Many sewers, especially people who do machine embroidery, have not been told that it's better for their machines if they pull the upper thread out through the needle, as opposed to pulling backwards through the disks in order to "save thread."
That's a risky maneuver, because pulling thread backwards through the tension disks can damage the disks, either through reduction in tension, or from thread getting stuck in the path.
And replacing the upper tensioning system can be expensive.
Thread's expensive, you say? True, but here's a little analysis of the cost of thread versus the cost of my machine...
If you pull the thread out of a machine with a large harp one time, that costs roughly 1/3 of a meter, so changing threads 3 times = 1 meter of thread.
Machine embroidery can induce you to change thread many times in a design.
If I change thread 30 times a day, that's equal to 10 meters of thread.
If I do that every day in the year that comes to 3650 meters of thread.
A 5000m spool of Isacord costs about $16.
A new threading mechanism for my machine costs $1500
Would I spend $16 a year in insurance on a $1500 mechanism, which drives a $10k
machine? In a heartbeat.
For cheaper machines, you're still talking about $16 worth of thread for a several hundred dollar repair. Still worth the investment.
My actual numbers are much lower, since I'm a working stiff. I might manage 50 thread
changes in a month, so my "insurance" is in reality much cheaper, just a couple of bucks. That's a no-brainer for me.
2 comments:
Hi Karen. Nice to find you in the www. It was lovely meeting you in Germany! LG Karol-Ann
Thanks for this advice !! I never really thought of it, but it sure makes sense. So, I'll try to change my habits ...
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