Help With Sewing Purse On Cobra 4

[anester05]

My machine works well and I can get a great stitch but when I try to sew in a gusset all hell breaks loose. I messed up the front so I have to remake the front and form a new gusset. Any tips on preparing this for machine sewing instead of hand sewing.

I made the formed 2 inches wide with a .5 inch tab. Does the tab need to be bigger? The problem that I run into is when I go around the curves I run off the edge. Any advice will be welcome.

Thanks,

Adam

[Wizcrafts]

Here are some tips that might help you sew gussets.

Use a double toe foot set. If the right was going to fall off, the left stays on. A 1/2 inch space should work fine.

Get an extra outer foot and grind down the outsides of the toes to about 1/16" or less width. This lets you get closer to the inside of the shaped gusset.

Get another right toe foot and grind it thin of the side. Get another inside foot and grind it down on the left side. This lets you sew very close to the left side of shaped cases and gussets. Align the feet so they almost touch on the right side of the inside foot. This reduces the track width required to keep them on the work.

Use a roller edge guide and press the work tightly against it as you encounter these sharp turns.

Use a 227 type machine to sew gussets, with #207 thread in the bobbin and on top (#24 needle). The bobbins won't hold much 207 thread, but you should be able to sew a couple of purse gussets per bobbin load. Use a narrow zipper foot set to get as close to the inside as possible. Ferg bought one just to sew gussets.

[anester05]

Here are some tips that might help you sew gussets.

Use a double toe foot set. If the right was going to fall off, the left stays on. A 1/2 inch space should work fine.

Get an extra outer foot and grind down the outsides of the toes to about 1/16" or less width. This lets you get closer to the inside of the shaped gusset.

Get another right toe foot and grind it thin of the side. Get another inside foot and grind it down on the left side. This lets you sew very close to the left side of shaped cases and gussets. Align the feet so they almost touch on the right side of the inside foot. This reduces the track width required to keep them on the work.

Use a roller edge guide and press the work tightly against it as you encounter these sharp turns.

Use a 227 type machine to sew gussets, with #207 thread in the bobbin and on top (#24 needle). The bobbins won't hold much 207 thread, but you should be able to sew a couple of purse gussets per bobbin load. Use a narrow zipper foot set to get as close to the inside as possible. Ferg bought one just to sew gussets.

All I have is the Cobra 4 so I need to make that machine work. Which side should I sew on the top of the inside up?

[Wizcrafts]

All I have is the Cobra 4 so I need to make that machine work. Which side should I sew on the top of the inside up?

I think you are going to have to sew on the insides of the gusset, bending the other side away from the needlebar and face plate as you sew. Consider my suggestions about making a narrow presser foot set. You may need a third hand from a helper to bend the other side and push in on the bottom side and you guide the flange under the needle.

If your work involved much wider gussets (4+ inches), you could sew along the outside surfaces. There simply isn't enough room with a 2" gusset (the end of the arm/shuttle is over 3.5" in diameter).

[anester05]

I think you are going to have to sew on the insides of the gusset, bending the other side away from the needlebar and face plate as you sew. Consider my suggestions about making a narrow presser foot set. You may need a third hand from a helper to bend the other side and push in on the bottom side and you guide the flange under the needle.

If your work involved much wider gussets (4+ inches), you could sew along the outside surfaces. There simply isn't enough room with a 2" gusset (the end of the arm/shuttle is over 3.5" in diameter).

I was afraid you where gonna say that. Is there anyway to make the bottom stitch look any nicer?

[dirtclod]

I've put in a lot of gussets but i don't remember putting one in that small. What i did was glue the gusset in and use binder clips to hold ever thing. I sewed the back first then the front taking the clips off as i come to them and i used a left toe foot.

[mogwild]

I'm getting one of these for my Randell harness stitcher, do they make one for the Cobra 4? Would that work?

Edited September 6, 2012 by mogwild

[Wizcrafts]

I'm getting one of these for my Randell harness stitcher, do they make one for the Cobra 4? Would that work?

I believe that Artisan may have marketed a French edge tool. But .....

[mogwild]

I'm still learning about what feet do what and what attachments do what and what kind of....well I'm confused. Would that french attachment work for the gusset issue? Or is that a different procedure all together?

[Wizcrafts]

I'm still learning about what feet do what and what attachments do what and what kind of....well I'm confused. Would that french attachment work for the gusset issue? Or is that a different procedure all together?

Different animal altogether. You will need to create a method of sewing your gussets with the machine you have. This may involve creating custom feet and throat plates.

