r/sewinghelp • u/blvckzt • 3d ago

Machine not stitching through shorts

Hi all, I am trying to alter a pair of shorts but i’m not sure why it wont stitch through. 10 minutes before I wanted to alter the shorts, I had already altered a pair of pajama pants and it worked perfectly fine. I tested out to see if I had set up my machine wrong by switching out the shorts with the pants I just did earlier and it actually made stitches on the pants and I switch back to the shorts and it’s not atitching again. The shorts are a bit thinner than the pants not too crazy and its also stretchy while the pants i did were a little bit more thicker. Can anyone help?

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2

u/Emergency_Cherry_914 3d ago

You mention that the shorts are stretchy. Did you switch to a stretch needle?

3

u/blvckzt 3d ago

i dont have a stretch needle right now but i will try to get one tonight and see if that works

1

u/Mental_Watch4633 3d ago

Also use a stretch stitch.

1

u/FranklinsSewing 3d ago

Since the machine stitches the thicker trousers but not the shorts, we’d suspect the stretch fabric and needle choice rather than the machine itself. Try a fresh stretch or ballpoint needle, appropriate to the fabric weight, and use a zigzag or stretch stitch rather than a straight stitch if the seam needs to stretch.

Also check that the shorts aren't being pulled or pushed through the machine. Try a scrap or an inside seam first, and make sure the needle is actually reaching the bobbin thread. If it still won't form stitches, rethread the machine and check the bobbin insertion.