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
Bobbin Tension - A Personal Viewpoint
This is pretty good advise.
I do disagree on the use of "sharps" as they tend to cut threads.
Small(60 and 65) ballpoints do a pretty bang up job on lightweight synthetic fabrics and hand tension on the fabric can also help but people tend to get nervous that close to the presserfoot.
That is exactly right which is why ball point needles on woven fabrics are a bad idea. They punch through instead of pierce through. You actually have this backwards. Ballpoints are made for knits. Sharps can split the knit fibers and weaken them. Ballpoints push the fibers aside and maintain the integrity of the strand. Woven fabrics are a whole different beastie. The sharps slide down into the holes between the threads, pushing them aside instead of punching through with brute force. I have never seen sharps cut the threads of fabric and I've been stitching for 50+ years. Now if you are confusing a sharp with a leather needle you are right on. Leather needles are used for vynal and leathers only. The have knife edges on the shaft which slice, dice and make julienne fries.
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
Bobbin Tension - A Personal Viewpoint
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
Bobbin Tension - A Personal Viewpoint
You've gotten great suggestions so far. I find it helps to use a bit of scrap before my main fabric and sew from that to the main fabric (do this if you don't want to start in and then back up towards the edge.) Another easy fix: if you have an older machine, be sure to hang on to both of your threads when you start, just for the first few stitches. It will become second nature.
Good luck!
We could have a really good debate on this.
I only have 35 years stitching experience.
A bit of plain sewing now and then but mostly embroidery.
I don't do vynal and leather because the punch out(good for reinforcing pads)
I have seen cutting of threads by sharps,especially on coated synthetics.
Last edited by jadekayak; 04-28-2016 at 21:15. Reason: my lousy spelling again
Embroidery can make a big difference. If you are doing satin stitch embroidry then you might have a valid point. Although I don't have a lot of experience in that. For the uninitiated, satin embroidry is created by very close stitches of usually very short length. That's a lot of holes to put into a small area of fabric. The repeated close piercing or a sharp might lead to nicking the fabric to the point of failure. In that instance I would entertain the idea that small ball point needles might be a better choice. For normal gear stitching I remain an advocate of the sharps.
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
Bobbin Tension - A Personal Viewpoint
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