BULLETIN

Habits:

1. When turning the balance wheel, it must be turned toward the operator (counter clockwise). Turning the wheel in the opposite direction may break the needle and / or cause thread entanglement in the hook area.

2. The thread take-up-lever must be at it's highest point in order to remove the material from the sewing machine. This important habit will also help prevent the mess of tangled threads at the beginning of seams and also prevent the thread from pulling back through the needle when starting to sew.

3. The threads should be placed under the presser foot, (to the side is best), and held tight until lowering the foot. It is also a good practice to hold the thread until the first stitch is made.

Needles:

The needle is one of the most important parts of a sewing machine, and yet it is often the most neglected. They should be replaced usually after the making of one or two garments. Schmetz needles are one of the finest available and may be used on nearly all home sewing machines. They come in a wide range of types and sizes. The 130/705H system is the type almost all domestic sewing machines use. Size 12/80 is the most common size used. The 705 is the type (scarfed) and length designation. The H indicates a half ball point needle; meaning that it is sharp enough to penetrate woven materials, yet the tip is rounded enough so as not to damage knitted fibers. 12/80 is the size, 12 being the American and Japanese equivalent of European size 80. Size 12/80 is suited for a wide range of average weight materials. For lingerie type materials, a size 10/70 would be better and for heavier materials, the size 14/90 would be best. Extremely sheer , heavy or unusual materials may require a smaller, larger or differant type of needle.

Generally speaking, the smaller the needle, allowing for the eye to be large enough for the thread to pass through freely, the better it will work. If the German Schmetz needles are not available, the Japanese type needle would be type 15X1 or the Singer 20X21. The important thing to know, (especially for rotory hook machines) is that the needle should be scarfed or have an indentation at the back above the eye.

Schmetz 705HS and the identical Yellow band Singer needle will correct skipping stitch problems on some machines, but they are not suitable on all machines.

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