Heading Tape

[PWhitaker]

Hello.......my first question,

It's a little basic so i hope you will bear with me.

When i sew heading tape on the top goes fine but when i come to do the bottom by the time i get to the end i have loads of tape left over and the front has twisted in a nasty way and there is no way they will hang, what am i doing wrong?

I have found Rufflette Universal Tempo tape and am very keen to use it in my dining room, does any one know where i can find any information on how to use it?

Many thanks
Pauline

[Rosie]

Re: Heaading Tape

Hello Pauline and welcome,

This problem is happening because your heading tape and the curtain are traveling under the foot at different rates.

Until you get the hang of dealing with fabrics and the way they 'walk' independently of each other, I could suggest you tack your heading tape on, stitch and remove the tacks. I'm sure that by adjusting the pressure on your foot will also help.

Another tip I heard the other day was to stitch the top line of the heading on from the reverse as I suspect you have done and then to stitch the bottom line from the face side starting at the opposite end. This does, however, take practice and perhaps tacking or good pinning and not pulling the heading along as you go may be good starting points.

Some machines have a walking foot attachment to fit that also helps stop the slipping between layers. Some very smart ones even have built in ones.

Hope this helps. I had the same problem sooooo many times when I started out. I thought I must be the worst sewer in the world.

[Schuhby]

Re: Heaading Tape

Tempo and wave tape has been discussed at length, if you do a search on the subject you will see previous posts and threads.

Philip

[Louise]

Re: Heading Tape

Hi Pauline

You probably are already, but make sure you sew the top and bottom of the tape in the same direction. I start at one end of the tape, then along the length of one edge, and stop. Then I go back to where I started, sew the second long edge, and finally the last end.

And as Rosie said, sew slowly and make sure the tape does not stretch or slip as you go.

Rufflette have some pages with FAQ and instructions - take a look here http://www.rufflette.com/guides/guide.html

[suel]

Re: Heading Tape

Hi Pauline,

Cheaper tape is more likely to do this, as it stretches when it is sewn on.

Philip was raving about double sided self adhesive tape recently. I think this could be another use for it...instead of tacking???

A tip I learned at college - start stitching on the tape (from the tape side), grab about 8" of tape and curtain in front of the sewing machine, in your right hand and pinch it keeping the layers all together. Keep pinching the fabric as you sew those 8" and keep repeating all the way along. If you do this along the bottom row of stitching it definitely helps.

Sue.

[Julie Evans]

Re: Heading Tape

Just pin the tape with vertical pins top and bottom and stitch carefully over the pins as you sew. If your tape bunches up it is easier to absorb the excess a little at a time. A built in even feed foot stops this problem completely, I would never not have one again!!
Julie

[Penny]

Re: Heading Tape

Hi Julie
I am sorry but I do have to disagree with about sewing over pins.
No matter how careful you are at some point your needle will hit a pin and break, this can lead to the timing of your machine to be knocked out at great expense. Always make sure you pull your pins out before you get to them to avoid this happening.

[Rosie]

Re: Heading Tape

I have sew over pins, to my big regret! I have broken needles (not so bad) and knocked my machine's timing out. Costly mistake!