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First of all, let me say this forum is INVALUABLE to everyone who owns an Amaya, especially new owners like me. I took 3 hours today to read some of the posts on thread breaks and Acti-Feed. Thank you all for helping me understand my Amaya XT more, especially Rod Springer, who takes the time to clearly explain the technical aspects of why things do and do not work. I think I understand Acti-Feed and lower limit now. There is still a lot for me to learn though.
What attracted me to the Amaya XT was the Acti-Feed feature over other brands with tension knobs because I have all the colors of Isacord, Madeira rayon, Sulky rayon, and some colors of Robison-Anton rayon, Mettler Metrosene and other embroidery threads that I use on my home Bernina, Pfaff and Viking embroidery/sewing machines. I thought that the Amaya XT would automatically adjust the tensions no matter what thread I used.
Well it does...but you have to understand how it does it, provided everything else that plays into it is working perfectly.
After I bought the Amaya XT, I was disappointed to learn that most folks use Isacord or ARC thread exclusively. I understood why, but did that mean that I could not successfully use my large investment in rayon thread, even when Amaya OS V9 has settings for it? I hoped not because I have several projects I wanted to do that were digitized and designed for rayon thread (not that Isacord wouldn’t work—rayon just looks nicer).
My first rayon project has 15” x 15” designs containing lace-like embroidery designs with over 1,500 raised french knots (50-70 tight stitches almost on top of one another), satin stitches (containing three rows of zig zagged underlay stitches to raise the satin columns), and tiny eyelets. My test stitch out is on one layer of cotton backed with one layer of polymesh hooped in the 20” x 17” wooden hoop. Light backing is necessary for this delicate design so the hand of the fabric will still remain soft and drapable.
In this evening's test stitch out I reached a MAJOR MILESTONE by being able to stitch with *rayon* thread from Madeira, Robison-Anton and Ameth (some off commercial brand I bought in Los Angeles some 10 years ago) with very little thread breaks at speeds as high as 1,050 spm. My XT hummed along and stitched these tiny/tight French knots and eyelets for almost 30 minutes changing between the four thread brands before I got a thread break—YESSSSSS!!!! Madeira didn't break at all. Stitches are beautiful!
[img]tongue.gif[/img]
Before I got these great results, I adjusted and readjusted my bobbin tension, played with and set Acti-Feed to auto (with a lower limit of 1). Pressure foot height is at one clockwise turn from the extreme counterclockwise position. Needles are Organ Titanium 75/11 PD. Coat and Clark Bobbins.
My next challenge...embroidering with Mettler Metrosene polyester blend thread, although I don’t think I’ll have much of a problem because it is stronger than rayon and Isacord.
One question...what is and how do I use the Test Sewout Mode in Amaya OS (the icon to the right of the Reset All icon)? There is nothing on Test Sewout Mode in the online manual.
Thanks!
Ed—A Happy Person Again
What attracted me to the Amaya XT was the Acti-Feed feature over other brands with tension knobs because I have all the colors of Isacord, Madeira rayon, Sulky rayon, and some colors of Robison-Anton rayon, Mettler Metrosene and other embroidery threads that I use on my home Bernina, Pfaff and Viking embroidery/sewing machines. I thought that the Amaya XT would automatically adjust the tensions no matter what thread I used.
Well it does...but you have to understand how it does it, provided everything else that plays into it is working perfectly.After I bought the Amaya XT, I was disappointed to learn that most folks use Isacord or ARC thread exclusively. I understood why, but did that mean that I could not successfully use my large investment in rayon thread, even when Amaya OS V9 has settings for it? I hoped not because I have several projects I wanted to do that were digitized and designed for rayon thread (not that Isacord wouldn’t work—rayon just looks nicer).
My first rayon project has 15” x 15” designs containing lace-like embroidery designs with over 1,500 raised french knots (50-70 tight stitches almost on top of one another), satin stitches (containing three rows of zig zagged underlay stitches to raise the satin columns), and tiny eyelets. My test stitch out is on one layer of cotton backed with one layer of polymesh hooped in the 20” x 17” wooden hoop. Light backing is necessary for this delicate design so the hand of the fabric will still remain soft and drapable.
In this evening's test stitch out I reached a MAJOR MILESTONE by being able to stitch with *rayon* thread from Madeira, Robison-Anton and Ameth (some off commercial brand I bought in Los Angeles some 10 years ago) with very little thread breaks at speeds as high as 1,050 spm. My XT hummed along and stitched these tiny/tight French knots and eyelets for almost 30 minutes changing between the four thread brands before I got a thread break—YESSSSSS!!!! Madeira didn't break at all. Stitches are beautiful!
[img]tongue.gif[/img] Before I got these great results, I adjusted and readjusted my bobbin tension, played with and set Acti-Feed to auto (with a lower limit of 1). Pressure foot height is at one clockwise turn from the extreme counterclockwise position. Needles are Organ Titanium 75/11 PD. Coat and Clark Bobbins.
My next challenge...embroidering with Mettler Metrosene polyester blend thread, although I don’t think I’ll have much of a problem because it is stronger than rayon and Isacord.
One question...what is and how do I use the Test Sewout Mode in Amaya OS (the icon to the right of the Reset All icon)? There is nothing on Test Sewout Mode in the online manual.
Thanks!
Ed—A Happy Person Again
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