[amayausers] Re: A class on Sewing Caps

You know I was thinking the same thing.  Long winded I mean.. I guess taking
that typing class in High School has paid off?
Maybe I should consider sales?  I think I own a tie.
Ed


Ed & Maralien Orantes
E.M. Broidery
900 Terry Parkway, Ste. 200
New Orleans, La. 70056
504-EMBROID ery (504-362-7643)

-----Original Message-----
From: amayausers-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:amayausers-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]On Behalf Of Linen Barn
Sent: Thursday, May 26, 2005 1:41 PM
To: amayausers@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [amayausers] Re: A class on Sewing Caps


Thats it Ed?  Kinda short winded today aren't you :)

P.S.  Just in case anyone takes that the wrong way I am just playing with
Ed.  I just wish I could put my thoughts into words on the computer as well
as he does.

Aaron Sargent
The Linen Barn
linen@xxxxxxxxxxx
Medford, Oregon
----- Original Message -----
From: "E. Orantes" <e3m@xxxxxxx>
To: <amayausers@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Thursday, May 26, 2005 11:21 AM
Subject: [amayausers] Re: A class on Sewing Caps


> Jimbo and all others,
> (Oh no, here goes Ed again..)
> As a tech, trainer, and an operator of the Amaya, I'll share what I know
> about caps...
> You must be good with your hands (dexterity) for hooping and have a good
> understanding of what the fabric is doing while the machine is stitching.
> What I mean is in all dimensions, "X" left to right, "Y" forward and back,
> and "Z" up and down.
> I believe your thread breaks are being caused by flagging in the fabric.
> But that's just a guess.
>
>
> Basics on hats: (Let it be said there's no substitute for training in
> person.)
> For the front of the cap..
> Design must be upside down
> WACF- wide angle cap frame hoop chosen in software
> presser foot raised to it's highest setting- only to be re-adjusted again
> before sewing cap
> Material Thickness set to 8 or 10 and don't be afraid to go higher.
> Bobbin detect turned off
> Bobbin tension a little firmer than with flats for a structured cap-
> buckram
> doesn't allow the thread to slide as easily through fabric.  Unstructured
> caps (like the soft "GAP Store" style) can be sewn with regular bobbin
> tension.
> All screws attaching WACF to machine should be snug
> Change needle plate (throat plate) to the raised needle plate- necessary
> when using the WACF mechanism- DEFINITELY check needle centering here as
> you won't be able to see what's happening when the cap is on the machine.
> Depending on size of cap, design cannot be larger than approximately 2.25
> inches.  A trucker cap might allow for more height but a youth cap may
> require you to go smaller.
> Machine speed not to exceed around 850.  Sure the machine can go fast but
> can the fabric keep up?  Read on...
> Sharp needles- preferably 80/12s but 75/11s work okay too.
>
> Hooping the Cap:
> If you are only doing the front of the cap, focus only on the front of the
> cap.  If you are going to sew on the sides of the cap, only focus on the
> sides.  Forget about that fancy feature of sewing 270 degrees around cap
> with one hooping.  At least not until you know what you are doing.    For
> the front of the cap, don't focus on getting the sides of the cap snug
> around the hooping gauge (large silver hooping device that looks like a
> coffee can) rather, make sure that the face of the cap is parallel to the
> floor, or more specifically the needle plate.  If that means that the cap
> looks like it's cock-eyed in the cap frame, that's fine as long as the
> sewing area is held firm and flat to the needle plate.    A flat garment
> rides the surface of the needle plate at all points of the hoop.
> Sometimes
> improper hooping can cause the inside of the cap to touch the needle plate
> at the top of the cap (good) and not touch the needle plate near the bill
> of
> the cap (not good).  Depending on the shape/cut of the bill this may be
> harder for some.  Some folks use their muscles to forcibly reshape the
> bill
> to what they want it to be for sewing and after they're done, simply shape
> the bill back to normal with their hands.  You'd be surprised how easily
> that cheap cardboard returns to it's original shape.
> You must understand that when sewing flats, the garment is held taught on
> all sides by the hoop.  Not so with the WACF.  The WACF only holds the
