Tag: jukisewing

JUKI Posts, JUKI Spotlight

National Account Spotlight: Visiting McDougal Sewing Center

by sewinwithjukiLeave a Comment on National Account Spotlight: Visiting McDougal Sewing Center

Join us in meeting Dan and Karen Welch, owners and operators of McDougal Sewing Center located in Katy, Texas!

With 4,000 sq. ft. in their main store and five stores located within Jo-Ann Stores, Dan and Karen have worked hard to honor Bob McDougal’s, Dan’s grandfather’s, legacy. Striving to introduce the newest in sewing and embroidery innovation to their customers, join us below to learn more about the products, expertise, and instruction available at their shops today!

Follow along below for the transcript version of our interview with Dan and Karen Welch, owners of McDougal Sewing Center.

Hi, I’m Karen Welch with McDougall Sewing Center and I’m Dan Welch with McDougall Sewing Center as well. We’ve been in the business a long time. Why don’t you tell them the history of our business? The history of the business, my grandfather Bob McDougall, started the company in 1940. As a kid growing up I came in and messed all the machines up and I started full-time in 1976, so been in the business a few years and I worked with the family for 18 years before getting the blessing to use the biggest asset we have, which is the McDougall name, and was able to, with family support, use that name and Karen and I opened up out in Katy Texas in 1993 and we’ve been expanding and growing ever since.

She started with me full-time by 1995 so tell people I am the boss and I have her permission to say so. That’s correct, that’s correct. Basically, when we got married, we’ve been married since 1981 so 42 years, when we got married I asked if it is a prerequisite that I sew and he said oh no, well guess what, he lied. So I’ve been doing this a long time as well; so it was not my life’s work to do but it’s been a good life’s work.

When did McDougal start carrying JUKI machines?

We’ve had the JUKI’s for approximately, oh I don’t even know, about eight years, eight or nine years now. We’ve had the JUKI product and they work out of the box that’s the good thing with the JUKI product. When you open it up out of the box there’s no major or minor adjustments to be done it works out of the box.

What JUKI machines can a customer find at McDougal?

We sell the QVP series of the JUKI machine so they are sewing machines and sergers, and then, of course, we sell the eight-needle Sai and we’ve had good luck with them. They’ve been workhorses, they’ve been well received by our customers, so I think it’s been it’s been a good experience for us. And because we very seldom get complaints with JUKI and I will say that that’s one of the things that we like to promote is when you become a customer at McDougall’s and you purchase a machine from us you become a part of the McDougall family and you get what we call the McDougal advantage, and basically that’s going to be you get unlimited assistance, you get free scheduled classes, you get a one-year dealer warranty which includes a first-year free service and we’re here to support you so that’s part of it and we have authorized repair people so it’s been it’s been a good experience for us.

What benefits and extras does McDougal offer?

We do have a service technician that has been with us, he said it was 1981, so he’s been with us, the Bob McDougall company, and then with McDougall sewing center, he has been with us for 42 years so he’s our lead technician. Then we have two other technicians and they do a good job with keeping up and having the product available. We do, like Karen said, offer additional events and different programs, classes. I know we’ll take some video of different projects going on with using the machine and all the decorative stitches and all the optional accessories that are available. JUKI product is very good with coming with a full set of accessories however there’s more than one size of roll timber. For example, we stock those, there are literally a wall full of different accessories that we show you how to use and have classes, and you bring your machine in.

Our classes are hands-on, you come in and use the machine, use your machine, in our class so there isn’t any guesswork when you get home. You know how to make a quilt block using the different accessories and we have a class, where it is very popular that we repeat a lot, and it’s called foot fetish and it’s using all the accessories that comes with your machine. Rebecca Joseph, our lead educator, has been with us for four years, four or five years, since she and her husband came back from Saudi Arabia, their stent in Saudi Arabia, and she has always been in the sewing machine industry, as well her father was in the industry, and had numerous stores around the Houston metropolitan area as well.

What do you see for the future of Mcdougal?

The future of McDougall’s, Karen and I are getting up to the age where looking at you know what it would really love to be retired. However, we want to keep the family tradition going. We have two kids and they went different ways. We worked them pretty hard as kids, so they decided to go to other options. They wanted Saturday off and being in retail you just don’t get Saturdays off, you work, that’s you know most time that’s our busiest day. So the future of McDougall you know still looks bright, we have no plans of closing. We will be here to continue to support the end consumer and support our customers and employees as well.

