[amayausers] Re: A class on Sewing Caps

Ed,

    Maybe you should write a book for Amaya owners.

Russell

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "E. Orantes" <e3m@xxxxxxx>
To: <amayausers@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Thursday, May 26, 2005 3:08 PM
Subject: [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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