bernie fixes sewing machines

A Little Serger Tip

2017-02-23T17:27:00.001-08:00

I thought I'd do this short post in response to how many times I've seen this issue come up in classes.

I took a picture of three different samples sewn on the same serger. The tension was set exactly the same on each one.
On the sample on the left, the edge of the fabric is curled. The sample in the middle, the looper threads go too far beyond the edge of the fabric. To correct both problems, I did not fiddle with looper tensions. I simply changed the width to which the fabric was cut.
For the left one, I decreased the cutting width, which pulled the fabric away from the edge of the threads. For the middle one, I increased the width, which brought the fabric out to the edge of the threads.
I let the fabric determine for me, where to set the cutter. This is much easier than playing with tension.
The sample on the right was easily achieved using this method.

Shelley's latest pattern on Craftsy!

2016-08-13T13:12:00.000-07:00

What a great pincushion and thread catcher! Easy to follow pattern, with great sewing machine instruction.

Here is the link;http://www.craftsy.com/pattern/sewing/other/snowflake-pin-cushion--thread-catcher/217541

Tonbo Bag

2016-04-24T18:25:00.002-07:00

Yay!! I finally convinced Shelley to list her beautiful Tonbo Satchel pattern on Craftsy! http://www.craftsy.com/pattern/sewing/accessory/tonbo-a-japanese-style-satchel/203175?rceId=1461546275279~s7adsdxo She has so many great projects and I hope she posts them all. She pays great attention to detail and gives excellent sewing machine instruction in each one.

We used this bag for our TopStitchers Club and the techniques covered were, Sashiko, applique, perfect edge stitching, ruffling, corded pin tucks and zipper insertion without a zipper foot.

She includes fantastic close-ups of the fabric and foot placement.

I can hardly wait til she puts up her next one!!

Presser Foot Tips #1

2016-02-15T15:43:00.001-08:00

It's a miserable wet day here and I am not very motivated to work on machines. Since I am reasonably caught up and you probably wouldn't want me to work on your machine when I'm not really into it, I thought I'd put some light on something that I see all the time. About 10 to 15% of the machines that I see for service, come in with the applique or embroidery foot on them. When I mention it to the client, they most often say, they want it on for the visibility it gives. I can understand that thought, but, the foot gives poor stitch results unless used for the purpose for which it was designed. Here is a pic of that style of foot.

You can see the hollowed out underside that was designed to allow a bead of satin stitching flow unimpeded. When you use these feet for normal sewing, this happens:

I hope this is seeable. As the needle pulls up, out of the fabric, it pulls the fabric up with it. That's because there is little or no downward support for the fabric. How that shows up as a problem can be seen here:

On the straight stitch, the knot isn't always in the center of the fabric and on the zig-zag, you can see the pucker. This is because the fabric is not properly supported under the foot.
In this picture:

You can see, when using the regular foot, whatever # or letter that happens to be for your machine, the straight stitch is perfect and the zig-zag did not pucker. Same thread, fabric and tension setting.
For full disclosure: Sewn on Shelley's B770 with Aurifil 50wt cotton, Sevenberries Cotton fabric, Organ HLx5 size 80/12 needle and all settings at default.

How to maintain your Bernina walking foot

2015-11-29T11:54:00.002-08:00

Shelley and I are enjoying a nice visit with her parents in Oregon and now that we are all done with the turkey it's time to post this, as promised.
Step 1: Lift the white plastic cover over the silver screw and slide off completely.
Step 2: Remove the two screws as indicated by pointers. Take the foot apart and remember where things were. Maybe take notes if unsure.

Step 3: Put a drop of sewing machine oil at the pivot as shown. At this point, check also that the springs are hooked up properly. Push down on the pivoting lever and make sure it is easily pulled back up by the spring.

Step 4: Gently pull out the forked lever and put a drop of oil in the opening, where indicated.

Step 5: Check that the silver bearings are turning properly. If they are not, the arm they are on may be bent. This can be gently bent back. If you are worried about doing this, then you need to take the walking foot to the shop to have it done. It won't work well if it is bent. Put a small amount of oil on the shaft of the bearings and wipe off the excess. I also put a small amount on top of the feed dogs where the bearings rest on them. Wipe off all excess, so no oil ends up on your project.

Step 6: Now turn the WF upside down and inspect for any damage. If there are any large pieces missing, the feed dogs can be replaced.
At this point you can start to reassemble the foot. If you have any questions please ask!
--
My thanks to Shelley for the use of her walking foot and the help with the pointers!

-- Edited on 11/29/15 at 1:40 PM --

2015-10-18T09:41:00.000-07:00

I have been unable to post for a very long time, because due to an email address that I dropped, I couldn't sign in here. That is resolved and I will start posting again. Thanks to those that have checked in! B

What difference does a straight stitch plate make?

