Show us your thread injector

[philthy]

I'd try using a plastic foot first if you're struggling, it should give you a little more grip and will be a lot cheaper

[DannyS]

I'd try using a plastic foot first if you're struggling, it should give you a little more grip and will be a lot cheaper

I have a plastic foot but I'm not sure if it's suitable, I'll post a picture tomorrow and maybe you can let me know?

Cheers

Danny

[simonm]

Hi Danny,
You could try a roller foot.

[philthy]

I tried a roller foot a while back but found it snagged a bit on mesh fabrics and drove me a bit crazy. It may just have been the particular one I had. YMMV

[simonm]

Hey Phil,

I haven't noticed any issues with mine yet. I have used it on noseeum and silnylon - so far so good.

[DannyS]

Sewing Feet.jpg (31.21 KiB) Viewed 19229 times

I'd try using a plastic foot first if you're struggling, it should give you a little more grip and will be a lot cheaper

Hi Phil and Simon here are the only two feet that I have that resemble what you are talking about, the one on the left is hard plastic, the wheel you see is for adjustment only, it doesn't contact the fabric. The one on the right is like a soft pad, I have no idea how that would attach to anything? The surface on the other side is textured(not smooth).

Cheers
Danny

[simonm]

Hi Danny,
I am not familiar with those. Here is an example of the roller foot I am talking about.

roller foot.jpg (13.21 KiB) Viewed 19226 times

[DannyS]

Hi Danny,
I am not familiar with those. Here is an example of the roller foot I am talking about.

roller foot.jpg

Ok I definitely don't have anything like that, I'll have to have a look into it.

[DanShell]

I didn't want to start a new thread so this might be the best place for me to proudly announce I now know how to sew!

I am handy with a lot of things, my trade is in the automotive industry (even though I no longer do my trade for a living) so I have built lots of things in my time but being able to sew was never something that crossed my mind. Not wanting to sound chauvinistic but I always just thought it was something my wife did!

I can't sew straight every time yet and I am still learning different seems and techniques but I'm well on my way Real men sew is my new motto

[Mickl]

Well I took the plunge and got the machine today. Its a Singer 201P. Seems to be in really good condition, just hope it sews well! I am about to teach myself to sew so any tips on this machine and using it would be great! I might start with some basic stuff using crappy material and then move on once I know what I'm doing.
Can anyone tell me what size / type needles and also thread I would need for things like silnylon stuff sacks etc. Also whats the rough stitch spacing for that type of project. Some pics below....

Attachments

[simonm]

That looks great Mick. Don't be afraid to open up the faceplate and give it a good clean and oil. Also check and clean the bobbin casing and give it a drop of oil as per the manual for the 201. The manual is too big for me to attach apparently but if you can send me your email I can send it to you.

For silnylon I use needle sizes 80/12 or 90/14 depending on the size thread I am using, some people will use smaller though. You want to match the needle to the thread. Thread size for me ranges from tex40-70 for silnylon depending on application and weight of silnylon, again though some will use thinner thread. Stitch length I typically use around 3mm.

[Mickl]

Thanks Simon. Just finished looking through the manual so will get onto that this week once I get some sewing machine oil etc. I have matched the attachments to the manual and it has everything but the seam guide. Not sure if I will need that or not?
I will need to order some material off you soon that I can try and make some bits with for practice.....

[simonm]

I have never used a seam guide but my throat plate has always had markings I could use to guide me. Yours doesn't have any markings by the look of it. See how you go but it may be worthwhile putting some markings there to help guide you.

Winter Tarp 003_640x480.JPG (71.51 KiB) Viewed 18566 times

[simonm]

Just as a hint: when I am sewing, if you look at the photo in my previous post, in this instance 90% off my focus is on where the inside of the hem is passing under the very front of the foot, and I am trying to hit the same spot each time, and 10% of my focus is on the markings on the throat plate. This has helped me achieve relatively straight stitches on a consistent basis.

Purple hammock 020_360x480.JPG (31.46 KiB) Viewed 18563 times

[Mickl]

Thanks that's great to see photo's. What seam type do you do for ridgelines? I will have to keep a look out for one of those marked plates they look good. That wire part across the front looks different to mine as well from what I can see.

[simonm]

Thanks that's great to see photo's. What seam type do you do for ridgelines? I will have to keep a look out for one of those marked plates they look good. That wire part across the front looks different to mine as well from what I can see.

I use a top stitched French seam for the ridgeline -

The wire on my machine is different as I have upgraded from my old Singers to a Juki 8700.

Juki n8700 001_360x480.JPG (52.68 KiB) Viewed 18548 times

[Mickl]

That explains it then! thanks for that video. Will give it a service and then start playing around with it. I checked as well and the needle in it is a 90/14 so that's a good start!

Thanks

Mick

[simonm]

Definitely get new needles when you start your project proper.

[Tex]

Thanks that's great to see photo's. What seam type do you do for ridgelines? I will have to keep a look out for one of those marked plates they look good. That wire part across the front looks different to mine as well from what I can see.

Some masking tape stuck in the appropriate position makes a good guide if you don't have markings on the plate. Cheap too