I like your minimalistic, succinct, common sense frugal instruction so new sewers including youth and males can succeed this hobby, life skill or future side business. You the man!
Great video for beginners! When setting the correct tension before sewing, I find it’s much more important to consider the thread thickness and strength than the fabric thickness or weight. Sewing with sew-all (Tex 27 or 30) thread followed by heavier topstitching (Tex 80-100) thread will always require a tension adjustment. And oftentimes with topstitching (especially using domestic machines), you’ll see people use a light Tex 27 thread in the bobbin and a heavy Tex 80 thread in the needle, which requires further adjustment. The important thing is to always test, test, test using a scrap of the same fabric and layers. One last thing: when sewing decorative stitching on leather or labels on almost anything, you’ll frequently see the needle thread showing below (low needle tension) on purpose, since it can give the appearance of “neater” or cleaner stitches on top.
I love watching your videos, it seems like you’re the only person to get into the mechanics of sewing and sewing machines and you just make everything make sense! This helps me by making informed decisions on how to do things.
Thank you, I have just watched 3 videos from other people that didn’t help and you have explained fabric tension clearly so I get in now and don’t what to loose me temper with the sewing machine anymore, cheers :)
I just discovered your channel and even though I watched tons of videos before yours, I'm already learning new things from you :) What I would really love to understand in the future is which thread to use for which material and also which needle. My needle always breaks and the thread tangles when I saw and it's so frustrating. I even sent my sewing machine in service and it turns out that I am the problem, not the machine. 😂
This was straightforward, which I appreciate. I've owned my sewing machine since 1990 and never touched my tension. I have a Husqvarna Optima 630 and you select the dial for the stitch you desire, it gives you your tension number. For straight and zigzag stitching, it says 6 and it's stayed there since I purchased the machine. I had no idea your tension should adjust to your fabric (I took HS sewing and the rest self-taught). I will definitely do a test square on my fabrics before I start sewing them. TY.
I've started quilting on my Grandmothers Featherweight 221 a couple of years ago and when you are doing that, the tension is very important. I made both of those mistakes when I first started. It's a little harder on a featherweight, but same principal.
Omg! I’ve always just been wiggling the dial one way or the other and seeing what works! This perfectly explains which way to go! Why does no one tell you this stuff when you start sewing?
You can adjust the bottom tension by tightening/loosening a screw on the bobbin case. It's rarely needed, but sometimes it comes loose over time or certain threads need a different amount of tension. If you have a removable bobbin case, you can tell if it's too tight or loose by putting a bobbin in and holding it by the end of the string. If the bobbin starts falling to the floor while held still it's too loose, if it won't budge when you jerk it upwards it's too tight.
I was actually upset a couple of days ago because I've been using the sewing machine for like 5 or 6 years but don't really understand the basics and mechanisms, a specifically is tension
Hey GA! Super grateful for your knowledge and passion for sewing, thank you for sharing! Can I ask a question? For a mesh fabric with wholes probably about the same size as the wholes in your bulletin hanging rack, in your background. ( maybe a bit smaller). Do you think a 2 or maybe 3 tension will be best for this type of fabric?
How do you loosen bobbin case? Been trying to sew denim with my heavy duty singer and it hates every tension and needle I try. Seems like the bobbin tension is too tight.
No. Lower for thin fabrics - like 0 - 1 for a mesh. Higher for thick fabrics. I have a borg backed suede that when I sew two layers needs a 9. Three layers is a nightmare! Also, if you’re using a thicker material, you should probably change your needle to one intended for thicker fabrics - there are denim needles, for example, and leather needles.
Im trying to sew some webbing with a Brother LS2125i and i cannot get the tension correct. I have tried every setting from 0-9 and it seems like 9 is yhe closest but there are still loose threads/loops on the bottom. I have even done some slight adjustments with the bobbin tension. It seems as thiugh im in the best spot so far but still loose. Any way yo get more tension than the tension wheel allows?
It's a pain to sew satin, royal and velvet fabric. The satin keeps sliding, the machine keeps jamming the thread. I have to use 2 different machines, so I don't need to change needles from ball point, this and that. When you sew real cotton, the problem is less even the cheapest and basic machine does not complain.
