I searched the forum for talk on edging face cloths, or just face cloths, but no dice. I was just wondering if anyone uses an overlock machine to edge something like a face cloth? It seems there is an overcast type stitch done on commercial made face cloths. I think an inexpensive one should be fine for someone not doing a lot of it, but could also use it for blanket ends. Is that what you folks would do? Hand over casting all around these facecloths seems time consuming for such low value product. I mean your not going to sell one for $30, not around here anyway. Making money is not the driver, but time is. Now that I have a supplemental beam on the loom, bath towels and face cloths are an upcoming project. I will be giving gifts and selling possibly in the future. Thanks for your thoughts. :)

 

Included is just a sample weave I am perfecting, the yarns are just leftovers from other projects. There is a project page.

 

Comments

Wed, 04/23/2014 - 10:26

Missus T.

Hi Reed Guy,

Although I'm a newbie here, I have 20 years of sewing experience, including at least 12 years in the trenches serging kiddie clothes.  Sergers vary in price as you many know.  I've used a Juki 4 thread industrial model that will nail anything together with perfect tension.  Recently I cut up an old towel into dishcloths and serged the edges for dust rags.  The edge finish is rough, but what you may be interested to know is that starting and ending on a particular piece of cloth can pull the fabric on the bias and give you either a nasty pile up of stiches (in the case of starting fresh on a new piece of cloth) or a pulled and stretched out end (in the case of ending a piece of cloth).  The solution would be to piece long chains of washcloths with a waste piece to start and a waste piece to finish.  So the process would go like this:  Begin serging on a waste piece that is the same weight and stretchiness as your target item.  When you get to the end of this piece, immediately butt the next item up edge to edge with the prior piece, lifting the serger foot if necessary.  Serge this second piece.  Butt the next one, and etc.  End with a waste piece and pull the chained together pile of washcloths together through the machine.  Cut apart and then chain serge  the next raw edge.

You can always practice hemming on a cut up junker towel before you get to your beauties!

Another note: Husqvarna makes a high end 5 thread serger which offers a folded over, commercial hem like what you see on T shirts.  I'm not sure how this would work on anything but tricot weight knits.

Good luck!

Wed, 04/23/2014 - 11:58

ReedGuy

Hi Missus, thanks for your well written post. What I have is mind is to go all the way around each cloth, beginning at a selvedge where it is more stable and ending there, not just ends. What do you think? :)

Wed, 04/23/2014 - 12:02

Artistry

Missus T, With your sewing experience I would like to ask if you don't want to buy a serger, would a small zig zag stitch work? I know a serger is great I've worked on them, it's a matter of keeping equipment to a minimum. Reed Guy, Those washcloths are awesome! Towels too, I think they would be winners if you were to sell them ! Could you not weave a plain weave in a finer weft on the ends, fold under and machine stitch? Don't have my notes in front of me so sort of forget how terry cloth works. Yeah you can because you have the plain weave picks between the pile.
Wed, 04/23/2014 - 12:13

ReedGuy

Cathie, I would fold the towel ends, but not the facecloths. I don't like a zigzag myself on the raw edges, it's not strong enough. I want to cover the raw ends of the face cloths and not fold them. My towels will have denser loops. I think I'm going to make the loops with 10/2 nonmerc in both items. I found the denser (spacing) the loops the softer the cloth. I'm still not quite there, so to speak, for going into production mode. ;)

Wed, 04/23/2014 - 12:12

endorph

and usually do a close zig zag - almost a satin stitch to keep my raw edges under control and to give a prettier edge than just a zig zag. I do not have a fancy sewing amchine either - it is over 50 years old - nearly 60 - but it has some very nice options with decorative and zig zag stitches.

Wed, 04/23/2014 - 12:18

ReedGuy

Mine has lots of options to endorph, I'll have to explore them some more. Mine is old, but not as old as yours. It originally had a 25 year warranty on it, sticker still attached. The stitches are all changed with dials. Some machines you have to change out discs, not this.

Wed, 04/23/2014 - 12:25

endorph

Mine has the basic zig zags and then the fancy stitches are achieved by changing out discs - I love my machine - it was my grandmothers!

Wed, 04/23/2014 - 16:47

ReedGuy

Mom's machine has discs to, I have grandmother's. I don't remember grandmother sewing very much in the years I knew her. I don't know why she bought it. All I remember of her sewing was by hand, buttons and wool linings. She never made curtains or clothes in my time.

Wed, 04/23/2014 - 15:09

Artistry

ReedGuy, That's interesting , the denser the loops the softer the cloth. Makes sense when I think about it:)
Wed, 04/23/2014 - 17:51

Missus T.

Hi Reed Guy,

Back to serging as an edge finish.  I have tried serging all the way around the dustrags before abandoning that approach to the chain-piecing technique I described above.  If you serge a side of a square, when you get to the first corner, you have to either stop and pivot, which puts you at risk of the nasty snarl of piled up stiches described above, or you "run the gauntlet" and just do a curving motion with your left hand which is holding the cloth.  You have to do this fast, and for it to look good you need to practice.  With a stable terrycloth like a cut-up commercial towel, it can be done.  I wonder how a handwoven would fare b/c you are putting really pulling the fabric through the machine against the direction that the lower feed dogs are going.  You can imagine that with dogs going in one direction (namely, the direction in which you were going) and with your left hand swinging the fabric around rather fast 90 degrees so that you can serge the next side, there is a potential for a snarl of thread or fabric stretching and distortion.

What about weaving a soft, tape binding which has a fold line and just encasing the raw edges with a straight machine stitch?

Wed, 04/23/2014 - 19:48

MMs-and-OOs-Ha…

One thing I know about sergers for handwoven is that a serger that can do a wider stitch between the two top needles gives a better longer lasting stitch. Also I know that using Wooly Nylon in the loopers can make the stitch hold onto about anything. I have an old White 4 thread. The only thing I hate about it is threading the loopers, not an auto threader. There are so many factors, needle size, feed dog height, adjusting the differential feed. I reserve some material and do some tests until I get it right and then write it all down for next time (if I am doing the same thing! Rarely!).
Wed, 04/23/2014 - 20:54

ReedGuy

Well thanks for everyone's input into this. I will definitely do some experimenting and practicing. I know what your saying about navigating around the curves and also about the challenges with hand wovens. I may eleviate the curve issue by hand feeding without the machine doing it. Who knows. I was also thinking of making bias as suggested. One sewing site describes how to make your own on an ironing board. I'm going to figure something out. :)

Wed, 04/23/2014 - 22:04

sandra.eberhar…

I went through the same problems and possible solution when trying to find a quick economical way to finish napkins made of rug warp.  I tried binding; too slow and expensive.  I don't have a serger and don't want to get one but I do have a very good sewing machine with lots of options.  I choose to use a two stage zig zag, one row of wide stitches and one row over it a row of smaller, tighter zig zag.  I did this about an inch inside the edge and made the edge fringe.  It came out quite well.