hutla's idea for something easier! I was also initially thinking of just sewing your blackout panels directly on to the existing nylon panels. That could work and be easier as well. Then hand-sew some buttons for a flap closure.

Either way, I think you'll definitely want to try a few 'intro' DIY projects to get used to sewing first, so maybe a couple classes would be good!

cloudy
Jul 3, 2007

Alive to the universe; dead to the world.
Question! I have never sewn spandex before, but I am going to work on something made of spandex soon. (Going to do something loose-fitting, not tight and stretchy actually... I just really wanted the cool iridescent finish on the fabric for a costume).
My sewing machine manual is kind of confusing about the needle. I've read you need a stretch needle, but i'm unsure if what was included with the machine is actually a stretch needle. I can't tell any discernable difference between the standard and the blue-shank needles, maybe it's just not something that is visble.

Do ya'll think this is a stretch needle suitable for spandex?



cloudy
Jul 3, 2007

Alive to the universe; dead to the world.
Thank you! Great explanation.

cloudy
Jul 3, 2007

Alive to the universe; dead to the world.

cloudy posted:

Question! I have never sewn spandex before, but I am going to work on something made of spandex soon. (Going to do something loose-fitting, not tight and stretchy actually... I just really wanted the cool iridescent finish on the fabric for a costume).
My sewing machine manual is kind of confusing about the needle. I've read you need a stretch needle, but i'm unsure if what was included with the machine is actually a stretch needle. I can't tell any discernable difference between the standard and the blue-shank needles, maybe it's just not something that is visble.

Do ya'll think this is a stretch needle suitable for spandex?

I definitely learned some things making these shiny joggers, lol. Turns out the printed shiny/iridescent finish was too tough for the stretch/ballpoint needle to get through, so I ended up with tons of skipped stitches. I switched to just the blue-shank needle with the sharp point and things went much better. Also learned that for parts where an overlocking stitch wasn't necessary, a walking foot was really helpful because this material slid everywhere and caused a lot of issues with just a regular presser foot. Walking foot really saved the day in some parts. Just some fun learning experiences for an amateur!
Thanks again for the needle input. I definitely think I have a better understanding of how the needles and different materials will interact!

photos of shiny pants and shiny jacket:

https://twitter.com/c10udy/status/1454705608465190912?s=20

cloudy fucked around with this message at 00:43 on Nov 3, 2021

cloudy
Jul 3, 2007

Alive to the universe; dead to the world.
Oh it rustles. (Not as loud as those 90's windbreakers though 😆). I think its meant for leotards and leggings and stuff, so I am not using it as intended!

cloudy
Jul 3, 2007

Alive to the universe; dead to the world.
Also, if you're in a decently-sized suburb there might be a sewing center/retailer that is locally owned near you. The one near me does all kinds of classes. Maybe look up nearby sewing machine retailers / quilting suppliers and they might be involved in teaching classes as well!

cloudy
Jul 3, 2007

Alive to the universe; dead to the world.
Did you watch the video in that Etsy listing description? That might help you to see any glaring differences in what you and they are doing.

It's hard for me to really get a good idea of the issue via text because I am bad at reading, but the only main thing I can think of that could be a problem is maybe your leather is too thick or thin for the post length? Are you using the setting anvil they recommend with the setting tool?

Aaaand that's my basic troubleshooting. Maybe someone else can chime in with more info if they know what's up.

I'm actually a leather worker by trade, but we use the dies that fit into machines to set that type of snap, so I haven't had to use the hand tools for those very often.

cloudy
Jul 3, 2007

Alive to the universe; dead to the world.
Is that these 2 pieces, aligned in this way with material between? It almost looks like the piece on the right is upside down on your example... But maybe it just got deformed because you hammered it a lot.

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cloudy
Jul 3, 2007

Alive to the universe; dead to the world.
Here's a close up of what the button-side of my snaps look like. The outside rim doesn't fold down over the interior ring, and the ring still rattles around a bit in there. If the setting tool they gave you deforms the outside of the snap, I think maybe they sent you one that is too big.

Only registered members can see post attachments!

cloudy
Jul 3, 2007

Alive to the universe; dead to the world.
Well, good luck! As an individual I always buy things from buckleguy.com. They seem to have a lot of options that are well categorized with lots of info to tell if you're getting the right size, etc.

cloudy
Jul 3, 2007

Alive to the universe; dead to the world.
What's everyone's favorite online retailers for fabric? I am having a really hard time finding anything I like... Specifically I guess I am looking for linen or rayon/linen. But I guess I'm just more interested in hearing about peoples favorite places to look for fabric in general!

Also, shot in the dark, but if you're in/around Chicago, favorite physical stores for fabric?

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cloudy
Jul 3, 2007

Alive to the universe; dead to the world.
Thank you Effika! I ended up going with something on fabric.com... I wanted to avoid it, but in the end they had stuff that was cheap and liked by me and the person I am making the dress for. I felt dirty ordering it though.

That emmaonesock store has a LOT of really cool stuff! Thank you for that!

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