Can you help please? I went to sew a top I had been longing to sew (school holidays) and my machine is skipping stitches. Fabric is a stretch fabric and I got some new ball point needles. Messed around with the tension to see if I could fix it that way, but have no joy.

Thanks so much everyone - I bought a stretch needle as soon as the shop opened on Monday, and it sewed like a dream!! Yay!

1 comment

by justonlyme 25 Jan 2012

So good to hear. Post a picture of your finished project when you are done in the "projects" section. :)

Thanks so much for your replies!! I have a funny feeling that my machine has a stretch stitch (just can't lay my hands on the manual right now - will google it)
Will try and get a stretch needle tomorrow
Thanks so much
Lisa :)

All tips are in here; stretch needle, starch your item and stabilize oh and the serger! tissue can work in place of stabilizer, use the stretch stitch - 2 stitches forward 1 stitch back! Live Laugh Download Stitch! christine

Buy a stretch needle...sounds funny but they do have them. This should take care of any problems.

My machine has a special stretch stitch and I use it with iron stabiliser or wws. Hope you find your solution. Have a lovely day and hopefullly you can finish your cross stitch hand embroidery.

My machine has stitch, made for stretchy fabric(knits) Look in your manual, It should tell you about each stitch it performs. Grannieannie

I have no problem with stretch material because I use a stretch stitch needle. It works better than a ball point one, try it.

Check to see if it's skipping on regular woven fabric. If it is, the machine is the problem.

Have sewn on knit material with little problems. After I wash and dry the fabric and get it all shrunk I use heavy spray starch or dip in a starch solution and iron without stretching. It not only cuts out better the seams don't curl. On the thinner knits I've used strips of tissue paper on each side of the seam and they just rip off. On some machines there is a built in stretch stitch that goes forwards then back one and have good results with that stitch with a longer stitch length. Do some samples to see what could work best.

Use some strips of wss on both sides of the seam and then when it washes out, voila, nice stitches left behind.

Thanks so much for your replies. I ended up getting my 'fix' by picking up a cross stitch I haven't touched since I got my embroidery machine last March!

Will give your ideas a go tomorrow :)

1 comment

by bethelb 21 Jan 2012

great you got your answer !

I also have this problem. I have found that if I have the stitch on a VERY SLIGHT zigzag it works better than a straight stitch. Use a piece of material and play around. Hope you come right. Sarah.

1 comment

by nhsmith55 21 Jan 2012

A slight zigzag is a good idea.

Stretch fabric is a 'bit--' to sew on a regular sewing machine, usually a serger does the trick. If you don't have a serger an easy fix is to either lay a thin strip of stablizer under your seam to be sewn or iron on a strip of fusible (they sell it in rolls) along where you will stitch your seam, make sure this side is down and sew away. Your problem is the fabric, not the machine. Hope this helps.

1 comment

by lisachester 21 Jan 2012

Thanks so much for that. Will give that a try

My machine hates stretch fabric but I often find if I use a decorative stitch for seams & hems it works fine. xx