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Member since 4/28/02
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Posted on: 6/17/06 10:41 AM ET
I now ( having had a week off work ) have 3 tee-shirts and 3 tanks to hem and finish off with the coverstitch machine and I wonder if any one has any hints or tips on how to keep the hem level under the coverstitch, ensure that it is completely caught etc. I must admit that my usual approach is to baste the hems and facing then coverstitch using the basting stitch as a guide line, but there must be a eaier, quicker way than this surely, but is also accurate. I also made two pairs of trousers as well.
  
Member since 1/1/03
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Posted on: 6/17/06 10:53 AM ET
In reply to Susan Smith
You can use water soluable thread to machine baste the hem on the inside, close to the cutline. That will give you a line on top to follow when you are coverstitching. The basting thread then can be dissolved with steam. This is the only way I've ever done it. Tip from Liane McConnell.
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Member since 4/4/02
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Posted on: 6/17/06 11:22 AM ET
I coverstitch just inside the hem and then trim off any excess with my applique scissors.
  
Member since 4/8/02
Posts: 2662
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Posted on: 6/17/06 6:58 PM ET
On my serger, I marked the coverstitch "table" at 1 inch, 5/8 inch, 1.5 inch, and 2 inches from the left needle. Those are the standard hem depths that I use. I turn under my hem and use the marks as a seam guide.

I think I like the idea of the basting line to mark the edge of the hem. I haven't ever done that 'cause I never thought of it, but I baste in the fold line for the hem. I find that is the easiest quickest method of marking and making a uniform hem. It would add almost no work to run another basting line. Hm.
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Neefer aka AgitProp and Village Churl Sewing Blog: http://www.oaktrees.org/blog/

Bonny lass, bonny lass, will you be mine?
You shall neither wash dishes nor serve the wine;
But sit on a cushion and sew a fine seam,
And feast upon strawberries, sugar, and cream.
  
Member since 6/26/05
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Posted on: 6/17/06 8:53 PM ET
I usually pin horizontally (parallel to the hem) very close to the raw edge, poking it through the front as I'm looking at the back. As long as the heads are pointing towards me I can whip them out quickly before the presser foot runs over them.
  
Member since 2/9/04
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Posted on: 6/19/06 8:09 AM ET
Would Steam-a-Seam work? I've used this on stretchy hems before the stitching process and had no problem.
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Member since 4/17/05
Posts: 109
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Posted on: 6/19/06 8:20 AM ET
In reply to Susan Smith
I iron my hems first, using a seam guage to make sure they are even and Magic Sizing to help hold them in place. Then I use one of those magnetic seam guides on the throat of my cs machine to guide myself. I err on the side of caution making sure that the fabric will definitely be caught by the cs stitches. Then if there is any extra I trim it off with small embroidery scissors. If I had applique scissors, I would use those!
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- Anne
  
Member since 4/23/02
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Posted on: 6/19/06 6:34 PM ET
In reply to Gigi Louis
But not too close! This is what I do, but lately I'm finding that I'm trimming too close and nipping some threads, which usually makes the coverstitch come undone.


While we're talking about coverstitch hints, I'd like any hints on how to neatly coverstitch over the bumps caused by seams. My machine gets a bit caught here and the result is lots of stitches very close together and usually at an angle. Not too pretty. My technique, which doesn't work 100%, is to stitch until the lump just meets the front of the presser foot. I lift up the front of the presser foot and help (push) the lump past it. This is the first obstacle. The next obstacle is that the lump gets caught just after the needle. When I get to this point I grab the fabric from behind and in front and help pull it through. The other thing I do is to make sure the seam lies towards you (i.e., the serger will stitch over the seam line and then the seam allowance). It seems to work better than if the seam lies the other direction. How does anyone else solve the seam-bump dilema?
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Lori (visit my blog at: http://monkeyroom.blogspot.com)
  
Member since 8/24/02
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Posted on: 6/19/06 7:19 PM ET
LoriB, you need a hump jump. It's a gadget you put in front of the bulky seam as you get to it so the pressure feet are even then you move it to the back of the seam as you get to it so that the feet are still level. A stack of post-it notes work well as does anything small you can put under the pressure foot to hold it flat against the seam bump.
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If it's worth sewing, it's worth sewing well;
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Member since 1/5/04
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Posted on: 6/19/06 7:21 PM ET
In reply to LoriB
Lori, I had the exact same problem with my Evolve. I recommend getting the plain coverstitch foot (the one that comes with the BLCS) and using it on the Evolve. I ended up buying the BLCS because this problem drove me crazy. After I had used the BLCS a while, it occured to me that the problem might be the big bulky foot on the Evolve, so I tried the BLCS foot and it worked perfectly. I think that the extra bulk of that seam gets hung up under that bulky foot. I have also used Solvy under and over the seam to make the fabric smoother when it goes under the foot. Hope this helps.
  
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