Twin or Double needle on stretch fabric - skipped stitches

[Jan Thames]

I have been trying to make some wide legged pajama pants from stretch fabric and I thought I would use a twin needle to hem them but I am having real bother as I keep getting skipped stitches. I have tried changing the tension and I have even used fusible webbing to stabilise the hem before sewing but it still happens. Also sometimes the thread seems to shred and bunch up in front of the right needle making a knot so the thread breaks. Any help would be appreciated. TIA

[sewingrandma]

Jan, welcome to the boards. We are a small group but friendly.
Are you using a stretch twin needle in the appropriate size for your fabric. I have found if the needle is too large for the fabric weight (or the wrong type) I do get the shredding of thread and the skipped stitches. Many times you just have to keep playing with the machine, needles and thread until you hit the magic combination. Hope this helps. I'm sure someone will be along shortly and add their experiences and suggestions.

[Jan Thames]

Hi Sewinggrandma, To be honest I'm a novice and I don't know the difference between needles. I bought the needle in John Lewis today and it was the only one they had. It says it is for stretch and the numbers are 4/75. The fabric I am using is very thin with lots of stretch that I bought from an Indian Sari shop but I'm not sure what it is called. I have been reading tutorials and watching youtube and there is some suggestion that I might have to change the bobbin tension but I don't really want to do that if I can get away without as I seems it could cause more problems than it causes. Thank you for help.

[LeapFrog Libby]

I was taught that the secret tp adjusting bobbin tension was never more than a quarter turn of the screw and then test stitch between each adjustment.. That works fr me. I mostly never have to do more than one turn to get it right.

[sewingmom]

Jan, look through the archives here. I know that skipped stitches on stretch fabric has been discussed but I'm not sure what the consensus was. My coverloc Machine does the same thing and is a bear to get adjusted where it will behave.

[Jan Thames]

Thanks Leapfrog Libby. I'm still a little nervous of trying to change anything as i have been warned it is a problem to get back to normal settings. I wanted the pants for a fete today but as I couldn't get it right I gave up. Just as well I did it was a wash out with torrential rain, thunder and lightening. I would have been so cold here in Kent UK that I am glad I didn't manage to get them done. I will try again next week. Thank you for your help.

[Jan Thames]

Hi Sewingmom. I will have a look through and hopefully find a thread that will help. Thank you.

[sewingrandma]

Jan it sounds like the size of your needle was fine. Did you play around with the stitch length? Sometimes that causes skipped stitches while using twin needles.
http://www.thesewingdirectory.co.uk/new ... episode-6/ If you read through the entire article you'll find some hints working with knits and other sites to go to for more hints. I learned a bit reading it.
https://aimforquality.wordpress.com/techniques/ This site has lots of different info on sewing. Go down to knits and it has 2 sites to go to.
http://www.made-by-rae.com/2012/02/hemm ... y-puckers/ This site has a wealth of info on knits. She also has many free patterns you can download. I've used many of them sewing for infants and toddlers with very good results.
Hope some of these articles help you continue on your sewing journey. I find that I am still learning even after nearly 60 years of sewing.

[sewingmom]

You know , The last time I had a needle and skipped stitches problem, Marty had just the right needle recommendation, It was a special type of needle point. Microtex, but reading the label, it doesn't mention very stretchy fabrics. I believe I was stitching on a heavy polyester double-knit with a small amount of stretch. Hmmm, maybe she will chime in here.
sewingmom

[MartySews2]

Hi Jan, when sewing with fabric that has Lycra in it, the best needle to use is a Microtex sharp needle or a stretch needle. I also use water soluble embroidery stabilizer to tame the fabric. It washes out easily with no residue. I have had a curling problem when using a flimsy knit. I rarely sew a knit on my sewing machine preferring to use one of my sergers. Skipped stitches usually mean a dull needle or incorrect threading. I rarely ever change the tension on my machines. If you use a twin needle, the thread must come off of the spools clockwise for spool one and counter clockwise for spool two. This way the threads do not get tangled with one another. Hope this helps.
Marty