So you're having trouble getting a certain fabric to move smoothly through your sewing machine.
You *could* be experiencing a maintenance issue, but unless Something Very Bad happened, you probably don't need major service. I'll discuss service tips in a future post, so stay tuned.
The following fabrics can cause issues.
Lightweight silk
Lightweight polyester that you call silk
Satin
Stretchy stuff like Lycra or spandex
Stretchy stuff like T-shirt or sweatshirt knits
Bulky fabrics
Upholstery fabrics
Vinyl/leather (vegan leather is vinyl. Pleather is vinyl. It's either animal hide or vinyl.)
Sequin/Rhinestone/glitter fabrics
Fabric plus wadding/batting/squishy stuff in between(quilts, pre quilted fabrics)
Cuddle fabrics (Minkee, Flurr, ultra soft velour)
Velvet, velveteen, velour
So many layers
Matching striped or plaid patterns.
All of these items are special. They all require special treatment.
Here's the equipment that can make these easier to work with:
A Walking Foot. You need one. Everyone needs one. Your machine feeds fabric through by pulling on it from below with a mechanism that "walks" along, upside down. So the bottom layer is being pulled through, and we hope for the best on top. A Walking foot provides that same feed on the top, right side up. So the fabric is being drawn through the machine from both the top and bottom at the same time. Good for: almost everything on the above list I believe it was originally designed for machine quilting but mine has carried me effortlessly through fur Santa suits, Minkee projects, slinky, slippery fabrics, and more. Bad for: Some velvets because the wide foot can crush the velvet. Price: $30-50 USD, sometimes more for deluxe or proprietary versions.
A Non-Stick Foot. (Also called a Teflon Foot.) This foot will look very similar to your regular presser foot, but the bottom will have a non-stick coating. Great for: leather, pleather, vinyl, oilcloth, laminated fabrics, applique with adhesives. Price: around $15 USD
Straight Stitch Foot (And straight Stitch plate.) this foot has a single small hole in the center needle position. (Some of them are also 1/4" feet for quilt piecing.) Perfect for: slippery, lightweight fabrics, small pieces, and stretchy/knit fabrics that get pushed down into the machine. Price: around $15 USD.
A Roller Foot: if you can find one for your machine, these are a great option. Similar to a walking foot in application, this foot provides a smooth rolling bar as the top pressure, so that the feed mechanism can more easily push the fabric through. It's not as bulky as a Walking foot, and usually snaps right on to the machine like your other basic presser feet. Perfect For: leather/vinyl, small items with batting, straps on tote bags, crunchy fabrics with sequins. Price: $25-20 USD
A Special Technique: Ok, so sometimes even with the right needle*, the right foot, and the best creative intentions, you're still struggling. You might want to research how to work with that unusual fabric you got from Joann's on sale:
Sequins, beaded fabric, fabric with rhinestones: in the areas where you intend to sew the seams, get out a seam ripper and carefully remove the sequins, beads, or rhinestones from the fabric. This is how the pros do it. (If the items are "set" with metal fasteners, use pliers or a flat screwdriver to bend the prongs and remove both the stone and the setting.) Price: Your Time
Laminated fabrics: this is the *other* type of sequined fabric. The kind where the sequins are just reflective plastic bonded directly to the fabric. This stuff truly is The Devil. A Teflon Foot can help, a Teflon needle can help, or you can *try* to pick off the sequins. What I wound up doing was using a permanent fabric glue to glue the seams with this fabric, and see the linings. (Line it. Trust me. That texture is also The Devil.)
The above advice also holds true for other chonky, crunchy fabrics, btw. I like Fabri-Tac for gluing seams. I made Rocky Horror costumes that lasted years using this method. Price: around $10 USD for a bottle. Note: keep it sealed up in a ziplock bag.
One Final Note:
For the love of all that is holy, stop pulling the fabric through the machine.
Forcing fabric through the machine is bad for you, bad for the machine, and bad for the needle. Don't reach behind the foot, and don't let your hands go past the foot while sewing. Sit upright in your chair, control the fabric from in front of the foot, not behind it. Many people either pick up the bad habit from someone else, or learn to sew on a machine with feed issues, and wind up pulling the fabric through the machine because they can't get it to feed properly.
Correct hand posture illustrated below:
The needle goes down, the feed goes down. The needle comes up, the feed moves the fabric forward. The needle goes back down, the feed goes down. (See gif below in slow motion.)
You. Can't. Match. This. Pattern.
If you're pushing/pulling on the fabric, you're pushing/pulling on. the. needle. while it's in the fabric. If you break a lot of needles, and/or if the hole in the needle plate has a lot of scarring around it, I'm talking directly to YOU. Hands in front. Let the machine do its job. And if it struggles to do its job, give it the right tools.
Happy Sewing!
*Needle information can be found on my previous post:
