Thread is balling up and not allowing the fabric to move it isn't stitching right

Usually use a ball point needle or stretch stitch needle, set the needle to a zig-zag that will allow the fabric to be stretched without popping the thread. (Test on scrap fabric.)

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A special stretch stitch is not required to sew stretchy fabric. All one needs is a zig-zag that is wide enough and close together enough to allow the fabric to stretch without breaking the stitching thread. (Test it on a piece of scrap fabric you are using, give it a good tug and see if the thread breaks.)

NOTE: be sure to use a ball-point needle. A sharp needle will tend to cut the fabric threads and your stretch fabric will eventually develop holes and runs commonly found in knits.

There doesn't appear to be a manual for your machine, however, you can usually find a manual close to your machine model and the instructions will be similar enough to suffice. Perhaps you will find one with instructions for sewing stretch fabric:

ELNA Other manuals

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I don't think it's a major timing issue, so don't panic. Take a look at your selected stitch pattern selector and set for straight stitch, and set Tension at 3-4. Width: 4. Length: 4. Make sure presser foot Down when you rethread machine so the tesion disks open up to locate thread. Always hold thread taut when "feeling" for tension slot. Insert new needle. Needle goes all the way up into needle clamp as far as it can possibly go, FLAT side needle toward needle bar and more rounded side needle facing you. Leave 6" tail. Hold thread toward you as you turn hand wheel toward you so needle can make a loop with bobbin thread. Make sure bobbin thread isn't hanging down on or across bobbin! Make sure thread in bobbin has wound evenly - good quality thread ideal! Clean bobbin area and feed dogs for broken, loose threads and lint. Always use needles appropriate size for weight of fabric. I suggest walking away from machine, taking deep, cleansing breadth, humming a favorite tune, then doing above and see how it goes! Soon your machine will be humming happily along with you. Hope these suggestions help. Jimmy

Lower the pressure on the feed dogs, use a stretch stitch, and longer stitch length. Be sure to use a good quality thread, and maybe go lighter weight thread.

For knits with lycra in, you are best to thread up four threads and seam with the 4 thread marrowing stitch like this, preferabbly with ball point needles in your overlocker, size 80. Use cones of polyester thread, 3,000 metres or 5,000 metres rather than normal thread. (Although if you have trouble matching thread colours you can use a small reel on the left needle as this is the thread that will show on the right side of the garment.)




Start with your machine tensions on 5, both needles in and threaded, stitch length of 2.5 and no differential (set it on zero) and test stitch. Using stretch or ballpoint needles is a good idea too to avoid any deflection and skipped stitches. Then practice serging on some fabric scraps, double layer and look at the seam, if it is tunnelling (pulling up the fabric), then move the cutting blade to the left. Test again and if still tunnelling, then loosen off the tension on the top and bottom loopers by a half number and test again.

If the opposite is happening and the threads are looping off the edge of the fabric, then move the cutting blade to the right to trim less fabric, test again. If still too loose, then tighten up the top and bottom looper tensions by a small amount and test again.

You want the seam to lie flat, the two looper threads to meet right on the cut edge and the needle thread to be just visible from the right side when you press open the seam.

There is always a small amount of adjustments needed on an overlocker when setting up for a new project as every fabric will behave differently. Don't tighten up the tension on the needles much past 5 though, or you may get thread breakage.

If you find that the seam is flutting then you can use the differential feed to adjust for this too.

There is some good overlocking info on Debbie Cosgroves website, www.sewing.about.com, with images which may help too.

Are you wanting to use the serger to sew a hand knitted sweater together? or do you mean a sweat shirt knit or other knit fabric. If it is the first option, I'd say don't bother, as you can't do it with the blades working because it will cut your knitting and the wool will unravel in the seams.

If it is the second option then I would start with the following settings.

Four thread stitch, so both needles and the upper and lower loopers threaded. Set tension on all four dials to 5, stitch length to between 2 and 3, and differential on zero. Move the cutting blade over to the right for a wider seam. Now test stitch on some fabric scraps double layer and see what the seam is looking like.

Now you want to adjust a couple of things: firstly width of the seam. Is it the size you want? If you'd like it a little narrower, then adjust the cutting blade back a little to the left to narrow the seam slightly - just depends on the fabric weight. For example if it is a loose open weave like boucle you would want a wide seam to make sure it holds the fibres fully.

Now you can adjust the upper and lower loopers to get the thread wrapping around the edge looking nice. Look at the seam and the fabric inside it. Is it tunnelling and pulling up the fabric? if so, release tension on both loopers a half number to put more thread into the seam. Test stitch again and see if the loopers are meeting nicely on the cut edge of the fabric. Upper and lower looper threads should be meeting right on the cut edge so if this isn't happening and one showing on the other side, then tighten the looser one by half a number and test again.

If the threads are hanging off the edge then you have the choice of moving the blade to the right to cut less fabric off, or tightening up the looper tensions to pull in the thread.

That's it, hope this helps you to master your serger.

If you'd like some images and further explanations of other stitching you can do with your overlocker, then Debbie Coswell has some great information on line at www.sewing.about.com, just search "overlocker" to find the specific pages.


