:lol:

With a sewing machine, or with a serger?

I'm great at curves on a sewing machine - just go slowly at first and move the fabric around as you go.

With a serger, not so good - I need a lot of practice, especially on inner curves.

With a sewing machine, or with a serger?

I'm great at curves on a sewing machine - just go slowly at first and move the fabric around as you go.

With a serger, not so good - I need a lot of practice, especially on inner curves.


I have not even *attempted* it on my serger...and I do go slowly, but it's still something I need lots of practice with I guess. I do have a walking foot, and that makes it a bit easier to control, but still, it'd be nice if I had some secret trick that someone would tell me. :lol:

I think it depends a lot on the sewing machine. I had a couple where it was wicked hard to sew a curve at all, now I have an old (75 years or so) singer straight stitch machine and it is easy. I think it has to do with the feed and fabric. I don't have any good tricks though.

Malissa

do you mean a curve like the crotch of a pair of pants or a curve like the arm of a shirt where you are putting a convex and concave piece together?

If it's the pants, slow down and just practice.

If it's the armsyce then one tip that really helps is to put the fabric that might cause you bumps and problems on the top so you can see where you are stiching and not stitch a bump into the seam.
On the other hand, when I'm doing curved seams in a quilt I always put the convex piece on the bottom and then let the feed dogs do the work of easing the curves together smoothly.

clear as mud? the best thing is to cut a bunch of curvy pieces of fabric and just practice... knowing that they are just practice, no pressure.

~jo

oh, and IMHO sergers are even easier- I acutally do better with them on curves

Walking foot?! Maybe that's what's causing you grief. I think I must be walking foot impaired. People kept telling me I *needed* one in order to quilt. I find I do much better without. Maybe, as Malissa said, it's my machine. It's an old Kenmore, and the only walking feet I could find to fit it seem to fall apart on me (I've bought two).

For concave to convex try running a basting stitch (nice & loose, without backstitching at either end) on the convex side. Use those to lightly gather (ie ease) the curve enough to fit well. I also find it's easiest to to fit the two with the convex on the top, pin the ends & the center & treat it as two halves. That seems to shorten the the length enough for it to be "straighter". Make sense.

For the inside of a crotch, try running the basting stitch & clipping the curve before sewing the two sides together. That lets the fabric loosen enough for the curve to "fall" easier.

Outer curves on the serger are easy. Just take it slow & trim the seam first, serging with the knife up until you get comfortable. For inner curves I always trim the allowance off first. I have found that there is a secret circumference that works for inner curves on the serger. Anything smaller just doesn't work.

Anyway those are my curve tips.

Chole