> fabric, (notice I refer to the cap as fabric!!) on the upper side (or
> lower
> side depending on how you're looking at it).  Sure you use those silly
> binder clips on the sides but that's not enough.  They only serve the
> purpose of taking up slack in the sides of the cap.
> Hence, you must make sure that the fabric is good and tight around the cap
> frame because that metal band combined with the fact the cap is curved
> will
> be what keeps flagging to a minimum.  Unless you step up to backing.
> A structured cap will add stability to the fabric because of it's
> stiffness.  An unstructured cap will require some tear away backing.  Here
> you will want to use some spray adhesive or have some underlay stitches
> put
> in the beginning of the design to         tiethefabrictothebacking.Make
> sure
> the backing is in fact part of what's hooped and that it is sandwiched
> between the cap's sweatband and the cap frame.  Here again, you're trying
> to
> add stability to the fabric.
> Designs with fills and long columns should be digitized to run from center
> out.  Reason being that the fabric will move on you as it's being sewn
> since
> it's not as stable as in a flat hoop.  For example, if you aren't happy
> with
> a stitching's density and have the bright idea to sew over an area again,
> be
> sure to do it right away because if you wait for the design to end and
> come
> back to it later, the additional stitches in the design will be certain to
> move the fabric in one direction or another so that the registration for
> the
> beginning of the design will           notbethesameasitwasthefirsttime.
> Yes,
> been there, done that.
> *Note: This is why it's important to tell your digitizer what type of
> fabric you're stitching on so that he or she can take the appropriate
> measures.
>
> Before you sew, with the cap frame and cap on the machine, be sure to
> adjust your presser foot height.  Some structured caps will run with the
> presser foot all the way up.  Other unstructured style caps will require
> you
> to lower it a bit.  But realize that with the raised needle plate, you
> cannot run the machine with the presser foot all the way down without
> making
> a loud hammering sound and peltering the fabric with the presser foot.
> The
> bottom of the presser foot should be a hair above the top of the fabric at
> all times - no matter what fabric you are sewing on or what machine you
> are
> using.
>
> When it comes to positioning the design, center the design LEFT TO RIGHT
> by
> referencing the center seem on the cap (6 panel cap) using the laser beam.
> However, the laser beam is focused on where the regular needle plate hole
> would be and since the light comes down at an angle from the right side,
> the
> higher you come up from the focus point, the more the laser beam will
> appear
> to be to the right of where center is.  Therefore, use a pair of tweezers
> (I
> use my fingers) to hold the fabric down to the point at which it touches
> the
> needle plate.  While holding the fabric down, move the cap accordingly
> using
> the jog buttons to center the laser beam.  If you really need to get
> specific, simply do a presser foot check by clicking on "bottom center"
> under the "Maintenance", "Head Timing" tab and this will bring the needle
> down through the fabric at a point we can call "center".
> When centering the design FRONT TO BACK, one must pay attention to two
> areas: the metal band strapped just above the bill and also the very top
> of
> the cap.    You should stay about 1/2" above the metal band so that the
> needle clears not only the metal band on the surface but also the cap
> frame
> and it's metal teeth underneath the fabric.  Some folks choose to go
> higher
> and some play it dangerously and move closer to the bill.  This is of
> course
> depending on how you hooped your cap.  Remember that at the bill, because
> of
> the cap frame teeth and such, the cap fabric is not low enough to touch
> the
> needle plate.  Hence the closer you get to the bill, you are now sewing on
> fabric that is on a sharp angle which can push the presser foot into the
> back of the needle causing the needle to hit the needle plate and break.
> You can also bend the presser foot damaging it.  Play it safe and don't
> try
> to get too close to the cap bill until you know what you are doing.
> As for the top of the cap, as you do a design trace, focus on how much
