Crafty Sewing Machine

I have bought the Crafty sewing machine from Aldi. It is the same as the 

TuffSew Platinum Industrial Strength Electronic Sewing Machine and the Necchi MP200

Diary of Use:

So far I have only watched the videos linked below, unpacked and threaded the machine.


Overview of the machine

Fancy stitches

Letters, Numbers and Symbols

Creating a buttonhole

Overlocking stitch for stretch fabrics

Threading ( Tim Wappat created this video and posted it in the Facebook group So Crafty (Aldi) Sewing Machine Tips & Advice)

Advice (Picked up from friends, sewing groups and someone I met while buying fabric)

Threading the needle: 

As usual I was slow and awkward threading  - not all down to machines I have used as my eye sight is a problem. Here is the advice I got:

• Check the needle is completely down and foot up
• pull down the threader
• twist the unit so that metal goes around needle and small hook goes through the hole
• put thread around metal hook near the white unit and pull across the needle 
• make sure it hooks under the small hook through the eye of the needle
• twist unit to pull metal hook which is through the needle to the back - this should pull a small loop of thread through the eye.
• don't worry - many users have to jiggle the threader a little bit sometimes before achieving success.

The video in this link includes threading the needle.

Creating Labels

• Back with interfacing before stitching
• Put in 66 as a spacer number to spread out letters.

Free Motion Stitching

• To lower the feed dogs there is a lever at the back of the machine.
• When you wish to return to normal state do not worry when the feed dogs do not raise immediately - they will come back up when you start to stitch.

Sewing Stretch Fabric

Thread Breaking?  

• use stitch 2 and a jersey needle 
• Sometimes the thread gets out of the loop that moves up and down with the needle (just left of the tension disks) and then the threads snap. 

General:

• When changing a needle cover the feed dogs with a cloth or paper - I have heard of several people who have had the mishap of a needle dropping through the plate.
• if you need to remove the plate it is easiest to turn the machine to unscrew from the back (I haven't tried this.)

I'll add more to this post as I progress. I am currently, however, getting through a pile of unfinished items that I started on my older machine.