puckers in waxed canvas stitching

[georgeandgracie]

Why do I get these awful puckers when I sew waxed canvas with my Consew 206RB-3? The company that makes the fabric says it is a tension issue but I cannot resolve it. If I loosen the top thread any more there will be loops on the underside. If I loosen the screw on the bobbin the screw falls out.

Other people's work doesn't seem to show this puckering.

[JMWendt]

Have you tried ironing it down?

[georgeandgracie]

Yes. That helps somewhat, temporarily. When the item (tool rolls, in my case) are used, though, the puckering tends to return.

[gottaknow]

You are stretching the fabric as it's being sewn, then it's snapping back like a rubber band. Loosen the pressure on the foot and make sure when there's no fabric in the machine your presser feet are firmly contacting the feed dogs. This will allow you to loosen the foot presser enough to get it to lay flat. Also, unless I'm setting a machine for binding, I use a needle feed machine. Waxed canvas should lay flat as a pancake, even when sewing on the bias. It's not your thread tension. 

 

Regards, Eric 

[georgeandgracie]

Aha!!

So that is why the advice from Fairfield to loosen the tension did nothing but cause additional problems.

Apparently this means that I need to replace my Consew 206RB with something else. Yikes! What might some appropriate needle feed machines be? I think there is an auction coming up that may have some industrial machines, maybe old Singers.

[gottaknow]

An old Singer 211G157 is a needle feed machine with a reverse. It will sew your canvas beautiful. Parts are readily available and the machine will cost significantly less than a walking foot unit. You can sew an awful lot of stuff without needing a walking foot. On our TinCloth (heavy waxed canvas) we use the new Juki 9010A series. great machine if you want to spend the money. The 211 I mentioned should be around $400-$600 with a table and motor. I still use them in the factory.

Regards, Eric

[shoepatcher]

Eric,

check your model number.  A Singer 211G 155 and 211G156 are compound feed machines.  I thought the 211G157 was compound feed as well with reverse? I could be wrong.

glenn

[georgeandgracie]

Eric and Glenn - is "compound feed" another term for "walking foot"? I thought it meant something about the foot and the feed dog moving together. The way Glenn asks makes me wonder if I misunderstood the terminology. He does imply that "needle feed" and "compound feed" are mutually exclusive.

Edited April 28, 2016 by georgeandgracie
To clarify my question.

[georgeandgracie]

As I study my sewing with Eric's comments in mind, it seems to me that the problem is not stretching but rather the opposite. Puckering occurs when I am sewing parallel to the lengthwise grain of the fabric (parallel to the selvedge). In waxed canvas, the fabric just doesn't stretch much if at all in that direction. If you look at the attached photo you can see that the stitched seam is shorter than the original fabric. Stitching has drawn-up the fabric.

[gottaknow]

5 hours ago, shoepatcher said:

Eric,

check your model number.  A Singer 211G 155 and 211G156 are compound feed machines.  I thought the 211G157 was compound feed as well with reverse? I could be wrong.

glenn

Nope. 211G157 is a needle feed with reverse. No walking foot. I have 6 of them. 

Regards, Eric