OK, frustrating day at the sweat shop today. I'm doing an interior (nearly a dozen cushions), working with a navy velour, and am required to cut the boxing down the selvedge. Some of the zipper boxings are upwards of 90" long and I'm having a terrible time getting the zipper chain to lie anywhere near flat. It rolls and the velour is stretching. I can "pull it out" but the point is, it shouldn't require "pulling" to lie flat!
Normally, I prefer to cut boxing cross grain to minimize this effect, but it's "not my sandbox" and I have to play by the rules! Can any of you offer some suggestions to make this less frustrating? I am so thoroughly irritated right now I can't think of much, lol. I'm running 92 poly. thread (we have nothing lighter weight) and an 18 needle on a Consew 255RB. I don't have any other machine options. The boxing is folded in half and I place the folded edge over the centre of the zipper teeth (#5 chain), obviously the zipper chain is on the bottom. Thoughts?
oh man , I wish i could help Bobbin but you know the problems i had with
Chenille last week ..
Rich
If you could iron the velour I'd suggest fusible interfacing to stabilize the fabric, but the iron's going to flatten the pile most likely. Would steam perk it back up after the fact maybe?
June
Forget it, boss would have a baby if I showed up with interfacing and/or broke out the iron (the very iron I donated 6 yrs. ago).
Is this an issue for any of you? are you able to feed folded boxing and zipper tape through your machines and get a flat panel or do you experience "rolling" (looks like waves of fabric and zipper tape) on the backside of the needle, too?
June is right on the money. The problem is that the velour has stretch, but the zipper tape does not. the only way around this is to interface the fabric to eliminate the stretch. Alternatively, you can hand sew it on, but that sounds like it would take forever. Good luck!
Ironing a napped fabric is not really an option. Aside from being a huge time waster, it's potentially dangerous in a shop without vacuum and bottom steam. I've spent enough years in garment work and dry cleaning to know the many pitfalls involved. Thanks anyway, I'll by-pass that minefield thanks, lol.
I guess the greater question is how do you deal with the feed on your walking foot machines to keep the zipper tape as flat as you're able while applying boxing to it? are you guys stitching the boxing twice (stitching, then turning the fabric over and topstitching it again) or do you just "live with" the wave-like result and allow the tension of the foam inside the cover to "stretch it out"?
Yeah, I guess it would work to just live with it. Have you ever had a sweat jacket with a wavy zipper? It kind of bugs you, but it's just the way it is. And on a cushion, most people will never see the zipper anyway.
I always stitch the zip twice (once on wrong side, then top stitched)- but then, I never make that part of the boxing double-width because I don't want that heavy a fabric on the edges when it comes time to attach the plate/welting. But then, I don't use napped fabrics in my line of work either. Even with some slippery-backed vinyls, though, the same thing you're experiencing has happened to me if it's doubled over and sewn on one pass.
June
You can try a glue stick - the kind for paper. I use this for matching seams. They are in that round tube dispenser that you twist and the stick comes out. I like the purple glue for some reason. Run the stick down the center of the folded fabric. Press it together and let it dry.
You can also try a very small stitch length and a slow sewing speed.
If there was an easy answer to your question I wouldn't cringe every time this topic comes up.
good luck.
gene
I have used skirt stiffener. Just a small strip between the fabric (1" to 2" ). With really streachy stuff I double sew like June suggested. I sew the zip and 1 layer of fabric with the stiffener then turn over and top stich. Either way there's only one layer of stiffener.
Instead of a glue stick, take some high-strength industrial adhesive..... and glue your boss to his chair!
Then, do whatcha gotta' do!
Seriously though, I'm with Gene about using a short tight stitch. And I really hold onto the leading end with my left hand, and pull it through.
Been there Bobbin, there might be some variances in experience due to machine adjustments; foot pressure, thread tension and even foot selection. But, I heard you, you have to work with what is in the sandbox.
So, the process of running all this through the machine is about your only variable. I will sew the zipper in with a light consistent hand of fabric tension. Based on your sewing experience, I know you understand. No tension on the fabric expcept just enough to keep it smooth. Having done that, I don't think, given expected cushion fill tension, there will be a problem. If so, I wouldn't look forward to accomplishing good square corners. The plates and boxing, I assume are the same fabric. These synthetic nappy materials can be and are a PITA.
Doyle
I have worked with this fabric before and it was problematic then, too. Because it's a knit and not a woven it handles differently and the stretch can be tricky at first. It was difficult to cord with the polycore welt, I think because it is quite rigid. I would like to try using a softer welt the next time, and I would also like to try making the cover on my overlock machine.
This time I don't have to contend with cording, but the fabric tends to pucker and creep. I had slightly better success stitching the zipper twice but the tape still looked bumpy until pulled a bit. I know the foam will fill the cover out well. I have topstitched the allowances to the boxing and was careful to make sure it was evenly tensioned and flat. But the zipper thing still isn't the way I want it even though it will get the job done and the work is neat.
