Sewing Techniques Cooperative Extension Service

College of Agriculture and

with an Overlock Home Economics

Machine
Guide C-219

Constance Kratzer, Family Resource Management Specialist

This publication is scheduled to be updated and reissued 02/08.

Sewing with an overlock machine is a bit different If needle thread is too loose, increase the needle
from sewing with a conventional sewing machine. Some tension and/or decrease either or both looper ten-
of the sewing techniques used will require practice to sions (fig. 2).
become proficient. Here are a few tips to help you:

• When sewing with an overlock machine, be sure to

fit the garment before it is stitched. Because seams
Unbalanced needle
are trimmed as they are sewn, it isn’t possible to thread too loose
let out seams if the garment is too snug.

• Check your machine’s use and care manual for in-

structions about how to adjust the thread tension.
To get the feel of good stitches, try using a differ-
ent color thread in each looper and needle. Adjust
each tension dial as needed to achieve a balanced Figure 2.
stitch. Stitch through a variety of fabrics to deter-
mine how fabric weight affects the stitch quality. If upper looper thread is too loose, tighten the
upper looper tension and/or loosen the lower
• When the stitch is properly adjusted, the upper looper (fig 3).
looper thread will be smooth against the right side
of the fabric and the lower looper will be smooth
against the wrong side of the fabric. These threads
will meet and interlock evenly along the edge of
Unbalanced-upper looper
the fabric. The needle thread will be seen as a long thread laps round
straight stitch on the right side and a shorter over the back
straight stitch, which is more widely spaced, on the
wrong side (fig. 1).

Needle thread
Upper
looper
thread
Back Figure 3.

Face Lower
looper
thread
Perfect stitch

Figure 1.

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 If the lower looper thread is too loose, tighten the • To secure seam ends try one of the following
lower looper tension and/or loosen the upper looper methods:
tension (fig. 4).
– Thread the chain end into a large-eyed needle
and slip the needle under the seam’s stitching
Unbalanced-lower looper until the chain end is buried inside the seam
thread laps around (fig. 5).
over the front

Figure 5.
Figure 4.
– Stitch a few stitches, then fold the loose
thread chain so you stitch over it. At the end
• The stitch width of an overlock machine is deter- of the seam, stitch off the fabric about 1/2 inch,
mined by two or three factors. On some machines raise the presser foot and turn the fabric over.
the stitch finger or the cutting knife can be moved Place the fabric back under the presser foot
by turning a dial or loosening a screw. Or, change lower the foot and stitch about 1 inch before
the throat plate to one that has a wider or narrower stitching off the fabric (fig. 6).
stitch finger.
If the overlock uses two needles, the stitch width
can be adjusted by removing one of the needles. This
can be done only when a three–thread stitch is used.
The stitch length of an overlock machine may
vary from 0 to 5 mm. The stitch can be adjusted by
turning a dial, moving a lever or loosening a
screw.
When sewing medium weight fabric, use an av-
erage stitch length—3 mm (about 9 stitches per
inch). Delicate fabrics or fabrics that ravel should
be stitched with a shorter stitch—2 mm (about 12
stitches per inch). A 1 mm setting will produce a Figure 6.
satin stitch and is used for rolled hems.
– Use a seam fixative to glue the thread ends at
the end of each seam. This is especially use-
• If your machine does not have a seam allowance ful when seams are crossed by other stitching
guide, use masking tape to indicate the seam (fig. 7).
widths desired. Be sure to measure from the stitch-
ing on the seamline, not from the cut edge of the
seam.

• At the beginning of a seam, it is not always neces-

sary to raise and lower the presser foot. At the end
of the seam, continue running the machine until the
thread chain is long enough to bring under the
knife blade to be cut.

• When seaming many sections of a project, stitch Figure 7.

from one piece to the next without raising the
presser foot or cutting the threads.

