New To Sewing On A Machine...have A Question

[JET4]

Hey all,

I finally got my Cobra Class 4 from Steve in about a week and a half ago. I have no previous sewing machine experience so this has been quite the learning experience for me. I've been practicing quite a bit and feel like I'm getting better but still have a long way to go. Anyway, I have a question about how the back side of my stitching should look. To me, it just doesn't look right. Does anyone have a suggestion to make it look better?

This is a practice piece I sewed a little while ago. I did change the stitch length once I made it around the end to see what that looked like. That explains that variation.

Thanks in advance.

JET

[mlapaglia]

What kind of needle are you using? What is the number on it? To me it looks like its not the right needle for leather.

[Wizcrafts]

Try reducing the bobbin tension (spring and set screw), to get the knots higher up in the leather. Too much bobbin tension means you need more and more top tension to balance the knots. Added tension makes the needle work harder to pull the knots up. This forces you to crank down the pressure adjuster on top, to keep the leather from lifting with the needle and thread.

Once you reduce the bobbin and possibly top tensions, reduce the presser foot pressure by turning the adjuster on top of the head counterclockwise. Stop before it pops out and see if there is enough pressure to hold down the leather as the needle ascends. Give the foot only as much spring pressure as it needs. This will minimize the puckering on the bottom.

Do try going down one needle size, but make sure it is a type 794 S point.

Finally, if none of the above helps, consider removing the feed dog and throat plate and installing just the plate with the long narrow slot. This converts the machine into a double feed machine. You will need to increase the stitch length setting a bit to compensate for the lack of feed dogs. But, the bottom may look a lot nicer (as long as you back off the top pressure spring controlling the feet).