Good luck

Rolled hemming on any overlocker is usually achived the following way. Right hand needle only.
Blade over to the right usually to cut wider than normal but you can vary this to suit the fabric and stitch width you want.
Thread in this needle and the upper and lower loopers. If you can source any, use woolly overlock thread in the upper looper, this fluffs out when not tensioned and covers the fabric to give the look of solid stitching. Change upper looper tension to about 2 and lower looper tension to about 6 or 7.

The lever by the plate is usually to control the little stitch finger where the stitches are formed, move it backwards and it should move back towards you?? If this happens, then you want it in the retracted (towards you) position for rolled hemming so the stitching is much smaller and the fabric can roll. Normally this stitch finger holds the fabric firm for the loopers to form the stitch over for your normal 3 or 4 thread overlock.

Now test stitch and see how it looks. Tighten the lower looper thread so it lays right beside the needle on the underside. You may need to then tighten or loosen more the upper looper, you want the upper thread to wrap all the way around to the underneath against the lower looper thread and needle.

The cut edge of fabric should roll to underneath inside your seam. Once you've got this happening, turn the stitch length down to 0.5 or so to close it right up tight. This uses heaps of thread so I usually test everything else, then close it up at the end to minimise waste.

Hope this makes sense, good luck.

Making a rolled hem on any overlocker is achieved in the following way:

use right hand needle only and top and bottom loopers. Turn stitch length down so threads are closed up (on mine this is 0.5). Your stitch length dial will be one on the right hand side near the flywheel usually. Loosen off the the top looper tension and tighten up the bottom looper tension (these are the right and 2nd right tension dials on front of the machine). On my Bernette I leave the needle at the usual 5, 2 on the top looper and 6.5 to 7 on the bottom looper thread. Move cutting blade position to the right so that you are trimming the fabric quite a bit wider than your stitch, this makes the fabric "roll" underneath inside the stitching to form the rolled edge or hem.

There is also another step that needs to happen where you change or remove a little stitch finger that sits in the pressure foot or just under it. On the Bernettes, you flick a lever to move this stitch finger back towards the operator so it is out of the stitch forming area. On some machines, it is a case of changing the little stitch finger which is screwed onto the pressure foot with a screwdriver.

I really don't know with your Necchi which it is but have a good look at the pressure foot, and around the blade cutting area and see if you can see a lever or check out the accessory bag and see if there is another stitch finger in there, it would be smaller than the one on the foot now. In effect, this finger sits out and the threads wrap around it to form your normal overlock but for rolled hem you want a much smaller finger in place to make a very little seam.

The other variable which makes a very neat job is to use a thread called "wooly Overlock" in the upper looper only. This thread when pulled under tension is tight looking but when you let it go, it fluffs out. So when seaming on a rolled hem it fills out the stitching and covers the edge of the fabric fully giving a smooth look. You can do it without but wooly thread makes a great job and you'll see it on all Ready to Wear seams usually for this reason.

If I am going to roll hem a fine sheer woven fabric like organza or chiffon I will change the needle to make sure it is nice and sharp and also ensure it is a regular point, not a ball point (I seam lots of knits so have ball points in most of the time on mine) Usually a size 80 is fine.

I hope this gets you going with your overlocker, I usually test stitch quite a bit with the stitch length at the normal 2.5 setting and adjust the looper tensions until I've got the stitch looking good, then turn it down to the very close 0.5, just to not waste a ton of thread.

no, you need the blade in place and cutting to give an even cut fabric edge. Set up for a three thread using the right hand needle, take out the left hand needle. move blade over to the right so it is cutting wide. Most overlockers there is also a thread finger you need to change on the foot, or a little lever you flick to move this finger forward into the stitching area. Check this on your manual as each make is a bit different.
If you can source it, put wooly nylon thread into the upper looper (knot it onto existing thread and just chain it through, the knot should go through the looper eye fine). Now turn the tension on top looper down so it is looser and tighten up tension on bottom looper, so needle 5, top looper 2 and bottom looper about 7.

Now test serge, the fabric cut edge should be wider than the overlocking seam so the fabric rolls under inside the stitching. Adjust the two looper threads so that this is happening, you want the bottom looper thread to nest right up against the needle stitch and the top looper thread to wrap all the way around too.

Once you've got this happening, turn the stitch length down to 0.5, to close the stitching right up. On some fabrics you'll need to adjust the differential feed too if the fabric is "waving" a bit.

Uneven stitches or sometimes loose when serging could indicate that one of the tension devices is faulting, so if this machine is not new and its doing this, it could need a service. Can you get a regular smooth three or 4 thread seam out if it???

It is always good to just recheck the threading path, make sure the thread aerial is up and that a thread hasn't got caught back on the thread stand somewhere if you're getting something wonky happening, threads stream off overlocker cones through the machine so anything wrong in the thread path will throw off the stitching.

If the loops are forming on the bottom it is the TOP thread tension you need to check. Make sure it isn't too loose. Also is the needle the right type and size for the fabric? Check the stitch out on plain cotton fabric if a tension adjustment doesn't fix it.

The TOP thread effects the UNDERSIDE of the stitch and the BOBBIN thread effects the TOPSIDE of the stitch :)