What type of edge guide for applique/edgestitching?

[SheltathaLore]

It turns out that I am laughably terrible at trying to keep things aligned by eyeball (even if I'm using the edge of the foot for reference).  Practice will certainly help, but in the meantime, I might as well update my gadget wishlist.

For stitching close to an edge (probably ~1/16" or so) on both free edges (like straps) and topstitching (applique), what type of guide would work best?  I don't think spring guide presser feet will do the job for inside curves, and in any case, they don't go that narrow.  From the searches I've done, it seems that a suspended roller guide would definitely do what I need, but there might be simpler options too.

[Wizcrafts]

You haven't specified what sewing machine you have that needs the edge guide (at least not in this topic). So, here are some general recommendations.

• For a straight stitch machine, there are 1/16" edge guide feet. Most straight stitch machines have a hole on the right of the throat plate for a screw on movable edge guide, which could have a roller.
• For walking foot machines using standard Singer 111 feet, there are spring guide feet starting at about 1/8 inch.
• Walking foot machines may have a threaded hole in the throat plate, or bobbin cover plate, for screwing on a movable edge guide, which could be a roller guide.
• For walking foot machines lacking a threaded hole on the right, there are over the body mounting brackets with a swing-away edge guide. The steel on the edge guide is soft enough to be bent on the leading and trailing edges, to sew inside arm holes and inside curves.
• The Adler 205 and Juki 441 and their clones accept a Metric screw, bolt-on, drop down roller edge guide that can be set right next to the right side of the inside foot, when using the left toe outside foot.
• Most 441 clones can accept a sliding roller edge guide if equipped with a T-shaped mounting bracket on the right.

[Uwe]

A suspended roller guide with a small roller combined with a left-toed foot would indeed be your best option, but I doubt your machine (Consew 227, right?) has mounting holes to install a suspended guide.

Sewing 1/16" from the edge along applique curves on a vintage machine is actually a very hard thing to do well.

[SheltathaLore]

@WizcraftsExcellent, that's exactly the sort of overview I was hoping for. 

@Uwe Drilling and tapping holes wouldn't be the worst thing in the world, but it sounds a bit excessive for the amount of applique I expect to be doing - which isn't much, just a couple pieces here and there; I can come up with an alternate method if necessary.  I'm still more than satisfied with my machine for almost all of what I want to do; that said, what's different about new walking foot machines that makes precision stitching easier? 

 

[Uwe]

Perhaps I should have said "Sewing 1/16" from the edge along applique curves is actually a very hard thing to do well, no matter what machine you use." 

Vintage and modern walking foot machines generally share the same inherent advantages and limitations of that design. Modern machines are just more likely to have convenient mounting holes for swing down edge guides, and easy momentary stitch length adjustment for placing stitches in precise locations for corners and peaks, and motor controls that allow precise needle movement.

Many machines that are specifically designed to produce a seam 1/16" from the edge employ and edge cutter that cuts off the material 1/16" from the seam as it sews the seam. 

Below is a photo of a sample I sewed on a Durkopp Adler 1183i with an edge cutter. It may look simple enough at first glance, but I would wager that this is nearly impossible to do on any walking foot machine without an edge cutter. 

Following curves and peaks that closely is not an easy task even on modern machines that are specifically designed for sewing extremely close to an edge, allow easy on-the-spot-turns, and where nothing obscures needle visibility. The YouTube video where the skilled seamstress/seamster follows an edge of a leaf design looks deceptively easy. I tried something far simpler on the DA 1183i and I failed rather miserably. At some point the operator is the limiting factor, not the tool. I don't really see how an edge guide could be employed to make sewing that leaf easier.

 

Edited December 25, 2017 by Uwe

[SheltathaLore]

Fair enough.  Sounds like it's time to make a lot of scrap, then, until I start getting the hang of things.  I've had reasonable success with doing similar things in fabric - but I'm pretty new to leather, so figuring out the quirks of this new medium has been an adventure.

It also occurs to me that at least some of the fiddly bits could be done on my needle feed garment machine, at least with the weights of leather that I'm working with, leaving the heavier construction to be done with the walking foot.