fold over elastic

[+stella+]

do any of you buy fold over elastic at Michael's or JoAnn's? Or should I go straight to buying online?

tia

[ReneeC]

I've never seen it at Joanns. There are a few sites in the second sticky that carry it

[+stella+]

ok thanks, i was hoping id not have to buy it online and wait, but thank you so much for your response :

[snitker79]

Troubles with FOE

I finally sewn a trainer that I had been working on (first ever of any type of diaper item) with FOE and around the leg holes where I was stretching the FOE it didn't get stitched in a few places on the underside (right side) of the fabric. Any tips on how to stretch the FOE and keep it on the curve of the leg holes so that it gets stitched completely? By the way I'm using a zig-zag stitch on it's longest setting.

TIA
Miranda

[ReneeC]

Originally Posted by snitker79

I finally sewn a trainer that I had been working on (first ever of any type of diaper item) with FOE and around the leg holes where I was stretching the FOE it didn't get stitched in a few places on the underside (right side) of the fabric. Any tips on how to stretch the FOE and keep it on the curve of the leg holes so that it gets stitched completely? By the way I'm using a zig-zag stitch on it's longest setting.

TIA
Miranda

My general suggestion with FOE is to go *really* slow. Just stretch and sew a small part at a time and be careful to line everything up. Make sure you stop with your needle down when you stretch the next part of the FOE and adjust everything.

Also, if you have it on your machine, a 3-step zig-zag is best for elastic (it has more stretch to it than a regular zig-zag) and because there are three stitches to each "zig" and "zag", you have a better chance of catching at least some of the FOE in the stitches If you don't have a 3-step zig-zag, you might want to try a shorter stitch length for the zig-zag you've been using.

HTH!

[snitker79]

Nope no 3-step stitch. It's an older machine, so it only has regular zig zag. Why would the shorter stitch be better than a longer one? I was thinking the longer the stitch, the better the chance of catching the FOE.

Thanks!

[ReneeC]

Originally Posted by snitker79

Nope no 3-step stitch. It's an older machine, so it only has regular zig zag. Why would the shorter stitch be better than a longer one? I was thinking the longer the stitch, the better the chance of catching the FOE.

Thanks!

In my experience, the longest stitch length isn't the best because once you stretch the FOE (which makes it not as wide) you have more of a chance of the stitches either not catching it or catching on the outer part (towards the edge of the diaper) but not on the inner part (towards the middle of the diaper). With a medium to short stitch length your "aim" is a little bit better because the "zig" isn't as far away from the "zag"