overlocker - help!

[jumpingthroughoops]

Hoping someone can help. Started using new overlocker (well new if I hadn't had it sitting unused through threading fear for two years . Had to go to shop to show me how to thread it, now thinking may have to go back again! Two probs - one leads from the other. Can't thread one of the loopers and didn't think I'd have to because you can just tie on the thread and pull it through. Only tried to sew fleece which seemed too thick and mucked up the stitching (lovely on cotton) and then untangling it unthreaded both loopers. Wondering if anyone knew of a better diagram for Babylock machine than the line drawings that come in instruction book and also if I need different foot for fleece - seemed difficult to get it under foot even when raised. I know I sound stupid but I'd rather sound stupid on Mumsnet than in a sewing machine shop!!! Thanks.

Threading an overlocker should be an olympic sport. Did your machine come with a long pair of tweezers? If not a pair will help hugely with threading. Also try searching on you tube for videos to help you - this one might help, but there are others:

I'm not sure a different foot will help - you might be able to decrease the pressure tho.

As for threads snapping it sounds as if the tension is too high. What works on one fabric will be a mess on another (don't I know it?) so try loosening all your tension and testing on offcuts of your fabric.

Thanks Liz! The tweezers help although I suspect that the real prob is my sieve brain that didn't retain the info about threading! Will try changing the tension and look on You Tube for tutorials. Thanks! I'm sure there must be something I'm doing wrong - have sewn fleece for years on ordinary sewing machine and the foot on the overlocker just didn't lift high enough to get the fleece underneath.

My first thought was that you might need to change the foot, but perhaps you also need different needles for fleece?

Don't worry about embarrassing yourself in the sewing shop they're used to it!

I find John Lewis sewing machine demonstrators are usually very tolerant of daft questioning.

You should force yourself to rethread your overlocker from scratch at least once a year so you don't become scared of it! I found that out the hard way, too!

I second LizLemon about tensions. What I now do is every time I sew a new type of fabric and I have the tension sussed, I get a sample of the sewed fabric, just a couple of inches and I write on it the tensions I used, like 4/4/3/5; then I pin the samples together with a nappy pin and use as a reference for next time I encounter a similar fabric. If it's a new one on me, I always start with low tension and check the end result against the diagram in the book to tell me which ones I need to tighten up.

In my opinion, most modern overlockers should be able to handle fleece. Is your cutting knife sharp enough? If I'm using bulky stuff, I sometimes get someone else to guide the offcut strip away once it's been cut to avoid it bunching up or obscuring my view of the sewing action.

I'd head back to the shop, especially now you know exactly what it is that's the problem! Take some fleece in with you to see if they can work out what's going wrong!

But stick at it as an overlocker is a fab bit of kit!

You need to check the needles you're using are capable of sewing the fleece fabric too.
If the needles get damaged, or bent they will then cause damage to the loopers and the machine will not sew properly.

The tensions on the 2 threads which are in the loopers needs to be set on a looser tension - to allow it space to wrap around the wider/thicker material.

Thank you all! At least I don't feel stupid or alone now! Will hot foot it to the shop tomorrow. And then loosen the tension on the loopers - that really makes sense. I am a bit that the diagrams with my overlocker for threading are so unclear. I think it should come with a DVD or at least rally clear photos. But maybe I'll laugh at myself for needing such things when I'm a true expert!