I needed an inline presser foot to sew along narrow flanges. I found a set. PM me for info, or make your own. Th former outer foot trails the inside foot, directly behind it. Any machine shop can make this foot.

[BondoBobCustomSaddles]

Here are some tips that might help you sew gussets.

Use a double toe foot set. If the right was going to fall off, the left stays on. A 1/2 inch space should work fine.

Get an extra outer foot and grind down the outsides of the toes to about 1/16" or less width. This lets you get closer to the inside of the shaped gusset.

Get another right toe foot and grind it thin of the side. Get another inside foot and grind it down on the left side. This lets you sew very close to the left side of shaped cases and gussets. Align the feet so they almost touch on the right side of the inside foot. This reduces the track width required to keep them on the work.

Use a roller edge guide and press the work tightly against it as you encounter these sharp turns.

Use a 227 type machine to sew gussets, with #207 thread in the bobbin and on top (#24 needle). The bobbins won't hold much 207 thread, but you should be able to sew a couple of purse gussets per bobbin load. Use a narrow zipper foot set to get as close to the inside as possible. Ferg bought one just to sew gussets.

Wiz, since I haven't gotten my new machine yet, I am only guessing here, but; looking at what he is trying to do, makes me kinda think of a stirrup. Could he use a stirrup attachment and stitch from the front holding the work in tight to the roller guide?

Bob

[anester05]

I think I will do some experimenting tonight with the ruined gusset and cut a blank to sew onto it. I will use the roller guide with a double foot. I need to figure this out so I can sew the gussets into these purses. I think I can make a new gusset with a 5/8" tab to see if that gives me extra wiggle room. I will also extend the new gusset to possibly 3". Maybe the purses I make in the future just need a 4" gusset. Guess I need to find a purse pattern that accommodates that. Thanks for the advice.

Edited September 6, 2012 by anester05

[Wizcrafts]

The purse "should" be sewn from the outside surfaces. The problem here is that the end of the arm is bigger than the gusset and the bottom flange will be pushing it as it moves along the machine. If you can wrangle the purse to pull the bottom side away, as you sew, and keep the flange pressed against the roller guide, things should go good.

The stirrup plate adds more complexity to this problem. Ditto for the holster plate. What I have done is I ground off some material on the left side of my standard plates, allowing me to get shaped closer to the needle. This means there is less support for wide projects. But, that is when you can install the table attachment.

[dirtclod]

I think I will do some experimenting tonight with the ruined gusset and cut a blank to sew onto it. I will use the roller guide with a double foot. I need to figure this out so I can sew the gussets into these purses. I think I can make a new gusset with a 5/8" tab to see if that gives me extra wiggle room. I will also extend the new gusset to possibly 3". Maybe the purses I make in the future just need a 4" gusset. Guess I need to find a purse pattern that accommodates that. Thanks for the advice.

You can make the gusset any width you want with the pattern you have. The purse will never know it called for a 2 inch gusset. Make the flap longer so it still is in the right place to buckle or however it fastens on the front. It's just like i tried to tell my neighbor you can put a GM motor in a Ford change motor mounts and such the car will never know or care.

Edited September 7, 2012 by dirtclod

[anester05]

You can make the gusset any width you want with the pattern you have. The purse will never know it called for a 2 inch gusset. Make the flap longer so it still is in the right place to buckle or however it fastens on the front. It's just like i tried to tell my neighbor you can put a GM motor in a Ford change motor mounts and such the car will never know or care.

The problem is the flap is set I have already carved it but I think I can extend the gusset a bit without too many problems. I am doing this purse as an experiment anyway so when I get to a purse that matters I don't screw it up. but we'll see.

[Northmount]

You can finish this one by hand and redesign the next one for the sewing machine. Then you will still have a nice purse with the proportions you started with.

CTG

[anester05]

thats what I am probably going to do. I just hope the manual stitch works well enough with the decorative stitch I already put on the back and flap. It will look better than a screwed up stitch but this is a give away project now.

[Leatherimages]

I don't know why a stirrup plate wouldn't work.

It's all a matter of how you hold your mouth anyway.

[Wizcrafts]

I don't know why a stirrup plate wouldn't work.

It's all a matter of how you hold your mouth anyway.

I suppose that the stirrup, or holster plates would let him get in close to the edge being sewn, but, the opposite side and its protruding 1/2 inch flange will be hitting the bobbin cover plate on the shuttle housing. This assumes sewing from the outside towards the gusset, rather than from inside the gusset.

Flexibility of the purse will determine if the opposite side can be pushed out of the way enough to allow the sewn side to advance evenly.