Frequently Asked Questions

I own the Accolade Overlocker – is there a DVD available for this model in Australia?

There is no DVD available for this model in Australia however there is an instructional DVD available for the Evolve Wave Model.  The stitch settings and techniques are all the same, the only difference being threading the loopers – on the Evolve Wave we press a lever to thread, on the Evolution machine you press a button.  There is also a DVD available for the accessories.

Can I use the double fold bias binder on the Accolade to bind a quilt?

There is no successful way to bind a quilt continuously using the bias binder. This is because the fabric gets fed in well before the needles stitch the binding to the quilt. You can bind each side individually and finish the corners by hand or sewing machine however this is probably not the desired finish. The binders are used more often for binding garments when a seam is left open i.e. binding a neck of a top, leave a shoulder seam open and overlock the seam closed when the binding is finished. Although corners are difficult to achieve a good finish on – however curves are fine therefore projects like baby’s bibs are suitable.

I saw on your website there is a knit binder for the Coverstitch Machine – is this available for the Accolade?

No, the knit binder is only available for the Gloria, Ovation (which are eight thread combination models) and BLCS-Coverstitch only machine. The Accolade, Evolution and Evolve have a small coverstitch table and large front door which prevents the knit binder being attached; whereas the Gloria, Ovation and Coverstitch models have the space and attachments holes for the Knit Binder to attach to the table/bed of the machine.

I saw in the instruction manual that my Enlighten can do a ladder stitch – can I use a thicker thread in the needle to sew this stitch? If so, do you have any hints?

You can use a size 14 top stitch needle in your Baby Lock when using decorative threads in the needle for stitches such as ladder stitch and blanket stitch. This type of needle has a much larger eye to cope with the decorative threads. When you are no longer using the decorative thread in your needle you need to change to the correct needle system for your machine, for the four thread models use HAx1SP and eight thread models use ELx705.

I often have trouble roll hemming on the bias, the fabric moves away and the stitching doesn’t connect. What am I doing wrong?

Fabric cut on the bias has an amount of stretch in it and some fabrics can just be tricky to work with. As fabric feeds under the foot of the overlocker with the differential set on N the fabric stretches and pulls to left – away from the needles, making it difficult to connect.

There are a few things to look at to correct this.

• If you are not wishing the fabric to flute, increase differential feed to 1.3 or 1.5, this feeds the fabric into the machine at a faster rate and combats the fabric stretching.
• Check you are using the correct size needle for lightweight fabric i.e. a size 11 or 12, a 14 is too large for lightweight fabrics and punches holes which are far too big, resulting in the hem falling off the fabric.
• Make sure the needle is not blunt, replace with a new one if required.
• Increase the stitch length slightly. Often when sewing on lightweight fabrics, we shorten the stitch length so much that it ends up perforating the fabric, as the needle is stitching too closely. Increasing the stitch length slightly will correct this.
• Increase the stitch width, this will allow the stitch to grab more fabric.
• If none if the above suggestions work and you still have a problem, cut a narrow strip of soluble stabilizer and place it under the raw edge of the fabric. This stabilizes the fabric, preventing any stretch and will wash away later.

The coverstitch on my Eight Thread Machine doesn’t always chain off like it is supposed to.

The Baby Lock combination machines and stand-alone coverstitch machines are designed to chain off when using coverstitch and chain stitch. This is a huge advantage as it prevents the coverstitch or chain stitch unravelling if the chain looper becomes loose. Some of the older models require a long stitch length, 4, for this to occur. As your needles leave the edge of the fabric, increase the stitch length to 4 and keep your foot constantly on the foot control to create the length of chain required. If you stop sewing and begin again without fabric under the needles the machine will not chain as it needs fabric to form the coverstitch in the beginning.

Can I thread Woolly Nylon through the looper of an air-threading machine? It doesn’t blow through like overlocking thread.

Woolly Nylon is beautiful on the upper looper of the overlocker when roll hemming or in the chain looper for coverstitch. However, it will not blow through the air-threading loopers as it is a stretchy thread. In your large accessory pack in the top of your machine box is a looper threading wire with loop at one end. Lock the threading ports and gently feed the straight end of the wire into the threading port. Stop when the end appears out of the eye of the looper, thread the woolly nylon through the loop and pull the wire gently to take the thread through the looper tube.

I’m sewing baby’s bibs with thick towelling and the overlocker doesn’t like the thick bulk.

Check the setting of the presser foot pressure adjustment – this looks a little like a screw on the top of the machine. If it is turned down very low into the machine, insert the top end of your tweezers into the screw and turn to the left to reduce the amount of pressure on the fabric to make the feeding easier. If you have a Gloria or Ovation the presser foot pressure adjustment dial is located on the left side of the machine, which makes the adjustment easy. When sewing lighter weight fabric, this can be adjusted back down easily to create the amount of presser foot pressure required. Also check the foot you are using – we recommend using the Flat Sole Foot as you will gain better feed especially when stitching with thicker fabrics.

Why is my Coverstitch skipping stitches?

We recommend using ELx705 size 14 when Coverstitching – using the size 14 needles will reduce needle deflection and eliminate the skipped stitches regardless of the thread or fabric you are using.

How often should I change my needles

Needles you are using on your Overlocker/Coverstitch Machines should be changed every 8 hours of sewing.

Why is my thread not blowing out of the loopers?

• Ensure you have enough thread length to blow through
• Make sure you have locked your threading tubes
• If your thread is blowing through the lower looper and not your upper looper – maybe you have the subsidiary looper engaged, therefore blocking the eye of the upper looper.