Selecting a Straight Stitch

What you will learn

• Using the stitch selector
• Setting needle position
• Checking the foot

Materials and tools

• Threaded machine
• Scrap fabric
• Manual

Before you start

• Switch on the machine. The needle should be up and the presser foot raised.

1. Find the stitch selector. It may be a dial with pictures, a set of buttons or a screen. The straight stitch looks like a plain line.

   1. Spool pin
   2. Thread guides
   3. Tension dial
   4. Take-up lever
   5. Needle clamp and needle
   6. Presser foot
   7. Feed dogs
   8. Needle plate
   9. Bobbin and bobbin case
   10. Presser-foot lifter
   11. Stitch selector
   12. Stitch length control
   13. Reverse lever or button
   14. Handwheel
   15. Foot pedal

2. Choose the straight stitch. If your machine has several straight stitches, pick the plain one that your manual calls the standard straight stitch.
3. Check the stitch width, if your machine has a width control. For a straight stitch it should be set to the center position or to 0, as the manual says.
4. Check the needle position. Most machines sew with the needle at the center. The needle plate guide lines measure from that point.
5. Fit the all-purpose presser foot. A straight-stitch foot with a small round hole is also used on some models, but only with a centered straight stitch, because the needle hits it at any other position or width.
6. Place scrap under the foot, lower it and sew a short line. Look at the stitches to confirm they look like a straight row.
7. Turn the machine off if you need to change anything.

Tips for a neat result

• Write the settings for your usual sewing on a note kept with the machine: stitch, length and tension.
• If your machine has several needle positions, keep it centered for now.

Common mistakes and fixes

Check your result

• A short line sewn on scrap is straight, with even stitches.
• You know which setting is straight stitch on your machine.