Let the boss know you are having a problem and ask him how he would do it and do as he suggests
Nothing like passing the buck but he is the one you have to satisfy in the end before it goes to the customer
Allan
Hey Allen, it's great to see you back. I sure hope things are OK in your neck of the woods.
Hi Bobbin
Yes we have all settled back into the mud now that the rain has eased up
Thank goodness I live on the side of a hill
Allan
Quote from: Allan on January 19, 2011, 02:19:56 am
Hi Bobbin
Yes we have all settled back into the mud now that the rain has eased up
Thank goodness I live on the side of a hill
Allan
Real estate above 10m. must sky rocketing in your area :). There was so much rain on the whole of the east coast, I thought Queensland was going to get washed all the way down to Victoria.
good to see your still with us Allen :D
I was just telling my wife " I wonder if me mate is ok in Brizzy ? ".
I am curious, have you guys had issues with a lot of misplaced King Browns ?
I was in Brizzy a couple years ago they were in the middle of a terrible drought. Ranchers were shipping livestock down Scotty's way to Vic. Seems like it has been feast or famine there for rain.
Glad you came through OK Allan. It was a horrible flood.
Chris
WHOO HOO; Glad you dodged the worst of that mess Allan. I don't have any of my TV's hooked up but what I saw on you tube was right nasty.
Can I borrow your rubber dingy for this spring? We're going to flood here in Manitoba this spring. We have 3+ feet of snow in places on top of saturated soiled and every pothole/dugout/lake was overflowing at freeze up. We can't even send it anywhere because that condition runs from the Alberta/Saskatchewan border right down to Peppy's back yard in southern Ontario.
Chris
There were a lot snakes around however I didn't hear of anyone being bitten
Crocs in the northern areas and a shark was reported swiming in the streets in Brisbane
There were 90,000 kilometers of roads damaged
31,000 buildings flooded
51 out of 73 council areas declared disaster areas
They say it could take years to get it all back together
Darren
Sure you can borrow the rubber duckie
I would rather a blow than a flood as the blow is done and over quickly wereas the floods can linger for days if not weeks
Now we have floods in Victoria down south
Not as bad as the Queensland floods but bad none the less
Allan
I hadn't heard that Vic was getting flooded as well. Geeesshhh. What the heck is going on down there ?
There are two snakes I never want to meet the Brown and the Taipan. Both are extremely nasty and the Taipan will come after you if you tread on its territory. Thankfully they are located in remote parts of Oz.
I am very sorry to hear you had to go through all this Allan. I hope things return to normal for you real soon.
My best to you and your family cobber.
Chris
Quote from: Darren Henry on January 21, 2011, 05:38:45 am
right down to Peppy's back yard in southern Ontario.
Actually Darren, we could use any extra water you've got laying around. Georgian Bay has had falling water levels for the last ?20? years This past year was the first it had gone up. Still something like 3 feet below 'normal'. Lots of docks that are more like porches without a house. They say its a 30 year cycle so if you build a dock this year in the future it could be just a thing to tie your bouy to. Sloooow tides around here. Unless it's true what some people say and the Yanks really are stealling all the water.
Sorry to beg for water as others are drowning. Feast or famine.
Get Opra to tell them to give your water back. In her special shows from Australia she had a link on her website to donate to the Queensland floods and on the show she encouraged Americans to donate. They had a 100 million about at the time in the next 3 hours 20 million was donated. so she was worth the 10 mil we paid her to come out, by the way I didn't see many dinki-di aussies on the show, alot of cultural cringing
As for the original question in the thread, I would either baste the material every 6-8 inches onto the zipper tape, or staple the velour to the zipper tape. Then as it runs through the foot (very small stitch like others have said) the velous stays consistent with the zipper tape. I use a heavy duty office stapler for my vinyls and heavy cloths.
Shortening the stitch helped a lot, you guys. Thanks so much. I finished stuffing them on Monday and they looked great, even though some of the zippers were still too wavey to get my personal stamp of approval. This site is a wonderful resource for a frustrated tradesman. Thanks again.
The fabric is wavy because it is stretched. How about loosening the pressure foot?
Quote from: bobbin on January 27, 2011, 02:32:21 pm
Shortening the stitch helped a lot, you guys. Thanks so much. I finished stuffing them on Monday and they looked great, even though some of the zippers were still too wavey to get my personal stamp of approval. This site is a wonderful resource for a frustrated tradesman. Thanks again.
Bobbin,
I know you're finished with it now, but what about next time trying stapling the material to the zipper before sewing, or using the seam tape like you see Sailrite pushing all the time.
I've really come to appreciate my stapler on certain things, and the seam tape comes in handy from time to time as well.
As for this site being a great resource, you couldn't have said it any better. I've gotten way more from this group than I ever got in the upholstery class I took. I won't say it was a waste, but it couldn't compare to how much I get from you guys! ;D