How can customers contact McDougal Sewing Center>

There’s numerous ways that you can get in touch with us here at McDougall Sewing. We have an 800 number which is 800-FUN-2SEW we also put out a monthly flyer that has our specials for the month along with coupons you can check our website which is www.McDougalSewing.com and see all of the products that we offer, all the classes that we have, all the specials that we have, and the upcoming events. We have a lot of upcoming events, we try and do them at least two a quarter. We do have a Facebook page as well so we post pictures of all the classes that we have on our Facebook. So those are some ways that you can contact us and we would love to talk to you and have you come by and visit with us, you don’t have to buy anything you can just come say hi that’s fine we would love to have you come by!

Thank you!

To learn more about McDougal Sewing Center, visit their website here! Thank you for joining us today in getting to know Dan and Karen Welch, owners of McDougal Sewing Center. We hope you get a chance to visit the next time you’re in the area!

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mcdougalsewingcenter/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mcdougalsewingcenter/

JUKI Posts, Tips, Triple T: Tips, Tricks, and Training

JUKI Tip: Double Fold Bias Binder Overview

by sewinwithjuki2 Comments on JUKI Tip: Double Fold Bias Binder Overview

On this JUKI tip, we use the Double Fold Bias Binder and show you how to feed the fabric into the machine with this accessory and create a smooth sewing experience!

Follow along below for a rundown of what Alba covers on today’s JUKI Tip!

Hi, friends my name is Alba and I would like to welcome you to another tips and tricks with JUKI! Today I am talking about the double-fold bias binder and I have two sets in this video; one is a 38-millimeter and one is a 32-millimeter. The one I have on my machine is the wider of the two and I want to show you what exactly is in the package when you open this up.

I am going to open it right in front of you and I am going to pull out the binder itself and it comes with fabric and binding on it. It also comes with a little package with a thumb screw and a foot, and it comes with an instruction sheet. So what I wanted to show you is a little bit of detail, of what is in this, and as I said the one that’s on the machine is a 38-millimeter one, and what that means is how wide the fabric is that is put into the binder and how wide the finished product will come out.

For the 38-millimeter one, I used a one and a half inch strip of fabric, folded it and the completed bias is about 3/8 of an inch. Now what I like about this is you’re going to notice how short that foot is and this is really helpful as you’re sewing because that binder can get really close to the foot and allows for very little movement and of course we have our thumb screws to be able to put this onto the machine. Now what most people get confused with is they’re expecting this portion here to lay flat on the machine but as you can see in the video this accessory rests off of the machine. The thumb screw goes into the screw hole that’s on the bed of the machine, so these are intended for the industrial machines and the machines with solid metal beds, so that they could get screwed directly into the machine and a lot of people do not realize that pivot action that this attachment has.

Now I have two pieces of fabric and both of them have been cut to one and a half inches, and I’m going to show you the struggle that most people have and my tip for feeding the fabric into the machine and getting this to run smoothly. Now most people try to feed the fabric with it in the position right in front of the foot, but if you pivot this, it allows you to better see, getting that fabric in there and just puts you in a much better angle. Now as you’re noticing, I have the wrong side of the fabric facing me. Where most people have an issue is right there and I’m gonna get recommend a stylus, and with that tip, the fabric needs to go underneath its section in the video. Now this is where a lot of people have trouble trying to do that and I’m going to give you my tip for getting that done.

Now let me pull my trusty scissor out and I am going to cut a point into my fabric. By putting a point into that fabric, and you definitely want to use a stiletto, look at how easily that goes right into that fold. And as I pull this out I want to make sure that my fabric is folded, and what I do is I give this a little bit of a finger press. Now when I lift my foot and lift my needle I can move that fabric right underneath the foot and that large thumb screw will allow you to move this right and left so that when you lower your foot. Your needle is just slightly off of that edge to top stitch that edge. Now as I cut this, it was the width of fabric, and I am going to just sew away. Now watch in the video how even at that full speed, how brilliantly and effortlessly that works because this attachment is right up to the foot.

Now I am showing you sewing these pieces shut. I’m going to do a video really soon on putting um this into a quilt sandwich, and doing that mitered corner, but I wanted to show you this finished product and also some of the crafty things that you can do with these strips. You might have noticed my lanyard and I really like fun bright colors so I made my lanyard with the strip, and I happen to have made it so that it can hold my little scissors but also weaving fabric and doing that repeatedly so that you can create your own fabric and your own patterns, how cute would that be as an inset for a waistline? Or for a garment, for a tote bag. I want you to Google and search YouTube videos for fabric weaving to see all of the different things that you could do with that. I want you to stay tuned for another video that I will be doing on mitering corners and using this on quilt fabric.