> pressure is put on the underside of the cap by the front of the needle
> plate.  Although the design may look like it's traces just fine, the
> needle
> plate might be getting in the way of allowing the fabric free movement
> during the upper portion of the design resulting in poor sew quality and
> messing up the rest of the design registration.  What's happening here is
> the cap is trying to move WITH the pantograph but it is being hindered by
> an
> obstruction (needle plate) and ultimately the cap is moving within the cap
> frame which is what you are trying to avoid by hooping the cap tight.
> Make sure you have installed the smaller of the two sets of cap supports
> (look like silver shoulder pads over the needle plate) on your cap frames
> and that you aren't trying to sew too high for the style of cap you are
> sewing on.  A higher profile cap will allow you to sew higher than a low
> profile (more popular) cap.  Let's face it, some designs will have to be
> sized smaller depending on what style cap you are running.  Remember,
> "can't
> please all the people all the time"...
> If you have more than one Amaya, do not mix and match cap frame drivers
> between machines.  Each cap frame driver has been tailored to fit one
> machine at the factory.  Theoretically they should be the same but you
> know
> how that goes- nothing's perfect in this world.
> A few final notes:  Always order a couple extra caps per run to practice
> on
> until you get to a point at which you know what you are doing.  While
> she's
> running make sure the bill isn't rubbing against the underside of the
> needle
> case as you sew closer to the bill.  Sewing over the folded center seem
> will
> always be a problem for the Amaya as the material thickness practically
> doubles but only for a few stitches until it crosses over to the next
> panel.
> Here is where you should educate yourself on the feature called "Settings
> by
> color".  Or sit by the PC as the machine sews and raise the material
> thickness up and down in those areas at the appropriate times.  If you do
> a
> lot of caps, the buckram fall out in the rotary hook area can be abrasive
> over time so keep this area clean and lubricate the rotary hook often.
> Check your bobbin between caps as the bobbin detect feature is turned off.
> Changing from one style or model cap to another on the cap frame may
> require
> you to make wing nut adjustments accordingly to make sure that the cap
> you're sewing on is snug/tight under the metal strap on the cap frame.
> This
> can be a pain as those wing nuts can sometimes require pliers.  Some folks
> have found success using the CCF, conventional cap frame, as opposed to
> the
> WACF, wide angle cap frame, to only do the front of caps.  It's a $250 per
> frame option but definitely holds the fabric on all four sides since
> there's
> a rectangular window for sewing.  Might be an option if all you do is cap
> fronts, but be sure to get the correct size CCF for your machine.
> If I can think of anything else I may have forgotten along the way, I'll
> add it later.
> Sure hope this helps some of you.  I hate giving away my secrets so keep
> this information to yourselves.  Okay?
>
> Ed Orantes
> Amaya Tech, Trainer & Owner
> New Orleans, La.
> 504-258-6260
> emservice@xxxxxxx
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: amayausers-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> [mailto:amayausers-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]On Behalf Of
> ImpressingPromo@xxxxxxx
> Sent: Wednesday, May 25, 2005 11:46 PM
> To: amayausers@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Subject: [amayausers] Help Sewing Caps
>
>
> I need some desperate advise on how to sew caps on the AMAYA.  We have had
> our machine for about a month and a half.  We have figured out the sewing
> flats
> but these cap techniques are really tripping us up.  I have tried all of
> the
> steps in the manual but am still having problems.  I load a design that I
> know
> works for hats and get about 10 stitches per thread break.  We have
> adjusted
> the presser foot, speed, MT and cleaned the bobbin case. Any advise of
> what
> I
> am possibly doing wrong?
> Thank you,
>
> Jimbo Childs
> Impressing Promotions, LLC
> 2575 Campus Drive
> Suite 341
> Klamath Falls, OR 97601
> (541) 891-5748  Cell
> (541) 273-5798  Office/Fax
>
>
>
>

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