May Martin’s Sewing Bible: 40 years of tips and tricks

Quarter-inch piecing foot: Position the blade of this foot over the edge of the fabric and machine. Perfect for quilting!

Sewing-Machine Needles

There are different types of machine needle for different applications – for instance, if you are sewing jersey, you wil need a ballpoint needle to avoid splitting the yarn. Once you have chosen which type, then choose a suitable size for the fabric. I've included a chart overleaf showing the different types of machine needle and their areas of application. There are many other specialist kinds of needle that you can purchase, but the ones in the list will cope with all the projects in this book.

Needle Size

The needle ‘gauge’ indicates the size of the needle: the higher the number, the thicker the needle. Needles come in European and American sizing, hence the two numbers on the packet (e.g. 80/12). For the majority of your sewing projects, a universal needle size 80/12 will be fine. I have lots of different-sized needles for use in different projects. These days I tend to buy packets containing just one size rather than a mix of different sizes – it’s easier to keep track of needles that way as I can no longer read the size on the shaft of the needle! Even if your eyesight is super-sharp, it’s still worth putting a sticker on your sewing machine giving the size of machine needle you are currently using.

Top Tips

Change your needle at the end of every major project. Machine needles gradually lose their sharpness with continued use.

Don’t put used needles in the same packet as new ones.

With any project it is essential to test stitch and check the needle size on a double-folded piece of the fabric.

Needle Types & Uses

Bobbins

The bobbin is the spool of thread inserted in the base of your machine that provides the lower thread for machine stitching. You’ll need to read your machine manual for correct winding and insertion of the bobbin, but here are a few additional tips:

Use the correct bobbin for your make and model of machine.

Use the same thread for both bobbin and top thread to create balance when stitching. A different type of thread on the bobbin can result in uneven stitches. (There are occasions when this rule does not apply – for example, when an uneven effect is required in machine embroidery.)

It’s best to wind a couple of bobbins before starting a big project so that you can avoid having to stop and wind a bobbin while in the middle of sewing.

Tension

One of my students recently referred to dealing with and understanding tension as the ‘dark arts’! I thought this was really amusing as it can seem a mysterious business and any problems annoyingly hard to identify. Here’s a brief explanation of how tension works in a sewing machine and what to do if things go wrong.

How Tension is Controlled

Imagine that your top thread and your lower, bobbin thread are on either side of a tug-of-war team. For the perfect tension, you need your threads to be balanced and held, or ‘tugged’, evenly through the tension paths on the top and the bottom of your machine. The stitch should appear the same on both sides of the fabric, neither too tight nor too loose.

Upper thread tension

The thread is taken through tension discs on the upper part of your machine. When the machine foot is up, there is no tension on the thread. Put the foot down and the tension discs hold on and control the upper thread. If you have a tension dial on your machine, the middle three numbers will have a line against them, the middle number indicating the optimum level of tension. Alternatively, your machine may give a digital readout of 0–10, in which 0 indicates no tension and 10 the maximum level. Increase the number and the tension discs will hold on more tightly. Decrease the number and the thread will be held more loosely.

Lower thread tension

Refer to the trouble-shooting section (#ulink_3b5d2cf1-de42-5c40-8fca-06a5520438b2) before attempting an adjustment to bobbin tension. The tension is controlled by a tiny screw on the bobbin case and I strongly recommend you seek guidance before altering it.

Balancing tension

If the top thread is too tight or the bottom thread too loose, the bottom thread will show on the top of the seam.

If the top tension is too loose or the bottom tension is too tight, the upper thread will show on the underside of the seam.

Troubleshooting

If you are not sure what is happening to your stitching, thread the top and bottom of your machine with exactly the same type of thread but in contrasting colours and you will be able to see the stitch clearly and have a better idea of how to adjust it. Before you start altering the settings, however, check the following:

Make sure your upper and lower threading is correct – refer to your sewing machine manual for advice.

Is the needle damaged? You may need to replace it.

Are there any fibres or bits of thread caught in the tension disc? Fold a piece of fabric in half and insert it in the tension discs and move up and down.

Do the top and bobbin threads come from the same reel? Ideally, both threads should be from the same reel to ensure that the tension is evenly balanced.

The screw that controls the bottom tension may vibrate loose while working on some machines. The tension can be tightened by turning the screw on the bobbin case in a clockwise direction.

Machine Stitches

Straight Stitch & Zigzag Stitch

The two main types of machine stitch are straight or running stitch and zigzag stitch. A dial or button on your machine regulates the length of the straight stitches; the higher the number the larger the stitch. Most stitching should be sewn in the middle of the range. Another dial or button adjusts the width of the zigzag stitches; again, the higher the number the greater the width of the stitch.

If you choose a straight-stitch setting, the stitch-width dial or button for zigzag stitching can move your needle over, enabling you to work rows of stitching in different positions. With these two ways of setting stitches on your machine, you can change the length and width of any stitch.

Application of Straight Stitch

A medium-size straight stitch is an essential for most construction techniques and decorative topstitching.

Staystitching

This is a row of machine stitching sewn inside the seam line to prevent stretching. It is usually worked on curves to support the grain – for example, along the edge of a neckline. It is worked on a single layer of fabric as soon as the paper pattern is removed.

Understitching

A row of straight machine stitching worked on the right side of the fabric close to the seam line on the facing edge of a garment. The seam allowance is trimmed, layered and clipped and then pressed to the side where the understitching will be sewn. It helps the facing to lie flat on the inside of the garment (#litres_trial_promo).

Topstitching

Worked on the right side of the garment using a slightly longer machine stitch, this can be decorative or functional. It can be worked with double strands of ordinary thread or thicker thread. When using double thread, either put cotton reels on two spool pins or, if your machine has only one spool pin, put two bobbins (one on top of the other) on one pin!

Edge stitching

A row of machine stitching worked very close to the finished edge. It can be used on pockets, pleats, collars and lapels as well as on the folded edge of a flat fell seam (#litres_trial_promo).

Application of Zigzag Stitch

Basic zigzag stitch in varying widths is invaluable for neatening the edge of seams or for fashioning the edges of buttonholes (#litres_trial_promo)