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puckered seams
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Thu, 12/01/2011 - 13:28
Hello,
I am sewing a skirt with a lightweight woven fabric(a little silky and slippery). The side and back seams are puckered. I'm using Gutermann 100% polyester thread, a new regular needle size 11, 2.5 stitch and balanced tension I pressed the seams and the puckers are still there. I ripped out a seam and sewed it thinking that I didn't sew straight enough, it did not help my problem. Any advice on what I could be doing wrong.
Veronica
Thu, 02/02/2012 - 11:19
#2
Nehzat, I lowered the tension
Nehzat, I lowered the tension on my machine and it did help with the puckering alot. There is a tiny bit puckering, but not horrible. I will always make sure that my fabric is aligned and that my patterns are on grain. Thank you so much for helping me learn sewing and patternmaking the right way. I will be posting my stitched skirt and bodice blocks soon. I will get some fine and smooth 100% cotton thread.
Veronica
Thu, 02/02/2012 - 12:06
#3
Re: I lowered the tension on my machine
Dear Veronica,
You are welcome. Here are a few more suggestions since you are still getting a little puckering.
You can try changing your needle to a size 10/70. Make sure that your needle is not blunt.
Before sewing by machine, pin and baste the seams by hand using a double threaded needle. This is especially useful on light and slippery fabrics. Make sure that the pins are at a ninety degree angle to the edge of the seam allowances.
It helps if you pin closer together with the layers flat on the table, when working on these types of fabric.
Hope this helps.
Happy sewing,
Nehzat
Quick Links:
Dear Veronica,
There could be a number of reasons why you might get puckered seam lines.
You can try and see if lowering the tension on the needle thread or the bobbin thread helps. Use a fine and smooth100 % cotton thread and test the results. Gutermann makes this type of thread as well.
Puckering in the seams can also be caused if the pieces of fabric are cut, off the grain line and then sewn together. Check to see if the grain lines of the fabric are parallel with the grain line of the pattern.
Assuming that you have already squared your fabric before cutting the skirt pieces, you might still have a fabric that is not squared at the corners. This might happen if the fabric you bought was not stored correctly, or was near the end of the bolt and was pulled or not rolled properly on the fabric bolt. The fabric may not have been pressed properly at the factory as well.
To fix these issues square the fabric first, by pulling a thread and cutting along the line it creates. Then check to see if the salvage and the width edges are perpendicular to each other. You can place it on a table with straight corners to make sure the edges are parallel with the table. If the fabric edges are not parallel with the table, you need to pull on the edges of the fabric diagonally along the bias, starting from the corner that has less than a 90 degree angle. Pull the edges gradually moving your hands along the cut edge and the salvage. Once you are done press the fabric to set it. Doing this will make the lengthwise grain lines and cross wise grain lines perpendicular to each other. Squaring the fabric before cutting it will allow the garment to fall nicely on the body and prevent puckering in the seams as well.
Happy sewing,