Effective understanding and use of feed dog speeds the sewing and enables professional results
The presser foot and feed dog work together to feed fabric through the machine as the seams are sewn.
The feed dog moves up, then back as it pulls the fabric through the machine.
The presser foot lifts slightly, then lowers, allowing the feed dog to pull the fabric back as the fabric is sewn together.
Because the presser foot does NOT move back, if one does not have full control of the sewing the top ply of fabric will move slower through the machine than the bottom ply of fabric.
Sewing notch-to-notch solves this problem.
Snip the center of notches
printed on home sewing patterns so as to be able to align the two plies of a seam as the plies are sewn together.
There are times when allowing the bottom ply to sew faster than the top ply speeds sewing
as the sleeve cap is sewn into the armhole.
Easing Fullness
Sewing to Match
Holding the bottom ply slightly behind the top ply, enables perfect matching.
In the diagram on the left the bottom ply is shown slightly extended to the right to illustrate how the bottom ply is laid slightly behind the top ply before the seam is sewn.When sewing to match lay the plies edge-to-edge with the bottom ply laid slightly behind the top ply.
Used in the industry, first test with sample fabric, just how much to hold the bottom ply as the fabric moves through the machine.
Three important considerations:
1. The garment must be cut to match.
2. The two plies of fabric must be cut on the same angle to the grain line.
3. The fabric cannot be basted or pinned.
The amount of the bottom ply that is held back varies with different fabrics, but is usually no more than 1/16 of an inch, making the fabric look as if it is about to be miss-matched as it approaches the needle.
As the fabric moves under the needle, the feed dog will pull the bottom ply in, causing the fabric to match perfectly.
Laurel wrote an article about seam allowance modification for Threads Magazine in their 199 issue, August (2018).
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