2013-08-15T19:06:00.000-07:00

     In the photo, you will see three different needle plates. The one on the left is a straight plate, the middle is a 5.5 mm plate and the one on the right is a 9mm plate.
     When the tip of the needle tries to penetrate the fabric, it initially meets resistance and tries to push the fabric down into the opening of the needle plate. The bigger the opening, the more it is able to push the fabric. When the needle pulls back up, it then pulls the fabric back with it. This movement of the fabric can make it look like the tension is off. The position of the knot in the fabric will not be consistently in the middle. In extreme cases, it can cause skipped stitches. When you are sewing on very fine fabric or starting on a corner, it can also cause the fabric to be chewed up.The tiny hole in the straight stitch plate prevents the fabric from being pushed down and will give you better stitching. Of course, choice of needle also plays a role, but the right plate sure helps.
   The thing to remember is that you will not be able to zig-zag or change needle position, or you will hear that crunching sound that means a broken needle. If you are fortunate enough to own a machine that lets you tell it what plate you are using, it's a feature to take advantage of.
     Until next time, Bernie

Loon Lake retreat

2013-06-14T17:08:00.000-07:00

I just want to thank the ladies that attended our first 3 day retreat at Loon Lake. Shelley and I really enjoyed having you there and helping when we could. It was great to see all the projects get finished or closer to finished. There was some serious sewing going on. I think my cappuccino making skills might have improved while I was there. Thanks to Vicki for the Mexican coffee!! Shelley will do a post at As The Spool Turns, with pictures, as soon her schedule allows. Thanks again and see you soon!!

The effect of lint on your sewing machine!

2012-03-18T15:11:00.001-07:00

In these two photos, you see a sewing machine that has a lot of lint build up in it. The lint in the first pic, is not in a place that is easily reachable by the user. In the second pic, you can see the build up in the feed dogs. This is very easy to access by lifting off the needle plate and then cleaning.

There was so much lint in the mechanism, that the plate was lifting up with each stitch that the machine made. Because of the impact on the underside of the needle plate, the feed dogs were pushed down and would not feed the fabric. As a result, they had to be adjusted to properly transport the fabric again.

If the customer had cleaned this area herself, the machine would still have had to be serviced to remove the rest of the lint and to be properly lubricated, but, her sewing would have been less frustrating to that point.

Innocent as it looks, lint can interfere with the proper functioning of a sewing machine and can create premature wear by wicking away oil where it is needed. Be kind to your machine and clean and lubricate where you can. Have it serviced regularly. You won't regret it. Cheers!

Machine quilting class

2012-03-17T20:05:00.000-07:00

Shelley and I taught a machine quilting class today at Quilt Essential Fabrics in Abbotsford. I just want to thank the ladies for their attention and enthusiasm. It was a pleasure to work with you and I'm sure you will all be successful quilters!!

A little story

2012-02-24T14:00:00.002-08:00

As I am sitting here getting more and more tired of the rain, I'm reminded of a time when I was anchored on my sailboat in La Paz, at the bottom of the Baja peninsula. Endless beautiful sunny and warm days. Great food, fishing, snorkeling. Every morning there was a cruiser's net on the radio. You would introduce yourself to the rest of the fleet and tell everyone what your trade or skill was. I let everyone know that I repaired sewing machines. After the net, one of the boats radioed me and asked me if I could come over and repair his portable sailmaker machine. I got in the zodiac and motored over to his boat, enjoying the sun and the sounds of this beautiful town. After I had fixed the machine, the owner asked me how much he owed me. It gave me great pleasure to tell him " Nothing" When he asked me why, I told him that it was warranty. They had bought the machine from the shop that I had in Victoria about 8 months prior. That was the longest distance I'd ever traveled for a service call!! He was quite surprised and happy and we were invited for supper. We took him up on it. That's how things work when your cruising. It's a great way of life!!

Merry Christmas!!

2011-12-20T14:36:00.000-08:00

I'd like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and all the best in the New Year!! It's been great to meet a lot of new people in this last year and to continue so many wonderful friendships. May 2012 bring everyone only good!!!!Bernie

Topstitchers Club

2011-11-19T08:49:00.000-08:00

We have just finished another year of Club. I can't believe how fast it went by!! I want to congratulate everyone on how great your projects looked! I've never seen so many people do their homework. This year was the most enjoyable one for Shelley and me since we started Club 15 years ago. You have been a great group and we hope to see you again next year. Thanks for making this such a pleasure!! Bernie

Barbara

2011-11-19T08:27:00.000-08:00

Hi Barbara, Your question just showed up last night, even though it says it was posted 8 days ago. I check this every day but the question area showed as totally blank for a few days. I tried to answer twice, but my answer did not show up. I guess this technology has not been perfected! Let's get to your technology. It's a tough one to call without seeing the machine. It could be fibres caught in the presser bar bushing, or, possibly the adjustment screw where the lifter bar goes into the machine has come loose. If that was the case, the bar might feel a bit floppy. I am at the Cloth Shop on Tuesdays. It might be worth it to let me see the machine. I don't think it will be anything serious and we can get you fixed up quickly! Bernie
P.S Re: hitting your hand against the foot. You would have to hit it pretty hard
to dislodge anything. Does the foot look like it is not lined up straight with the
lines on the needle plate?

