Sewing <<Excuse me>> Making Gear Question.

[Fig]

So we have a lot of people here who seem to be very talented with a sewing machine or fabric attachment mechanism. I have a question. I was sewing up a few tarps and was running a pretty long hem. Somewhere around the middle or 2/3's of the way I started having the fabric squeezing to the side of the machine causing the hem to veer off close to the edge. What do you pro's do at this point?

1) Stop the machine, pick up the needle and reset it and the fabric.
2) Just keep on going and assume it gives the piece character.
3) Stop everything like you have hit the end, cut the line and start over from that exact point. This would make two distinct stitches, almost like if you ran out of thread in the bobbin right in the middle.
4) Rip it all out and start over.

Maybe it's just my level of experience, but I look around at little things like the cargo shorts I am wearing and am just in awe of the stitching work and how many different edges there are and they are all sewn up just perfect. Makes me wonder if I could ever get that skilled. And to make things even worse, you have to figure the person who sewed them up didn't make a lot of scratch to do it.

[Ramblinrev]

1) Stop the machine, pick up the needle and reset it and the fabric.
2) Just keep on going and assume it gives the piece character.
3) Stop everything like you have hit the end, cut the line and start over from that exact point. This would make two distinct stitches, almost like if you ran out of thread in the bobbin right in the middle.
4) Rip it all out and start over.

All four options are just that... options. Depending on what I am making and what my expectations are of it I will choose one of those and move ahead. If it is a seam which is structural, like the ridgeline of a tarp. I will usually rip the bad stitches out and pick up where things were still good. If it is a hem around the outside of something I will often opt for character and usually it will not compromise the structural integrity of the piece. Often I will simply recompensate and keep going.

To stop and start again like #3 you beging about 1/2" behind where the stitches stopped and sew directly over the previous stitch line. That way the "two distinct stitches" blend into each other and more or less disappear.

To put things in perspective, professional sewers in cargo pants factories do one seam all day long. Sometimes for days on end. They get pretty good from just simply practice. When flamingo was sewing in a factory she was allowed a 2 mm margin of error. In her test for the job she had to sew a printed pattern and managed to nail each and every line. But she had been sewing professionally for over ten years. In addition, the factory machines are not your typical household machines. They have special characteristic which make it easier to sew with that kind of precision.

Keep plugging away. I personally use the functional approach. If the problem is cosmetic and not function who gives a rat's pitoot. Generally speaking the only people who are going to care are other more experienced DIYers and they are the best people to ask "How would you have avoided this?" Most of the time they will look at you and say... "I can't.. But here's how I work with it."

[Fig]

Thanks so much for the quick reply. I do have to say, it was quite refreshing this weekend to be hanging underneath a tarp that I sewed up myself. I was pretty pleased when the dew started falling, and I was fat, dry and happy. It was a lot quieter than the generic tarp my daughter was using.

I will just keep on plugging away at it. BTW, thanks for the videos. Between that and memories of my Grandma sewing up any and everything, I had the nerve to tackle something larger than a gear bag.

[Topplestack]

I'm right there with you Fig. I just started making gear again and realized that I'm not very good at sewing in a straight line anymore. (Not that I ever was). So far I have done each thing on your list and then some.

[gunn parker]

If I have rerad you right and if it were me, I'd do this.

Leave the needle down and raise the foot, then turn the fabric so that when you start to sew again it goes back to where you want it.

Then lower the foot and start sewing. Try to line up the edge of the fabric on the right hand side with one of the lines marked on the plate below the foot.

I like to hold the fabric out from the machine toward me but in line with one of the marks, then sew.

An old photo but shows the needle plate marks.

[Ramblinrev]

Here a couple of other options which might (or might not) be helpful in handling wayward stitch lines...

NOTE... some of these will appear to be contradictory. That's because they are. Thread injuecting is not an exact science.

Slow down.... Sometimes people run the machine faster than they can control the fabric. It is easy to get the foot pedal to metal. Back off on your lead foot.

speed up... sometimes people run the machine so slowly they dot take advantage of the feed dogs ability to move the fabric in a straight line and they over correct creating porblems down the line.

Change your grip... Different people and different situations need a different manner of guiding the fabric. Experiment with what works best for you at the time.

change your stitch length. Short stitches work well on curves because they are easy to redirect, Longer stitches tend to work a straighter line. Again experiement.

Move the machine/table... Make sure there is plenty of room around the machine and table so fabric has a place to go without getting bunched up.

Bunch the fabric up... Particularly when you are sewing a ridgeline flat felled seam on a tarp you have a huge expanse of fabric trying to cram it's way through the little space between the machine and the needle. Bunch up the fabric so it remains more compact and easier to control.

Change the direction of the stitch line. I can't tell you how many times I have sat down and tried to run the stitch line in such a way that the fabric would be on the enclosed side of the needle. (see above) I have, mopre than once had to stop and reorient the fabric so the bulk of the fabris was to the left of the needle rather than the right.

I am sure ther are more things that will add to your bag of tricks. But once again, this is not an exact science. It is a skill whichb can be learned and perfected. That said, no way will I ever be a better stitcher than my wife. She is naturally gifted for the task. I am not. That's ok. after all.. we don't sew... we make gear.

[canoebie]

Great ideas and suggestions. One thing I do if I have a bunch of fabric is that I will fold it or roll it and pin it so it is easier to guide. When it is too bunched, it feels chaotic and I have a hard time focusing on the stitching. I am just beginning to learn the importance of grip and different styles of feeding fabric and how it effects stitching. It is fun to take on something new.

[Cannibal]

Option #2 for me.
Keeps people from stealing my gear and if they do, I can I.D. it.

[bigcranky]

Something else to consider is the character of silnylon and other very light, slippery fabrics. They are just plain harder to sew than the cotton used in your cargo shorts.

My solution is #5: Let my exceptionally talented wife sew it for me.

[SmokeHouse]

It’s really up to you on how perfect you want your tarp. I’m almost done with the one I’m building. I was going to sew ¾ grosgrain ribbon around the edge and the 1.1 silnylon winkled up. I played and played and adjusted and then finally gave up. I took all the grosgrain ribbon off and now doing something else.