University:
Boston University
Course:
CFA AR 226 | Sophomore Graphic Design Spring: Form, Communication
Academic year:

2020
Views:

363

Pages:

16
Author:

Rosa Burke

Selecting a Stitch: When the machine is loaded with thread, you need to pick which stitch you want to sew with. Most of the time the default stitch selected when the machine turns on will be what you need, but if you want to pick a different stitch, this is how. Press the stitch selection button on the front of the machine. This will bring up the main stitch category window. Tap the category that has the stitch you want to use in it; the category symbol shows generally what kinds of stitches are in that group. All of the stitch options, and what number/group they are in, are drawn on the inside lid of the sewing machine, but you can also see them at the end of this section. Once you’ve selected the category, use the arrow buttons on the front of the screen to flip through the pages in the category until you find the stitch you are looking for. When you find the stitch you want, tap it on the screen so it is highlighted in blue. The needle may shift so it is positioned correctly for the stitch. Once you have your stitch selected, you will need to confirm that the foot installed in the machine matches the foot that the stitch requires. The foot the stitch wants you to use will be displayed in the upper left hand corner of the touch screen, just above the line showing what the stitch will look like. Stitch Options: Utility Stitches: Groups 1-5. These are useful for sewing 2 or more layers of fabric together that are not just for decoration. These also include button and buttonhole stitches. Decorative Stitches: Groups 6-10. These are for adding embellishment to fabric or for quilting. Character Stitches: Group ABC. These are useful for adding letters or words to things (ex sewing your name into your clothing). There are a few different alphabets and styles of lettering. Utility Stitches: Decorative Stitches: Character Stitches: Changing the Foot: Depending on which stitch you are using, you may need to change the foot that is installed in the sewing machine. The main reason to change the foot is so that as the needle moves up and down, it won’t hit the foot on its path. If you are using the default stitch, it is very likely that the foot you need, J, is already installed in the machine. You can confirm that by opening the lower cover and looking at the tray of feet to see which of them is missing. If you need to change the foot, the first thing you need to do is press the safety button on the front of the machine to lock the machine. Then raise the foot using the lever at the back of the sewing machine. Just above the back of the foot itself, there is a small black lever. Push this in to unlock the foot, it should drop on its own after the lever is pressed. Carefully pull the foot out from the needle area. Put the foot that was in the machine back in its slot in the tray of feet and pull out the one that you will be installing. Close the lower cover. Line up the pin on the top of the foot with the curved slot in the foot/needle assembly. Press the small black lever at the back of the foot/needle assembly to unlock it and press the pin on the top of the foot into the curved slot at the same time. When you release the lever, the foot should stay up on its own if it has been installed correctly. Raise and lower the foot a couple of times to confirm that it is solidly installed. Once it is installed, you can press the safety button on the front of the machine to unlock it. Sewing: With your stitch selected, thread loaded in the top and bottom, the foot installed, and your fabric pinned, you are ready to sew! Read all the instructions in this step before starting, because once you start things move fairly quickly. With the foot raised, bring your fabric under the foot. Line up the place you want your stitch to start with the needle. Lower the foot to hold your fabric in place. If there is a pin right where you want the stitch to start, be sure to pull it out before you start sewing. When actually sewing, you should pull out the pin before it reaches the foot. For the first pin however, it is helpful to lower the foot directly onto it, then remove the pin so that the fabric is firmly held in place by the machine. On the touchscreen, there is an upside down “U” shaped arrow, if this is the start of your stitch, you should press that button. When pressed, it will be highlighted in blue. This will functionally tie a knot in the thread at the start of your stitch so it won’t fall out on its own. It does this by reversing for a few stitches right at the start. Adjust the speed to a speed you feel comfortable with sewing at. Press the, now green, start button and release to start sewing. With the reverse (upside down “U”) button digitally pressed, the machine should sew forward a couple stitches, then back for a few, before it moves forward again. After it completes those starting stitches, you can place one hand on either side of the needle to help guide your fabric through in a straight line. Don’t pull or push it through, you are just guiding the direction, not the pace. As you sew, don’t forget to pull out the pins before they go under the foot and near the needle. It can be helpful to have either the pin tomato or one of the magnetic trays next to the sewing machine to collect the pins as you remove them. When you are approaching the end of your stitch, press the physical reverse button just above the start button on the machine. This will finish off the stitch with a few reverse stitches just like it did at the start. When the machine completes the reverse stitches, it will stop itself as it is done sewing. After the machine stops, press the scissor button on the front of the machine to cut the extra thread tails and raise the needle out of your fabric. You can now raise the foot and carefully pull your fabric out from under the needle area. At this point you can cut the extra thread from the start of the stitch off as well using a pair of fabric scissors. Your fabric is now sewn together! Repeat this last stage as many times as you need to sew your project together. Once you are finished sewing, just be sure to turn off the sewing machine using the switch on the side.