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    Thread injection basics - material handling

    OK, I have an injector and I bought some material to play with. I can put thread in cloth. The next step is to hem a small project. The problem is material handling. Is the correct approach to pin the whole hem every 6 inches or so then feed it in or is there an easier way? I trying to run a 4 ft long hem 1/2 in wide.

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    Member littlebigpole's Avatar
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    ________

    Beware Plan A can be a little excessive .

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    Yes. My problem is more information overload than total lack.

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    Member littlebigpole's Avatar
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    Well I cant start giving advice until I learn from the experts. I can tell you for me that pinning help me to forget about holding the materials together and concentrate more on the speed I was sewing as well as following the seam allowances.
    ________

    Beware Plan A can be a little excessive .

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    Senior Member pb&j's Avatar
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    There are many different techniques that people use to keep hems straight.

    My Mom is an amazing seamstress, and I was taught to fold over and iron (depending on the material) the edge of the fabric to keep it in place, or pin it as you mentioned. Whatever works best for you, and the fabric you are using. Practice and patience are key.

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    Senior Member Ramblinrev's Avatar
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    The technique varies as much as the number of people doing it. The long and short of it is don't try to run a 4' hem/seam in one pass. If you are a professional stitcher with the right kind of machine and lots of experience you can do it. But six to eight inches is about as long a segment as most novice DIY folks can handle. At that rate some folks can fold as they go. I will do a rolled hem in two swipes and usually don't have to pin but I do have to readjust each single fold in start and go increments. You do what works and then as you get better you can play around with other techniques until you find the one that fits your personality and skill level. But stop and go is the best starting approach.
    I may be slow... But I sure am gimpy.

    "Bless you child, when you set out to thread a needle don't hold the thread still and fetch the needle up to it; hold the needle still and poke the thread at it; that's the way a woman most always does, but a man always does t'other way."
    Mrs. Loftus to Huck Finn

    We Don't Sew... We Make Gear! video series

    Important thread injector guidelines especially for Newbies

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  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by nothermark View Post
    Yes. My problem is more information overload than total lack.
    Exactly! There's so much information that it's hard to know where to start from.
    _____________________________________________
    Marius from Chariots GCS

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    For a hem, I'll pin the first bit then do the rest by hand. If you keep pressure pulling back and down, the hem will stay put and lay flat before going into the foot.

    Sew your own sew

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    Quote Originally Posted by nothermark View Post
    OK, I have an injector and I bought some material to play with. I can put thread in cloth. The next step is to hem a small project. The problem is material handling. Is the correct approach to pin the whole hem every 6 inches or so then feed it in or is there an easier way? I trying to run a 4 ft long hem 1/2 in wide.
    It depends on how picky you are, and how important the hem is.
    Some hems are 'pretty' and just meant to hide a raw edge (technically the side of a hammock is non-structural/cosmetic- though it does help prevent wear).
    Some hems are structural and may be critical; like the channel ends.

    Assuming ideal sewing:
    Yes- you pin as often as you need to maintain a crisp, clean even hem.
    In Hybrid Robic 1.7... that fabric takes a finger press and may need little or no pins.
    In 1.1 sil-nylon... that thing may skitter away even with pins every 3".

    Home machines are harder than industrials. And any feed or tension issues with the machine will manhandle/skew/twist your hem.

    As you get better... you use less pins.
    As mentioned above... some folks just need a pin or two to help them get started. This lets you measure, pin, and easily move the piece to the needle. Once held by the needle... you may be able to hand fold and line things up by eye.

    With a good machine and practice... I only use pins for my bridges and some complicated things. I can hand fold and eyeball hems within a 1/16" or so... gathered end channels within an 1/8".

    The biggest thing to practice is simply sewing straight parallel lines. I know I wanted to just 'go' but spending some time each time you sew simply sewing straight parallel lines on a 36" or longer strip of scrap helps.
    Starting and ending crooked, or wandering as you advance each section is common and takes time to learn to avoid.

    All that said...
    If you don't care, why should we? Sewing beautifully is a craft like any other.
    If you want a pro... hire one.
    If it's DIY... cut yourself some slack and just get it done.

    At the end of the day (in my opinion) you're making a piece of gear. Get it done functionally. Try it in the backyard before you trust it on a trip. Then get out and use it.
    If you'd care to take up the hobby of sewing... then put time into it. But too often I found myself sewing gear instead of using it, so if that doesn't sound appealing to you then don't get too bogged down in it.

  10. #10
    XJ35S's Avatar
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    I have to add that you should keep the machine needle in the down position every time you stop to set up the next 4-8" run. I had to learn this with my machine. If I didn't, it would slide the two pieces part and the hem would walk into an arrow point sort of and I'd have to rip 4" out to get it straight again.

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