Where To Buy An Add Extension For Sewing Machine Arm

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Nearly three years ago, I published my first lesson in the Acquire to Machine Sew form for beginners here on Cucicucicoo, which was about the anatomy of a sewing motorcar. In this lesson I mentioned the complimentary arm, though I didn't really explicate what it is and how to use information technology.

However it's one of those super important features of a sewing automobile that makes your life so much easier when sewing tubes of textile, such equally sleeve or pants hems, so I figured that it was finally time to show you what is a gratuitous arm on a sewing machine and only how useful it is.

This is my Elna Lotus. This sewing machine has an unusual design, in which you can remove the whole wide base to betrayal the gratuitous arm (as shown on the bottom). But nigh all contemporary sewing machines accept a part that can be removed to access the free arm. The Singer Uncomplicated you can encounter in thebeefcake of a sewing car lesson has a small accessory compartment that gets removed. If you can't figure it out, exist certain to refer to your machine's manual.

The free arm is a much more than narrow working surface than the regular sewing motorcar base of operations is, and has a space below it so that it does non hit the table it's sitting on.

It's normally more user-friendly to position the fabric you're sewing on a wider base of operations, however when you are sewing relatively tight tubes of fabric, such as sleeves and pant legs, it'southward much easier to simply sideslip the tube right around the free arm so that the material doesn't become bunched upwardly and you lot don't accidentally run up through multiple layers of material when you lot didn't desire to.

Gear up to find out how to employ a free arm? I'g going to bear witness you lot ii means: joining 2 tubes of cloth and hemming a tube of fabric, so grab some scraps and permit'south get started!

How to join ii tubes of fabric

In this blazon of situation, you will usually already have ii tubes of textile that match upwards. Just to show you how to do this, cut two xv x 35 cm (6 x 14″) rectangles of fabric. This should exist sufficient to reach around your free arm.

Fold each piece in one-half, right sides facing, so that you friction match up the short ends. Pivot, and sew with a 1 cm (3/8″) seam allowance. At this point simply use your machine as you ordinarily would, not with the free arm.

Press the seam allowances open up on the incorrect side of the fabric.

If it is hard to sew small tubes of cloth, it is likewise hard to iron them. This is why I highly suggest you lot procure a collapsible sleeve ironing board*. Mine is a super cheap one I got years agone and I but cannot exercise without information technology. I also use it to help me cutting handmade bias tape.

Turn one piece correct side out and slip it inside the other tube, so that the right sides are facing.

Line up the seams and edges along the side you lot plan on sewing, and pin all around.

Open up up your machine's free arm and skid the tube correct effectually it.

Line upwards the edge of the material with the required seam allowance (I used 1 cm) on the needle plate, lower the presser foot, and run up every bit usual. I like to start from the seams simply to make certain that they don't slide around at all while sewing. (top)

As you sew, the fabric tube volition go pulled along underneath the free arm. However it can sometimes become a little bunched underneath, so I employ my fingers to help pull it out every so often every bit I stitch. (lesser)

There you have it! Super elementary!

Pull the inner tube out so that the incorrect sides are out.

Skid the tube over your sleeve ironing board, open up the seam allowances and press them flat. Come across how nicely the seams line upwardly?

Turn the tube right side out, and y'all can adore your work! Well, this practice piece is far from cute, but now you know how to join two tubes on existent projects!

How to hem a tube of fabric

I employ the free arm virtually ofttimes to hem sleeves, pant legs or to terminate off necklines or other openings in garment sewing. So at present I'll show you how to hem a uncomplicated fabric tube.

Cut one fifteen x 35 cm (6 x xiv″) rectangle of fabric. Simply like we did before, fold it in half, correct sides facing, then that you lot friction match up the short ends. Pivot, and sew together with a 1 cm (3/8″) seam allowance. At this bespeak just use your machine as you usually would, not with the free arm.

Slip the tube over the collapsible sleeve ironing board* and iron the seam allowances flat.

Nosotros will hem the tube while still on this small ironing board. Fold the edge over one cm (three/eight″), iron it flat, then fold and atomic number 26 information technology once more past the same corporeality. Notice how the seam visible on the folded portion matches upwards with the seam visible on the wrong side of the textile. (If y'all don't know how to hem, see this lesson on how to hem.)

Like we did before when joining two tubes, open up upwardly your car'southward complimentary arm and slip the tube correct around information technology. Line up the edge of the textile with the required seam allowance (I used just under 1 cm) on the needle plate, lower the presser pes, and stitch every bit usual. I like to start from the seams only to make sure that they don't slide around at all while sewing. As you sew, the fabric tube volition go pulled along underneath the free arm. However it can sometimes become a footling bunched underneath, so I use my fingers to help pull it out every so oft equally I sew.

See how perfectly the hem comes out?

I love how make clean the hem and opened seam allowances look when using this technique!

Now that yous know how to use a free arm, practice up and so that you can start using it when sewing vesture! And get prepare, because next week I'll have a new tutorial set up then that you lot can use it!

This lesson on what is a free arm on a sewing machine is role of the syllabus of Cucicucicoo'south Learn to Machine Sew beginner'southward sewing course! Don't forget to share pictures of your work on Facebook or the Cucicucicoo Creations Flickr Group!

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