and DIY projects and in this episode we're gonna be focusing on twin needles

and how to use them. Now if you've never used a twin needle before, don't be

scared they're pretty simple to use and they work generally the same on most

sewing machines. So for this demonstration I'm going to be using the

Everson Sparrow 25. A machine I've been using for several years and very much

enjoy. Now my first experience using twin needles was several years ago. I believe

it was on my brother SE400. It was a total disaster so that's why I wanted to

make this video is to help you if you're trying to attempt this for the first

time. Now there are so many different types of twin needles there are

different widths there are different types like there are some Universal

needles for most fabrics there are ballpoint or stretch twin needles for

stretchy or knit fabrics. And the reason most sewists use a twin needle is to try

to replicate the same type of look that a cover stitch machine gives. In the past

I've done a few cover stitch machine videos on the Janome 1000 CPX which was

a loaner from Pink Castle Fabrics. It was great to work with but I know not

everybody could afford it. Twin needles are a lot cheaper than a

cover stitch machine. So stay tuned if you want to learn how to use them.

Twin needles are commonly used to hem knit garments like sleeves or the waist of a

t-shirt and they give you that store-bought more professional look that

a lot of seamstresses love so if you want to use a twin needle it will give

you that same row of double stitching but on the back it looks a little bit

different than a cover stitch machine and I'm gonna show you the difference

Here on the back of a cover stitch machine stitch you see that little

intricate network. Of threads on the back of a twin needle stitch you'll see

little rows of stitches and a zigzag attaching and connecting those which is

the bobbin thread. So when I was looking around for twin needles it can be a little

tricky to find the exact needle you're looking for. It can be a little bit

mind-boggling when you see all of the different types of twin needles there are.

So make sure when you're shopping around

you get exactly what you're looking for because it can be real easy to kind of

mix them up or accidently purchase the wrong ones. I'm gonna be practicing on

some interlocked knit fabric it's a little bit of a sturdy in it. So I

thought that would be good practice and I just thought I would try a couple

different methods when I was shooting my cover stitch videos I did notice it made

a big difference when I at least fold it over the hem already to a predetermined

amount usually like half an inch or one inch and then pressed it in place.

If it was more of a cotton based fabric I could sometimes get away with using

Elmer's washable school glue to help keep that in place so it didn't shift

around but I heard good things about using wonder tape so I thought I would

give that a try on one side of the fabric so I made this little test sample

and on one side I just folded it over and pressed but on the other side I put

wonder tape right on the edge of the hem just to see if it would make a

difference and it certainly did. So let's talk about inserting your twin needle.

you just need to remove the needle that you already have in your sewing machine

and then insert the twin needle with the flat side to the back at least on my

sewing machine and then insert it like you normally would when it comes to

threading you can just use your bobbin as you normally would

a lot of sewing machines come with an extra spool pin so I installed mine at

the top you can also actually use the bobbin holder on top and use your bobbin

with the same matching thread if you don't want to go through that to thread

you first will thread your left thread as you normally would using your main

spool of thread and then when you do the second spool of thread you just run it

through the same guides and steps that you would normally but the only

difference is that when it came to that last little tiny guide right above the

needle I skipped that and then threaded my second thread into the right needles

so there are two needles obviously because it's called a twin needle.

To make this a little easier to see I used three very distinct thread colors and

I'll show you a guide here left needle is the purple thread right needle is the

red thread and then the bobbin thread is green so you can see which thread is which

when I show you the finished sample. So I started out doing the

the side that I just used my clover hot hammer to fold over and press didn't do

anything else and you want to make sure that the right side of the hem the one

that will be visible on the outside is facing up in your sewing machine and

using my sewing machines seam allowance lines I've eyeballed to where I needed to.

Line my fabric up so that the stitching would just get to the end of my hem right here

I don't think it particularly matters which foot use on your sewing machine

and in hindsight I should have just used my walking foot but I decided to switch

it out with the decorative stitch foot because it's clear so I could see easier

but I can also see with the walking foot so I think next time I'm gonna try the

walking foot and see if that makes it any better just because I do really like

using the walking foot because it feeds the layers of fabric so evenly and

normally I just keep the walking foot on my machine like 95 percent of the time

the only time I take it off is if I need something like a zipper foot or like a

buttonhole foot but pretty much it's the walking foot the majority of the time

for most of my sewing projects I just really prefer the walking foot and on my

Janome 7700 it's got a built in AcuFeed foot which i really really really

like a lot if you're not familiar with wonder tape it is a water-soluble

double-sided stick tape you put it down on whatever project you're working on

lift up the backing and then you can stick something else to the other side

but the good thing about this is that it washes away when you launder the items

so even though when I ran my machine through with the wonder tape it's a

little bit stiff I know once I wash that garment it will be a little stretchy or

and the fabric will have a little bit more give. So I noticed some

very distinct differences between the side that I did not put the wonder tape

on and the side that I did so. The side that I did not put the wonder tape on I

noticed that hem was a lot wavier and it didn't feed through as evenly. Plus I did

notice there was a lot more tunneling on that side. The wonder tape certainly made

a difference so if your hemming knits I would highly recommend picking up some

wonder tape. I also found some generic versions on Amazon as well although I

haven't tested those out I think I might pick up some though because they were

quite a bit less expensive than the actual wonder tape and I'm gonna see if

if they hold up to the brand name wonder tape. It may or it may not sometimes.

I have hit or miss luck with those items on Amazon you just never know

but I definitely saw a huge improvement with the Wonder tape side I did get a

few skipped stitches I don't know if there's anything I could have done

better but I did kind of notice that the skip stitches were when I would kind of

stop or hesitate in the stitching and maybe I should have just let it go

through the whole way without stopping maybe that would have helped. If you have

any tips for skip stitches while using a twin needle feel free to share those in

the comments below. So we can all benefit from your knowledge because I'm

definitely interested as well. But you can see the three different colors of

thread on the back and it just forms a little bit of a network of stitches but

not as intense as a cover stitch machine. So overall I was pretty pleased with the

results and I have used both a cover stitch machine and a twin needle I think

a twin needle is a really great budget-friendly option if you're not in

the market for a cover stitch machine. I did really like having that loaner

though I'll be honest with you it was a lot of fun to use and I could see some

applications for it. I don't make a ton of clothes and I also don't really work

with it's a whole lot. So I think for now a twin needle may serve my needs and and

I'll be good to go but I'm definitely gonna keep experimenting with the twin

needle. I did pick up both a stretch and Universal twin needle. So the universal

I'm gonna use on woven fabrics like quilting cotton or something like linen

and at the stretch needles of going to use on my stretchy or knit fabrics of

course and just a reminder they come in all different types

I chose a width of 4 because I do like a wider set double row of stitches. You may

want them narrow but that's just kind of what I prefer. In fact I would really

like to try a size 6 or if they come in a larger size just because I do like to

have them wider. But hopefully this video you found it helpful if you're

trying to use a twin needle for the first time and again feel free to share

any tips you have with our community right here in the comments. I know I

would love to see what you have to say if you have a lot of experience using

twin needles because I certainly don't. But like any new sewing technique you're

trying of course it will take a little bit of time and trial and error to

improve and get better and feel like you've mastered this skill.

So hopefully you enjoyed this video about twin needles and if you are interested

in seeing what a cover stitch machine is all about I've got quite a few videos on

the Janome 1000 CPX and I would encourage you to check those out as well

I'm Jennifer with the sewing report I'll see you guys next time