SINGER 1200 Athena - Manual (Page 28)

M«e<Sie-Thread Tension
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Havmg selected the correct needle and
thread combination for the fabric being used,
it may be necessary to adjust the tension of
the sewing maohine to ensure a well balanoed
stitch.
A well balanced stitch is when the top and
under thread appear the same on the fabric.
Your new machine has an adlustable tension
control system. This control exerts tension on
the top and under thread as they pass through
the machine to form a stitch.
« Too much tension will produce a tight stitch
which will cause puckered seams.
o Too little tension will produce a loose stitch.
When an even amount of tension is exerted on
both threads, a smooth even stitch known as a
balanced stitch, is produced.
To help understand the effect of tension on
fabric and thread, try this simple test:
® Take two pieces of a medium weight woven
fabric in a solid light color about six inches
long.
o Place a 2020 size 14 needle in the machine.
« Thread the top of your machine with a
polyester or mercerized dark color thread
and use a lighter color thread of the same
fiber and size in the bobbin.
o Select a medium stitch length.
Seam the two pieces of fabric together start­
ing with the top tension control at “0”. Then
as you sew, slowly turn the tension control
from “0” through to its highest setting.
6 Sew another row turning the dial back to
“0”, You should have a balanced stitch on
each row mid-way between the start and
finish in each case.
«The different colored threads will help you
to see the effect that the tension has on the
top and bottom threads.
Now that you have observed the effects of
tension, we suggest that you perform a similar
test on a scrap of the fabric you plan to use.
being sure to duplicate the number of
thicknesses of your garment.
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