The overlocker whisperer

Good afternoon

Are you having a fabulous long weekend? Are you going to watch the grand final? I'll be honest and say I'll only half watch it - shhh :) I'll use the quiet time to get a couple of jobs done. Or maybe even rest in bed ...

I wanted to touch base re overlockers before I do hide from the world for a little while. Anyone who has ever done our beginner's overlocker class knows I like to make sure you can thread your machines from scratch and I can be a little particular on my finishes. I like a good overlocking finish LOL

There are some fabulous overlocker specials on at the moment and the Baby Lock ones finish tomorrow so I will just put a flyer here before I get into more trouble shooting tips and tricks. I have reduced our website prices and you will get the bonuses listed here with the purchase of the machine and you do have an in store pick up option. While the special finishes today with the public holiday here I am sure I have until Tuesday morning to place my order.

My sewing supplies, sewing machines, sydney

There are a couple of Bernina and bernette's on sale too

But back to trouble shooting. Does your overlocking ever end up looking like this?

But you want it to look like this?

Here are some things to look for and look at.

Are your needles bent or broken?

Are the needles the correct needle system? Eg 130/705 or HA1SP or EL705.....

Have you changed your needles recently to new needles? Needles have a sewing life of about 8 hours.

Are the needles the same size? Both 75/11, 80/12 or 90/14? Different sizes will not work together to form a good stitch.

Are your needles a decent brand? The cheaper needles are getting cheaper and increasingly have manufacturing defects, which affect their shapes and therefore the stitch formation.

Are the needles in correctly? Flat to the back? All the way up? Left needle higher than the right needle?

We can help you find the correct needle system in either of our stores, Lindfield and Sylvania. We are also happy to post orders.

When the needles are lowered manually with the fly wheel are they hitting anything? Are they hitting the guard in under the needle plate? This likely indicates a timing issue and your machine will need to be seen by a tech for a repair/service. Did you know that if you sew often you should have your machine serviced every year or two? Less often every 2 to 5 years? We are taking bookings for January for standard servicing if you want to make a booking and be organised. If you need a repair, please reach out sooner.

Are the pins on your needle plate bent, broken, missing? These help with the formation of the stitch and either the pins or the needle plate will need to be replaced.

Also have a look at you needle plate. Are there any nicks, rough spots, rust, markings that might catch and drag the fabric or stitches? These need to be filed back or the plate replaced.

We hope you learnt a little more today. If you want to know more about a new machine, please ask.

Have a great weekend and Happy overlocking

Bernadette, Ian, Vicky, Crystal, Sarah, Will, Lauren and Ray