Gathering with straight stitch
A straight stitch can be used to gather sleeves, cuffs, skirts or
valances. To obtain neat and even gathers you should sew two or
three rows of gathering stitches.
•
Set your stitch length to 6.0 mm. Lower thread tension to 3.
•
Mark the fi rst gathering line on the right side of the fabric.
Sew along this line. Leave about 4 - 5 inches (10-13 cm) of
thread at the beginning and end of the seam.
•
Sew 1 or 2 more rows of stitching, using the edge of the
presser foot as a guide.
•
Gather the fabric by pulling the bobbin (bottom) threads to
the desired fullness.
•
Distribute the gathers evenly and knot the thread ends
together to secure the gathering.
Tip: It is important to use a strong thread when gathering to
avoid thread breakage when pulling on the gathering threads.
Feather stitch
The feather stitch creates a hemstitching effect. It is often used
for connecting two fi nished fabric edges called bridging.
•
Finish the fabric edges and press the seam allowance to the
wrong side.
•
Place the fabric under the presser foot with the edges
approximately 1/8 inch (3 mm) apart.
•
Stitch from the right side of the fabric, making sure that the
needle catches the fabric on the right and left sides.
Tip: To make guiding the fabric easier, use the bridging guide
(special accessory). It is available in 3 mm and 5 mm widths. The
small post on the bottom of the guide is inserted in the small
hole at the front of the needle plate.
Cross-hem Knit stitch
This highly elastic stitch is very suitable for decorative hems.
•
Fold the hem allowance to the reverse side.
•
Stitch the hem from the right side of the fabric. Trim any
excess hem fabric up to the stitching.
Decorative sewing
5:13