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Twin Needle Skipped Stitches need some advice
Marly.Finn Intermediate Member since 3/4/13 Posts: 1	Login to reply to this post Like this post Date: 3/4/13 3:48 PM I have decided to make my own bathing suits, but I had a lot of skipped stitches on the peice of lycra which I had folded over and inserted elastic. On line I have seen the recommendations to use a walking foot, and a brand new needle. I will be buying these two items on my way home from work today. Does anyone else have any experience with this problem?
diane s Intermediate OR USA Member since 8/24/02 Posts: 3887	Login to reply to this post 2 members like this. Date: 3/4/13 5:41 PM Are you using a 'stretch' twin needle? I get skips with a single needle on lycra and tricot if it's not 'stretch' ------ My grandmother taught me to sew when I was 10, and I've been sewing ever since.
Marie367   Intermediate OH USA Member since 5/28/11 Posts: 1362	Login to reply to this post In reply to Marly.Finn << 1 member likes this. Date: 3/4/13 6:56 PM I made a bathing suit last summer and I have need of another one. I used a zigzag stitch (the one that makes 3 little stitches) and my accufeed (walking foot). I attached the elastic on the edge of the fabric first then turned it and sewed again. I think I used a stretch needle (might have been a sharp). I didn't try the twin stitch because I thought that would be too much stretch for the needles to handle. The twin stitch is not a strong stitch and twin needles are not strong needles either. I have had the hems sewn with a twin needle pop on me and I didn't want to risk that on my bathing suit. HTH
Pamela R   Expert/Couture ON CANADA Member since 6/22/07 Posts: 238	Login to reply to this post In reply to Marly.Finn << 2 members like this. Date: 3/5/13 10:20 AM I have made hundreds of lycra dance costumes and used twin needle, because it looked good, but unless I stretched the elastic openings very tight, I had skipped stitches, and snapped threads when they were tried on. I used triple zig zag a lot because I had more relyable results. I now have a cover stitch machine much easier, but one or two bathing suits are not a good excuse for one I had to sew a few years to warrant the investment
PattiAnnJ   Advanced OH USA Member since 12/3/06 Posts: 4987	Login to reply to this post 1 member likes this. Date: 3/5/13 10:31 AM Not everyone can run out and buy a cover stitch machine. If you can, good. Try using a stretch needle when sewing with knits and stretchy fabrics.
beauturbo Advanced CA USA Member since 5/2/09 Posts: 1446	Login to reply to this post 1 member likes this. Date: 3/5/13 5:24 PM Not everyone can probably even afford $ wise, to run out and buy and then maybe break several twin needles in a row attempting to be doing something with a twin needle either, sometimes. I used to really hate that when that happened to me on just anything! Twin needles do cost way more than twice the price of just a single needle. And not too hard to break them sometimes. So often doing something sewing technique wise with a single needle is just way cheaper than ever using any kind of double needle too. So lets say you were trying to stretch out elastic and hold out that bathing suit leg as far as possible, on both sides, while trying to sew over it with a twin needle, and stay on that elastic and not sew off of that raised harder to sew over area, and while trying to keep it equally stretched out, do it even and not catch a needle tip and deflect that, and have it hit your stitch plate and break a twin needle. If while even attempting to be doing the suit like that, if you broke 3 twin needles in a row, now that suit, has cost you maybe at least 10 or 15 dollars more to even sew, then expected and way more than if you just forgot all about even trying to be doing anything with a twin needle and just used a single one instead! For that extra (broken needle) money, since you already had the pattern, the possible 10 or 15 dollars in a few broken twin needles in a row, probably would actually pay for another 1/2 or 5/8 of a yard of swim suit lycra, and maybe you could have sewn even 2 swim suits instead. I can be kind of "cheap thinking" sometimes, so that is even how I might look at it there.
Pamela R   Expert/Couture ON CANADA Member since 6/22/07 Posts: 238	Login to reply to this post In reply to beauturbo << Like this post Date: 3/6/13 10:07 AM I agree, and that is why we have such creative minds, so that we can ........
beginagain   Intermediate KY USA Member since 10/30/06 Posts: 268	Login to reply to this post Like this post Date: 3/7/13 6:02 PM I know that many people recommend the stretch needles, but sometimes I get fewer skipped stitches with a ballpoint needle. ------ If you wait for the perfect time to start, you'll never start.

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