Serger Won’t Make Chain: Fixing an Overlocker Not Stitching
When in doubt, you can always blame the needles. They play such an important role in sewing that if anything goes wrong, you have a built-in excuse by blaming the needles. If that doesn’t work, you will think of something. A sewing machine always has one problem or another when your results are not as great as expected.
The first place to look, not blame, when your serger is not making a chain are the needles. With some sergers, you 5 needles and they all have their slots to be inserted into. With the wrong needle in the wrong place, your serger may not stitch properly.
This is only one situation that may prevent your serger from making a chain. To read about more and how to deal with the issue just continue to read our article. It has the information you need to help you fix this problem when it happens to your serger sewing machine.
Why Won't My Serger Make a Chain?
As already mentioned, some sergers come with 5 needles. There are some for regular stitching and the rest help with the coverstitch. When your serger is not making a chain, it is possible to confuse the needles and put them in the wrong place.
Or you put one or two needles in backwards and they won’t sew at all. It happens so do not panic. It is a common problem. Just keep your cool and go through your sewing machine to see if other are other problems involved as well.
Another source for this problem is when the looper loses its point. The looper is not immune and it can be damaged when you are not looking. When it does lose its point, you will have to have it replaced.
Finally, if you have threaded the machine wrong, then your serger will not sew. Today’s sewing machines are very delicate and finely tuned machines. One thing is off and that can stop your sewing machine from doing what it is supposed to do.
Then if none of those sources is your problem, check the timing to make sure it is doing its job accurately.
Brother 1034d Not Chaining
When you have a problem with your sewing machine or serger make sure to check the simple things first. If it is a simple issue then you can fix it yourself and save yourself a lot of money and time.
Two areas you can check first are the standard oiling issue. If you haven’t oiled your sewing machine recently or ever, then it may be time to do so. Then you may be lifting your presser foot too soon. If that happens your serger may not continue to chain and you will be stuck until you figure it out.
Here are some other areas you can check:
- 1. The needle - if it is bent or broken it won’t chain Also a blunt needle will have the same result. All you need to do is replace the needle. When you change the needles you know you have done it correctly when the right needle is slightly lower than the left one.
- 2. The needle 2 - in this case, your needles may not have been installed correctly. All you have to do is take them out and re-install them and you should be fine. Remember to keep the flat side pointing away from you when you insert it.
- 3. Its the tension - this is a good possibility. If the thread tension is too tight it may stop your machine from chaining. Adjust your tension appropriately for your fabric and sewing project.
- 4. The wrong needle was inserted - this happens all the time for whatever reason a person may have. All you have to do is replace it with the correct needle and you will be fine. For this machine, you should be using a SCHMETZ 130/705H (#80 or #90).
Overlocker Not Stitching Properly
When it comes to sewing you are going to find that there are many sources for the same problem. Its the nature of sewing and sewing machines. When you overlocker is not stitching right, it could be that the blades need changing.
The blades on a serger do get dull making it harder for you to sew.of course, you would see a problem with the fabric if this was the case. Then there is the stitch finger. Option.
This happens when you have done a rolled hem before whatever you are working on and forgot to replace the stitch finger or didn’t put it back in the correct position. There should be about 2 stitch fingers to a serger’s stitch plate.
Then you need to check your loopers if none of the above are the problem. It is essential on many serger sewing machines for the lower looper thread to pass under the upper looper thread before getting it over and under the foot.
If this threading is wrong, then your overlocker will not form a chain or even a stitch. After that, check your tension settings when you start threading the machine. If they are not already set to 0 do so before threading. After you thread, you can reset the tensions where you need them.
Finally, when all is said and done, it may not be you or your threading, etc., that is the problem. It could be the machine and only servicing will repair the problem. One sewer paid $170 to have her serger fixed so it would form a chain again.
Serger Lower Looper Problem
Some of your lower looper problems can be solved by adjusting your thread tension. Loosen the tension when you have heavier fabric and tighten it when you are sewing with lighter ones.
Also, you should loosen the tension when you are using heavier and stretchy threads. When puckers form you should loosen the tension and tighten the tension when loops or Vs appear on the underside of the garment you are sewing.
You may run across the problem where your lower looper threads are pulling to the right of your fabric. In this situation, you can either loosen the upper looper tension or tighten the lower looper tension. Either way gets you the same results.
If the upper looper threads are going to the underside of the garment, then you need to do the reverse of the previous solution. Loosen the upper looper or tighten the lower looper tension.
Those are just some general issues that involve the lower looper. When you have a problem with your lower looper then it is possibly one of two things that went wrong. First, you may have missed a thread guide on the lower looper arm.
Second, it may be that your lower looper thread is not placed correctly. There is a third problem that may cause your lower looper to have problems. That is when the needle thread gets tangled around the looper arms.
When this happens the needle thread could bend the lower looper arm pout of position. You would have to re-thread your needle double-checking that you threaded in the right order.
Brother Serger Not Looping
There are a lot of common problems that can cause a variety of things to go wrong with your Brother serger sewing machine. One is that the needle is the wrong size. If it is too short, then it won’t catch the looper threads.
To solve this problem you have to find the right size of needle for your machine and change out the one currently installed. Another common problem would be that the machine is not threaded properly.
You will get tired of re-threading your sewing machine but sometimes that is the common fix for a variety of serger issues including not looping. If your machine is a 2 thread model then make sure the converter is not engaged. Then re-thread the machine.
When all of the above is not the problem, it may be the timing that is the cause of the problem. This will have to be handled by an approved technician if you are under warranty. This is the last result.
There is a possibility that you did not thread in the right order so you are going to have to pull all the threads out and do it again from scratch. It is a nuisance but it has to be done.
Some Final Words
It is amazing that while no sewing machine is the same they all seem to come up with the same problems. Some are very easy to fix and involve re-threading mostly. Or it is usually the needles that are at fault.
Putting the needles in the right place and the right position is not always as simple as it sounds and mistakes are made. Remember check the simple problems first and use the repairman as the last resort.
That will save you money and a lot of time.