Anita

2011-08-21T14:06:00.000-07:00

Hi Anita, Thanks for your question. Thanks for sending the picture to Shelley. I'm pretty sure that you need to tighten your bobbin tension. It is also possible that you have something lodged under the tension spring of the bobbin case itself, ie, thread or lint. Let me know if this helps and if not we'll explore some other possibilities. Bernie

Fraser Valley Modern Quilt Guild

2011-05-23T14:50:00.000-07:00

Shelley and I would like to thank FVMQG for the recent invitation to speak at their monthly meeting. We very much enjoyed seeing the show and tell and can see that there some very talented people in this new guild. We would also like to congratulate Cynthia Frenette for her excellent showing at the West Coast Quilt and Fibre Art Challenge. Way to go!!
Thank you for your attention during our talk about machine tension. I hope it helps someone down the road!

The needle plays a big role

2011-03-04T14:42:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, I was looking at a machine that was giving a customer problems. Here and there under the fabric, she got a tiny loop of top thread. Since she had told me that she put in a new needle, I looked at a number of other things to solve the issue. Everything checked out o.k. I put in a new needle and bingo, all was good. Even new needles have a certain percentage of defects. So, sometimes, it's worth it to at least try another needle and see if it makes the difference. Cheers!

P.S. A new needle, means one out of the package, not one out of the pin cushion!!

Patience

2011-02-18T14:22:00.000-08:00

I'm learning a few lessons these days. I always thought that I was a very patient person. I'm finding out that my patience was limited to machines or to people. I see now that I'm not good with situations that are out of my control. Who knew!! I guess I have to figure out how to deal with things that I can't hurry or affect to my satisfaction. How come it took this long to realize that? Oh well, new motto: It is what it is!

Carrier service

2011-01-30T18:17:00.000-08:00

Here are some pictures of a recent carrier service I did on a Bernina 1130. You can see the pins and lint in stuck in the machine where a normal service doesn't reach. Also, this machine had the old style feed block. That was replaced. This kind of service is good to do on Berninas from Models 1000 to 1630. It's not necessary every time, but, if you've never done it, you won't be sorry. The stuff that you see stuck in the feed mechanism is not accessible in a regular service.

Busy day!

2010-12-15T16:12:00.000-08:00

Wow! Busy day repairing. The machines just never stop coming in. I'm definitely not complaining, a guy's got to make a living. I had a very challenging older Husqvarna today. A lot of what I do is routine, but this one was fun. Another shop had told the lady it was done. It took a while but it sews like a dream now. It's always such a great feeling to see someone happy to get their machine back! I'm so fortunate to be able to do something that I enjoy so much for a living! B

Thanks Sheena

2010-12-12T10:33:00.000-08:00

For following. B

Duh!

2010-12-12T10:29:00.000-08:00

I'm having trouble activating the comments section at the top of the page. Does anyone have any ideas? It's kind of funny. I can fix the most complicated machines, but, this gives me trouble! B

Love, hate the internet!

2010-12-11T11:44:00.000-08:00

I love the net for the ease of getting info. I love learning, facts are exciting! Useless information fills my head. (along, of course, with the good stuff) Any time I have a question, I can get an answer. I hate the net for the misinformation. Opinions taken for fact. It's hard to sort out some times what is good advice and what is nonsense. I've been reading on some sewing machine sites about problems people have been having and I'm astounded at the amount of bunk that passes for help. Sorry, strong words I know, but, seriously, are people trying to help or hinder? I'm certainly not saying that I have all the answers, but, if I don't I'll absolutely admit it. I guess you can tell I'm a little passionate about what I do. Thanks for letting me rant. B

Buying a machine

2010-12-02T16:55:00.000-08:00

Often when my wife and I are teaching a class, we find that people have bought a new machine without knowing if it is suitable for the purpose for which it was purchased. Whew!! Long sentence. A good idea when shopping is to take with you some fabrics and tasks that you will be expecting your new machine to cope with. Then use the machine in the shop yourself ( of course, under the supervision of the salesperson, so they can help). Put it through it's paces. Make sure it does the job that you want it to do. You don't want to find out when you get it home, that it isn't what you expected. I've seen more than a few long faces in a class and I feel for those people. In future posts, I'll give a few hints on things to look for. Bernie

Threading

2010-11-20T11:50:00.000-08:00

The most common call I get is about looping underneath the fabric. The top looks ok, but, the back doesn't. The majority of the time this is actually related to threading. On all machines when you lift the presser foot, the tension discs separate. This allows the top thread to slide between the discs and gives tension when you lower the foot and start sewing. Next time you have a problem with thread on the backside, just try re threading the top thread with the presser foot up. It just might be that simple. B