Sunday, November 18, 2012

Metallic Thread on a Vintage Machine

For the experiment, we have three types of silver metallic thread.

Sulky Gutterman Pearl Cotton metallic DSC02618

The Sulky and Gutterman were almost identical, so the Sulky 7001 metallic silver is what was used for the samples.

As instructed, the bobbin is wound with the metallic thread. DSC02620

Then the bobbin thread is pulled up to the top. DSC02621

 and away we go....warming up on muslin, on the pic below you can make out the tension issues I ran into with slight puckers showing up on the left side, stitches nice and flat on the right.


DSC02623


Below a sample on a quilt sandwich (no hoop, so much better control)


DSC02622




 and finally on a scrap of China Silk doubled up and back in the hoop.
Wrong side
DSC02626


Right side
silver wandering


for comparison the original sample pic Metallic stitch 3

Just when I thought I had a handle on this all over pattern, the hoop was my biggest obstacle, getting caught on the darning foot, and other parts of the machine.  Aside from needing more practice to get those motifs the right size and uniform, the sample pic looks a little more raised than my sample.

Here is the pearl cotton metallic.  I embroidered over the top of the first sample, and it is more raised as you can see.  What I need is a thread that is somewhere between the two. Can you tell I was tired by the time I tried this.  On the Pearl cotton you can not pull the thread to the wrong side of the fabric, and you can see the knot that formed because of it on the lower center of the pic.

DSC02631
I also tried it without a hoop (something I do not recommend if your fabric is very thin).

DSC02630

In the end, I still need more practice, and a bigger hoop.
The conclusion of this project is that the fine metallic Sulky is so thin it creates a very light and lacy effect.
The Pearl Cotton metallic is very pronounced, and adds a bit of stiffness to the fabric, more so than the thinner Sulky.  I am pretty pleased that the Pearl Cotton worked at all in the bobbin, it was so thick, I imagined it would get hung up.  Also I have to mention that because the Pearl Cotton is a thicker thread, I couldn't get a lot of yardage on the bobbin itself.  So this is something to consider if you are embarking on a project like this.  Measure out the yardage on the bobbin and plan your design accordingly to minimize thread tails.  If I were to do this again, I might take a few stitches to start, leaving a tail, then start the pattern.  Also I would draw a light sketch of the pattern before starting.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Did the foot that you're using come with your machine?

Another thing you can try is to use 2 or 3 strands of the thinner thread. Take 2 strands of the length you need, hold them together side by side, and wind them around the bobbing together. Your machine will treat the 2 strands as one.

ELMO said...

No, the foot was purchased separately, it's a darning foot, not vintage. I will try the double strands in the bobbin, but will also try it through the needle. I like seeing how the design is turning out, instead of waiting until the end and flipping the hoop.