The stitching is irregular when I sew a narrow hem on chiffon. I have tried stretch needles, fine needles ,

Question

It seems that every 12 or so stitches 1 stitch is out of line, I've tried so many different things I wonder if its my machine, I have a Janome 6260

Answer 1

     Cover the plate where the bobbin thread comes out of with wax paper.cover the whole thing wth wax paper cut out the spot where the teeth are,where the sewing machine foot comes down.that way your material will slid through really easily and your stitches should stay even.This works well for silk and leather too.They glide right along. A seamstress told me this and her grandmother that was a seamstress told her years ago.

Answer 2

Chiffon is the hardest fabric to sew on. Try making your stitch length very small. You need a sharp needle for fine fabrics like chiffon. A stretch needle has a ball point tip. You need 60/8 or 60/9  size needle. you can also try using Sew Ease. It comes in a little plastic bottle for under $4 at any sewing supply store. You put a drop on your needle or where the thread goes through on top of the machine. It smooths the way for the thread.

Answer 3

Use a fine, sharp needle like a #8 or 10 Schmetz jeans or microtex.  You may also  need a stabilizer under or above or both sides of your hem.  Be careful not to pull on your fabric and get it out of alignment, which can cause irregular stitching.

Unless you want a rather stiff edge, keep the stitches fairly long and relaxed -- you may need to play with the tension a bit.  Are you using a narrow hemming foot, or are you doing a baby hem?

Also remember the galloping horse rule (especially for chiffon as it moves a lot during wear): you're looking at the sewing from 6-18" away -- imperfect stitching is unlikely to be noticed by anyone but you unless they're very close to you -- close enough they should probably have medical credentials or be very closely related to you.

FWIW, I generally find it simpler and faster to roll hem chiffon by hand than by machine; serger roll hemming is also a good choice.