MenuOverlock without an overlocker!
Your Overlock foot will produce a neater finish on the raw fabric edge. This foot has a guide to help keep the stitches on the fabric edge. There are pins on the underside that slacken the overcast stitch to prevent the fabric from curling in. Depending on the make of machine, your foot may have bristles on the guide; these are designed to prevent threads from snagging as the needle stitches over the edge of the fabric.
1: ATTACHING THE FOOT
Raise the presser foot lever and unclip then remove the existing presser foot and clip on the Overlock Foot.
Make sure that the stitch width is set to 5 or higher to avoid damaging the foot and the needle.
2: MACHINE SETTING: WHICH STITCH SHOULD I USE?
Take a look through your user manual. You may find there are several stitches that can be used with this foot (depending on machine model) Set tension to around 3 or 4.
If using the regular zigzag stitch, set the width to 5 and the length to 1. For a more secure finish, try the shell hem stitch with the stitch length at 1 and the width at 5. The overcast stitch (refer to your manual) is ideal for simultaneously joining and neatening two or more fabric layers, particularly on jerseys.
NEATENING STITCHES:
Shell Stitch (left of picture) Overcast stitches (centre & right of picture)
3: GETTING STARTED:
Lower the foot onto the fabric so that the corner of the fabric lines up with the needle. Make sure that the edge of the fabric lines up with the inside edge of the black guide on the foot. Now sew 3 or 4 stitches (slowly) and check that the needle sews over the fabric edge and doesn’t catch the metal pins in the foot's slot.
You can now sew all the way along the fabric edge, gently keeping it lined up to the inside of the foot’s guide.
