How Do I Make Adjustments To Make The Perfect Stitch - Encore sitdown User Manual

How Do I Make Adjustments to Make the Perfect Stitch?

Understanding how your long arm machine makes a stitch will help you make the proper
adjustments to make the perfect stitch. The technique all long arm machines use to make
a stitch is basically opposite of the home sewing machine. The home sewing machine is
designed to press together two layers of fabric and sew while the fabric is held in place
by the presser foot. Long arm machines are designed to press and sew multiple layers
together while the machine head is moving. The difference is that there is practically no
needle deflection on a standard sewing machine and a large amount of needle deflection on
the long arm. The higher the tension, the more the needle will deflect. Another cause for the
needle to deflect on a standard machine is the type of fabric being sewn. A tightly woven
fabric tends to force the needle in different directions as it penetrates the fabric. This type
of deflection depends greatly on the type of needle and type of point you use, such as a ball
point or sharp point.
What is Needle Deflection? What Causes Needle Deflection?
How is Needle Deflection Related to the Stitches on my Quilt?
On a long arm quilting machine, a stitch is mechanically created the same as a home
sewing machine, except the quilter is the feed dog, moving the machine head over the
fabric. The hopping foot presses the fabric together tighter and quicker than a home
sewing machine presser foot, because the fabric must be able to slide between the foot
and the needle plate as the machine is sewing. This means that the machine is moving
while the needle is in the fabric. The worst thing for a needle is to be in the fabric while the
machine is moving, which bends the needle, creating needle deflection.
Good stitches will interlock in the batting between the quilt top and backing. In real life, this
goal is rarely achieved. For this reason, you need to be aware that you will have "pokies"
if you use different colors of thread on top and in the bobbin. Pokies are where you can
see tiny dots of the contrasting thread where the bobbin catches the top thread. If there is
slightly more tension on the top than on the bottom, then you will see the pokies on the top
side of the quilt. If the greater tension is on the bobbin, then you will see the pokies on the
back of the quilt. If the pokies are objectionable to you, use the same color thread on both
top and bottom.
Tip: A general rule of thumb is that if the stitch looks bad on the top, it is the
bottom tension. If the stitch looks bad on the bottom, is the upper tension. The
upper and lower threads play tug of war with each other.
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