Sewing Machine Stitch Problems: Straight Stitch looks like a Zig-Zag
Sewing Machine Stitch Problems: Why does my straight stitch look like a lightning bolt?
Another common stitch problem you may encounter on your sewing machine is when a regular straight-stitch looks ever so slightly zig-zaggy, a bit like a lightning bolt.
What causes this phenomenon? It all has to do with how the needle pierces the weave of the fabric.
Most fabric we sew is woven together. Technically, a woven fabric is any fabric made by interlacing two or more threads at right angles to one another. Woven fabrics can be made of natural fibers, synthetic fibers, or a mixture of both, such as cotton or polyester.
As we sew, when the needle penetrates the fabric, it usually slides in-between the woven fibers, rather than piercing/breaking the fibers themselves. Depending on how the fabric is oriented on the machine, there is a chance the needle finds the right side of the weave on one stitch, then the left side of the weave on the next stitch. If this happens, then, upon closer inspection, your straight stitch may look like a series of mini lightning bolts.
It’s important to note that the appearance of our straight stitch as lightning bolts does not affect the integrity of the stitch. As long as the knot is sitting in between the fabric correctly, then the stitch is perfectly fine functionally. However, if we want to get rid of the visual of the lightning bolt, then there are two directions we can go.
The easiest way to solve the problem is simply to match the thread color with the fabric color. The appearance of our straight stitch as a lightning bolt is exacerbated by a contrast in thread color to fabric color. In other words, if you look carefully, the lightning bolt effect occurs quite often, but we tend to only notice it when we use a dark-colored thread against a light-colored fabric, or a light-colored thread against a dark-colored fabric. Match the thread color with fabric color, or use a neutral beige-colored thread, and the lightning bolt effect will not appear as prominent to the human eye.
The other solution is to use a sharper point needle. I recommend Microtex Sharp needles from Schmetz. These needles are designed with a sharper point that is capable of piercing the weave of the fabric instead of sliding through the weave. This will help achieve a straighter-looking straight stitch, even if we are using a thread-fabric combination with a stark color contrast. I cannot guarantee using a microtex sharp needle will pierce the fabric weave every time, but it does tend to do a better job than other needle types.
Summary
- When a regular straight-stitch looks slightly zig-zaggy (like a lightning bolt), the reason is that the needle is sliding through different sides of the fabric weave.
- This lightning bolt appearance does not affect the integrity of the stitch.
- The easiest way to solve the lightning bolt visual is to simply match the thread color with the fabric color.
- The other solution is to use a sharper point needle. I recommend Microtex Sharp needles from Schmetz, which will have a better chance of piercing the weave.