Wednesday is Understanding Your Creative Partner, YOUR SEWING MACHINE, Day!
- In this email I am going to address Fabric Creep.
- What is it?
- Why does it happen?
- Next Week: How to stop it from happening!
So What is Fabric Creep?
- I came up with the phrase, Fabric Creep, about 15 years again to describe the fabric lump that appears in front of your needle as you sew.
- As I think about it, fabric creep causes a fabric blister!
- Certainly, you have had this happen to you!
- In the first picture below you can see the lump starting to develop.
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In the next pictures you can see what happens if we don't control the creep.
- Our fabric can mismatch with the top fabric being "longer" than the bottom fabric.
- The farther you sew the worse it becomes.
- As an example: I often use the side seam on a pair of pants but mismatching can occur when stitching a short seam on a quilt block.
- The Creep can become worse when sewing on the crosswise grain of your fabric or when stitching on the bias due to the natural stretch of your fabric.
- See the mismatch in the photo below. Yikes!!
- If we are stitching a hem, the fabric can keep pushing and pushing and eventually you will see the fabric twist and you will stitch in a tuck.
- I often use the hem in draperies as an example.
- If we are quilting we can see bumps developing which eventually get stitched in as tucks!
- In the Picture below I was making a Chenille Scarf.
- 7 Layers of Yarn Dyed Flannel cut on the bias.
- On most machines, stitching this would result in a disaster!
- The fabric would push and bunch! Tucks, tucks and more tucks, perhaps mixed with a few nasty words!
- In the photo below there wasn't any fabric creep! WHY? I'll answer that question next week.
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Why does this happen?
- Your Presser Foot pushes your top fabric.
- Your Feed Dogs pull the bottom fabric.
- Causing the fabrics to shift slightly (depending on the number of layers) causing Fabric Creep to occur!
- The more layers the worse it gets.
Have you ever had this happen? In my next email I will cover a number of ways to control Fabric Creep!
- Pinning
- Easing
- Adjustment of the pressure on your presser foot
- Walking Foot
- Pfaff IDT
- Gluing
- Sewing over pins (NO!)(Never!)
Sew there you have it, Fabric Creep! Now you know what I call that annoying fabric lump and why it happens. Join me next week to find out how to get that Fabric Creep under control for a better outcome on all of your projects!
Be Sew Creative!
Cathy
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