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Bear with me...no coffee yet! So if there's an obvious answer I'm overlooking, I blame it on my brain not fully ticking! (Yea, like coffee alone could solve that...)

I was looking at the hexie coaster PJ party pictures from last night (nice!) and a question that I've been meaning to ask for awhile came to mind:

When using the buttonhole stitch, or any decorative stitch on your machine, what do you do about starting/stopping? Not the usual forward & backward stitching, as that would mess up the pattern of the stitches and really show? What I've been doing is just taking off & leaving long tails at start & stop. Then I go back & thread each top tail separately thru a needle, take it to the back, knot it with its partner back thread, and bury the knot somewhere if possible (on layered projects). Otherwise, I try to make a neat knot on the back and clip the tails short, so they don't show too much.

Am I over-thinking this & making too much work for myself? Is there an obvious solution I'm overlooking, like maybe not switching to the decorative stitch until you've sewn a straight stitch for 2 or 3 stitches? Back up to your starting point again & then start again with the decorative stuff? But many times, I need to make sure the stitch pattern is on the very first swing of the needle and lined up properly, so the pattern begins in the right place. So that means testing on a scrap first & leaving the needle just in the right place when I go to the "real" fabric.

Help? What did you all do about that buttonhole stitch on the coasters last night -- how did you anchor it when you started & stopped?

Hi starry...well my machine has several blanket stitch options and with each of those options it takes more or less stitches with each stitch, because of the nature of how the blanket stitch anchors itself with several stitches,and how I intentionally let my last stitch overlap the first stitch, I don't worry about it with this particular machine...I just clip the threads and move on...

On another machine I have... the stitches aren't as neat and tight, so I always pulled the tails through to the back and tied them, then trimmed, if I was particualry concerned I would use a dab of fray stop or roxannes glue to make sure they stayed.

I think that you'll find the majority of the decorative stitches will stay put because of the way they overlap each other, versus a straight stitch, or at least I hope so...I can say I have a set of those coasters that have been through the wash several times and still look great...I'd hate to think I have work out there that I've given as gifts that are gonna be falling apart.

Had to come back to add , if you noticed the foot I prefer when using the blanket stitch...it's an open toe patchwork foot...I love being able to use it as a guide and love the visibility...most feet block my view, and if I can't see...well...I can't sew...LOL

PS there are no dumb questions...I'll be looking forward to seeing the answers as well

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Kentucky_Sunshine,

Try this...set your stitch length to 0, take 2 or 3 stitches and then start your decorative stitch and then repeat at the end.

I forgot to say that I always hold my tail thread taut when taking that first stitch...

My machine has a feature that (when you push it) will stitch 4 or 5 stitches all in the same place. This is the same thing that Missmommy suggested if your machine doesn't have that feature. My delima is trying to turn those corners so I get a neat look without the stitches overlapping each other. I've never been able to figure that one out yet.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: nlk,

I have the features already discussed and use them like described. I am not a perfectionist when it comes to some stitches, but if there is one blanket stitch that is really bothersome at the end or in a curve/point etc., you can stop and raise the needle and foot and reposition the project so the the stitch will end exactly where you want it. The blanket stitch is an easy one to manipulate this way. It takes more time and some practice but can be done. I will take this extra measure sometimes--but not always--depends on just how much I think it will stand out!

quote:

Originally posted by nlk:
My machine has a feature that (when you push it) will stitch 4 or 5 stitches all in the same place. This is the same thing that Missmommy suggested if your machine doesn't have that feature. My delima is trying to turn those corners so I get a neat look without the stitches overlapping each other. I've never been able to figure that one out yet.

Nicki, for me and my machine, the key to turning corners with the blanket stitch is taking one extra stitch further than you think you should, (I know sounds crazy, but it works for me) and making sure you always turn when the needle is on the outside edge, even if you have to fudge a bit and reposition.

KS, thanks for those tips. I will try them next time.

one more tip, if you do want to pull your thread to the back they sell needles that you just pop the thread into and it's much faster amhik.

I do use the needles with the easy-threading eye to get my threads to the back. I use them any time I need to bury a knot. They drive me nuts if I pick them up instead of a regular needle when trying to hand sew, but they sure serve their purpose for burying knots.

I don't trust that the special stitches on my machine will stay in place without some sort of extra locking at each end. I've been able to pull & distort or pull out the first stitch in the pattern by pulling on the tail too hard after I've sewn.

I'll have to sit & play around with the settings on my machine to see if I can stitch in place with one button or if I'd have to change to zero. Even after 10 years, there are features on my machine that seem to pop up out of nowhere...I didn't know I had them!

I really have this starting/stopping problem when doing alphabet stitches. You can't do any adjusting or lock stitching at the beginning because the program wants to go immediately into forming the letters. If you take a stitch & then decide to adjust your position, the program knows it already did the first stitch of the first letter & won't start over. I've even tried toggling back & forth between the alphabet program & straight stitching to reset the alphabet stitch to the beginning, but the machine doesn't forget!

It's even worse when you're trying to do 2 lines of words & you need to space or center the second line with reference to the first. No room for error if you start off wrong!

I only have one thing to add to this discussion, Starry. There are no dumb questions!!!

quote:

Originally posted by pvillelou:
There are no dumb questions!!!

I keep TRYING to come up with one, but it ain't easy!!

quote:

Originally posted by Kentucky_Sunshine:

Nicki, for me and my machine, the key to turning corners with the blanket stitch is taking one extra stitch further than you think you should, (I know sounds crazy, but it works for me) and making sure you always turn when the needle is on the outside edge, even if you have to fudge a bit and reposition.[/QUOTE]

AND, always make that turn with the needle down (raise the presser foot) so as to keep your place.

Both my Janomes (Horizon and a small mass market model) have a "lock stitch" button on them. When you press it, it makes 3 or 4 stitches in the same place. If you're using a decorative stitch, it'll do one decorative stitch and the end with stitches in place. Can't imagine that you could easily pull that out.

My machine has a way to restart the pattern. I don't have the machine or book here, so check your instructions. You should have a button or combination of buttons to put the stitch back to the beginning. I'll check the Janome I have with me to see if it does the same as the Pfaff.
I checked this one and it doesn't have a way to restart the pattern. This one is a Jem Platinum, so not as many bells and whistles as the other one.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Navy Wife,

Starry: You might be able to start and stop stitch in the button hole program...but my Berninas sound like they're 25 years older than yours...

What about turning the first stitches to 0, then switch back?

You could, I suppose, stop early, leave tails and finish the connection by hand. I read somewhere that pulling the threads through to the back is a couture trick...so you're just up there with the heavy hitters. Can you imagine sewing for royalty???? Can you say "upset stomach"?


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This message has been edited. Last edited by: nancyc20,

Starry, I do exactly what you do. My machine has a very small space back stitch but it still in a straight stitch so I don't use it.

Wanda

When I start any stitching where I can't back stitch, I stitch in place about four times. Then set my machine to do whatever stitch it is I'm gonna use. Do the same thing when I'm ending the stitching.

I do pull my bobbin thread up to the top on the first stitch, though. Saw that on Simply Quilts.

Starry, Just want to say that your "dumb" question has helped more than a few of us today. Besides there are No dumb questions and everyone learns something from each question asked on the board. Thanks for asking. Pat