Guide C-219 • Page 2

 Special Tips for Overlock Sewing
– Tie a knot in the thread chain close to the fabric
edge (fig. 8). • Pin, glue or hand baste seams together as you sew.
Pins should be placed parallel to the edge inside
the seamline. Place the pin heads so they can be
removed easily as you sew. The knife blades will
be damaged if they hit a pin as you sew.
Glue baste fabrics together with a water soluble
glue stick. Lightly dot glue along seamline about
2-3 inches apart. Then, stick the seam allowances
together with edges matching. Glue stick is espe-
cially helpful when matching plaids and stripes.
Hand basting may be necessary on loosely
woven fabrics or when edges are very bias.
Figure 8.
• When selecting thread for the overlock, match the
• Seams should be pressed directionally over the color of the needle thread because it is the one that
stitching to smooth them, then pressed in the cor- may show along the seam on the right side. You may
rect position. To avoid an impression of seam al- use a basic color, such as beige, white, gray or black,
lowances on the right side of the garment, a piece on the loopers since these threads should not show.
of paper can be placed under the seams as they are
pressed. • When changing thread, tie machine thread to new
Because seam allowances of overlocked seams thread using an overhand knot (fig. 9). This will make
are finished together, they must be pressed to one the threading process simple. Remember to loosen ten-
side. Horizontal seams usually are pressed up and sion dials to allow knots to pull through easily. Cut the
shoulder seams are pressed toward the back. Verti- needle thread before the knot gets to the eye of the
cal seams usually are pressed toward the center needle. Remove knot and thread the needle.
front or back. The seam of the sleeve cap should be
pressed toward the sleeve.
To avoid bulkiness, seams in hem allowances
should be turned in the opposite direction. When
seams incorporate fullness, they appear less bulky
when they are pressed toward the smoother side of
the seam.

• Its best to avoid stitching errors when using an

overlock machine because once the seam edges are
trimmed off, there’s little you can do to remedy the Figure 9.
situation. If you have to rip out seams, here is how
to do it:
• It is better to use all one type of thread when pos-
Two-thread overlock–Use scissors or rip- sible, all on spools or all on cones. Once a spool of
per to cut stitch loops along fabric edge. thread starts to break, discard it and get another.
Pull out cut threads.
• To begin stitching at a specific point other than a
Three- and four-thread overlock–Use corner, pull threads off the stitch finger and place
scissors or ripper to cut stitch loops along fabric under presser foot to begin stitching. After
fabric edge. Pull on needle thread to re- stitching around edges to beginning, overlap stitch-
move. Pull out all cut loop threads. ing about 1/2 inch and then sew off fabric edge.
Secure threads with a knot by threading thread
Chainstitch–Clip the needle thread, then ends under stitches or use a seam fixative.
pull the looper thread.

Guide C-219 • Page 3

• When sewing curved seams, sew slowly. On out- two- or three-thread overlock stitch. Then, sew the
side curves, push the fabric into the presser foot so seams using conventional stitching. Press the seam
the edge seems to be straight. On inside curves, allowances open after they are stitched, unless other-
pull the fabric gently to straighten the edge. Be wise instructed. (Not recommended for sheer fabrics
careful not to pull the fabric out of shape in the where seam allowances may show through.)
bias areas.
• When finishing facing edges, sew facing seams to-
• To turn outside corner, stitch one stitch past the gether and press in the recommended direction, then
edge and raise the needle and presser foot. Care- overcast the outside edge so it is smoothly finished
fully pull the thread chain off the prong that forms and the facing is the recommended width.
stitches and turn the fabric to stitch the next side.
Locate the fabric, lower the presser foot and the
needle and stitch. Stitch each corner in the same Orginally written by Susan Wright, Extension
manner. Or stitch along one side and off the fabric. Clothing and Textiles Specialist.
Then, stitch the next side until all sides are sewn. Darlene Dictson, 4-H/Youth Specialist, as-
Secure chain ends using one of the methods dis- sisted in revision.
cussed above.
.
• To sew an inside corner, trim away all excess seam
allowance. Stitch to the point where the knife
blade reaches the exact corner and stop. Pull the
fabric toward you so the corner is straightened out
and finish stitching (fig. 10).

Figure 10.

• Stabilize seams that need to keep their shape by

stitching twill tape or seam binding into the seams.
Place the tape so the needle stitches into the tape
without cutting it, or place a piece of cording (cro-
chet yarn, perle cotton, buttonhole twist) along the
seamline and sew over it. Let the ends extend so
they will be caught when the seam is crossed by
another row of stitching.

• Seams sewn with a combination of conventional and

overlock stitching can be used in a variety of fabrics
and garment styles. Finish seam edges first using a

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of Agriculture cooperating.
Revised February 2003 Las Cruces, NM
3C
Guide C-219 • Page 4