Thank you for coming and sharing your time with me, what do you want to see next on JUKI tips? Lets us know down below!

JUKI Posts, Tips

Know Your Needles with JUKI

by sewinwithjuki3 Comments on Know Your Needles with JUKI

When creating, you may wonder, what needle should I use on my machine and project? Today we will give you a lesson on needles and what you need to know before you start sewing your next idea. Understanding what needle you need will help you create without the mess of skipped stitches, a thread coming loose, a pucker in your fabric, and so much more. Let’s start from the bottom and work up to picking the right needle.

How do you read the needle size?

Depending on your fabric, you’ll want to find a needle that can puncture the fabric well but not tear it when you are sewing.

The needle size ranges from small to large, and each sewing machine needle will have two numbers etched onto it. Usually separated by a slash, these numbers determine whether it is a heavy-duty needle. 60/8, for example, is a lightweight needle suitable for cotton. At the same time, 90/14 is a heavyweight needle good for vinyl. 

Now what do those numbers mean exactly? The first number is measured in the European/Number Metric (NM)/International system, for example, the 60 in 60/8. The metric number usually increases by 5 or 10 when you need to size up your needle for heavier fabric. Home sewing machine needle’s most common metric size is between 60 and 130.

The second number is measured in the American/U.S./Singer/Imperial system, for example, the 8 in 60/8. For your home sewing machine, the most common imperial size needed is between 8 and 21, and the needle sizes usually increase by 1 or 2.

How do you choose the right needle?

There are a few brand options for sewing machine needles, but today we will discuss Organ needles. When choosing a needle, our best recommendation is to pick the smallest one possible for the fabric you’re working with. Needles will leave holes in your fabrics as it goes, so you want to minimize the view of them.

Now know you’ll need to find the right needle for your fabric, we’ve compiled a list of fabrics and the recommended organ needle size to use when creating.

Fine Fabric: Silk, chiffon, and lace

  • Silk 55/7; Microtex 60/8 and 70/10

Lightweight Fabric: Cotton or spandex

  • Universal 80/12; Jersey 70/10 or 75/11; Super Stretch 75/11

Medium-Weight Fabric: Linen, fleece, velvet

  • Universal 80/12 or 90/14; Jersey 90/14; Super Stretch 90/14

Heavyweight Fabric: Leather, canvas, denim

  • Jeans (blue shank) 90/14 and 100/16

Very Heavyweight Fabric: upholstery or heavy denim

  • Titanium 90/14; Jeans (blue shank) 110/18

For all needles, including Organ needles, these are things to keep in mind:

  • Universal Needle is the most commonly used needle on a home sewing machine. It can be used on woven fabrics, synthetics, and knit fabrics. A universal needle should use polyester, cotton, or silk threads.
  • Ball Point Needle: with a rounded tip on the needle, this is commonly used for rib knits, interlock, cotton knits, fleece, double knit, and most knit fabrics. This is because the ballpoint pushes the fabric fibers apart rather than cutting them, preventing stitch runs.
  • Stretch Needle: with a scarf tip, this needle allows the hook to pass by and prevent skipped stitches when working on fabrics like stretch knits, silk jerseys, or spandex.
  • Jean Needle: You might have noticed above that Organ recommends a jean needle when working on denim material; this is because the very sharp point on the Jean needle can handle that firm fabric and cleanly pierce through. You can also use this on heavy canvas fabric or home dĂ©cor linens. This is a perfect moment to study your thread too! If you’re working with threads like 100% polyester or heavier top stitching threads, this needle will help you create easier.  
  • Sharp Needle: Quilters might know about this one. A sharp needle can penetrate through multiple layers of fabrics, like for quilting creations that involve several layers of cotton and padding. Helpful for preventing skipped stitches and needles breaking, a shark needle is an excellent needle to have no hand.
  • Quilting Needle: Quilters can also get the traditional quilter needles created for penetrating several layers of fabrics in projects. You will notice that quilter needles are a little shorter than Sharp needles. Choose the best needle size for your needs!

Remember, the thread you’re using for your sewing project will also determine the type of needle you choose! For example, if you’re creating with a fine thread, you’ll want to use a small needle size to reduce the thread from falling out the eye of the needle. Also, remember that the lighter the fabric, the smaller the needle size, and the heavier the fabric, the larger the needle size.

We hope this helps you create your next project as you use the right needle on your creation! To learn more about Organ needles, visit here.