Best Kept Secret on Your Sewing Machine (and Serger)!

Psst! Pass it On!

Have you ever had silk charmeuse and chiffon slither away from you, oblivious of the feed dog traction, or struggled to sew a bulky denim or wool seam or quilt?

There is a little known option for your sewing machine that will make all of your struggles with challenging fabrics go much easier. It’s the pressure dial for the presser foot. Not to be confused with the tension dial for your needle thread.

Where is it?

The dial could be on the left side, on the top, inside the side cover of your machine or even on screen if your machine is computerized. It might be marked with a picture of a presser foot. Maybe some arrows pointing down under the presser foot picture and can range from 1 to 7 depending on the size of your machine. Seven being the most amount of pressure.  On your serger or coverstitch, its on top and needs be turned with a screwdriver. Righty tighty, lefty loosey!

Why Should I Do It?

Adjust the presser foot pressure according to your fabric. For heavier fabrics, less pressure is better, to allow the fabric to feed easily between the presser foot and the feed dogs. For lighter fabrics, increase the pressure, so the presser foot holds the fabric securely to the feed dogs and keeps it from sliding away.  As with all adjustments, do a test!

 

It’s amazing what this simple trick can do for your final sewing project. Stitches will be smoother, more even, and you will have more control of the fabric!

Happy Stitching! Linda P.