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**Schuhby** · 6 February 2009, 13:49

Re: help please!! box cushions.

Hi Mary

Try taking some pressure off the foot and using a larger stitch and keep the bottom fabric taught as you go without pulling the piping fabric. You may also find raising the teeth a tad will help feed the fabric more evenly.

Philip

**Mairi** · 6 February 2009, 14:00

Re: help please!! box cushions.

Have you got the fabric on top & piping underneath. Try wrapping the underpiece round your third & middle finger & laying top fabric over third & under first. This method keeps an even tension on the fabrics & with left hand pull/guide the fabric from the back.
You might want to lessen the pressure on your pressure foot also check your thread tension. Check this by putting your pressure foot down on your fabrics with your needle raised, gently pull the thread.. you should feel just a little resistance as your tension spring is moving. If the needle is straining to let the thread through as you pull you will need to slacken your thread tension or if the thread is coming through needle with no resistance at the spring you will need to tighten it...this latter will not cause your fabric to gather.

Hope that all helped..sorry to those who know all this already but just had to share something of my knowledge as upholstery seamstress

**tomtom** · 7 February 2009, 07:12

Re: help please!! box cushions.

thank you for your suggestions. i will go and have a further go this morning.

Mary

**applemoon** · 10 February 2009, 15:30

Re: help please!! box cushions.

For anyone interested I had this problem when stitching a contrast panel onto a blind, one was linen the other was velvet and the velvet just kept getting longer and longer. I hated doing them and was not that happy with them when they were finished. These were made with my old basic sewing machine.

The machine I use now has something called IDT, Integrated dual feed technology and this has a piece that comes down and attaches to the back of the presser foot and it feeds the fabric from the top and the bottom thus keeping the together even if they are different weights.

It's a little too drastic to buy a new machine I know but anyone who's in the market for a new machine may be interested. See attched link.

I hope you have managed to sort it out Mary, good luck,

Kim

http://www.sewingmachines.co.uk/pfaffsel3_info.htm

**nic** · 10 February 2009, 16:41

Re: help please!! box cushions.

I've used that system, not one of my machines, sadly, as it's very good.
A walking foot, I have one, given to me by a customer whose husband gave her a new machine which came with one, so she passed the very expensive one she'd bought on to me. I've never got on with it though, anyone got any tips?

Mary, have you tried running the covered piping through your fingers so that the fabric is slightly stretched? It won't shift as much. Otherwise,all I can think of is pinning it.

**tomtom** · 11 February 2009, 06:43

Re: help please!! box cushions.

Have suceeded in finishing the box cushions, I did it with the piping underneath and that solved the problem.

I could have bought a machine with a walking foot mechanism in built but didn't think I would have used it enough, and just bought my industrial instead. Hindsight is a wounderful thing as I am doing more upholstery weight fabrics and some quilting both of which would have benefitted from using the double feeding. oh well!!

**thecurtainmaker** · 11 February 2009, 07:43

Re: help please!! box cushions.

Nic,
when using a walking foot, you need to stitch more slowly - adjust the speed regulator of your machine, if it has one. What sort of problems were you having?

**nic** · 11 February 2009, 10:28

Re: help please!! box cushions.

Just not seeing much difference, I think. I need to get it out and have a play, try stitching slowly, and with difficult fabrics. No point having the thing and not getting to grips with it. I hear them well spoken of, particularly for quilting, and as I've a project involving corduroy, small pieces of embroidery and piecework that I might want to quilt, it would make sense to learn. If I go ahead with this, I'll certainly be able to use my walking foot by the end. Can't think why it's been sitting in a bag in the corner of the room for months.
Do you use a longer stitch length? And what about foot pressure? Just fiddle about until you get a good result for each fabric?

Thanks!

Well done for beating the chenille, that was a steep learning curve, I expect.

**suel** · 11 February 2009, 12:06

Re: help please!! box cushions.

Hi Mary,

I felt for you when I saw your first message. That is the sort of thing that happens to me. You know the theory, you've made them before, and then someone comes along with a difficult fabric and it all turns into a nightmare. Something you though would take a few hours ends up taking days. So pleased you have sorted it out now.

Kim, I have been considering a new machine recently, toying with an industrial or a reasonably high end domestic. Have you had the machine long? Is it one you can recommend generally for most types of work we undertake? I have looked at the link and it looks like a good machine. Is it heavy as I tend to store my machine under my worktable until needed.

Thanks,
Sue.

**Louise** · 11 February 2009, 12:13

Re: help please!! box cushions.

Don't mean to butt in here, but I have a Pfaff and love it. It has the dual feed system, and other features like a 'slow sew' button, automatic needle down option, and automatic tie-off when you start and stop. The buttonholes are a dream too.

As long as I oil it regularly it does not let me down, and so far it has managed all the interlined buckram headings I have tried (even those with pretty heavy fabrics). It is fairly heavy and solid which makes it steady when working with large panels (but not difficult to lift as it has an integral handle).

**applemoon** · 12 February 2009, 14:13

Re: help please!! box cushions.

Hi Sue, yes I bought it about a year ago and like Louise it can handle any thickness of fabric I've thrown at it so long as I remember to select the right needle! also like most machines it's not keen on poor quality thread. With this machine came a box of threads in all colors which was fantastic BUT the machine doesn't like them at all. It's really portable so you could put it away after use easily.

You'd be welcome to pop in and have a practice with it anytime if you wanted.

I love it AND it's Pink! :-} Kim

**suel** · 14 February 2009, 08:19

Re: help please!! box cushions.

Hi Kim,

Thanks for that. Did you buy it because it was pink and then realise it was a good machine, or the other way around?!

Pfaff certainly seem to have a good reputation, the new member on this site who teaches only uses Pfaff I believe.

Sue.

**thecurtainmaker** · 15 February 2009, 17:04

Re: help please!! box cushions.

Hi Sue,
I suggest you also look at the Janome 6600P - this is the replacement for the 6500P and has a built in dual feed. I've just got one and I really happy with it.

**Rosie** · 15 February 2009, 20:00

Re: help please!! box cushions.

Hello Pen,

Did you also have a 6500P before buying your 6600P? I'm looking at a Grand Quilter.......does anyone have one/know about them?

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