EDIT:
After I posted this lengthy experimentation I tried something I saw in this youtube video by Johanna (she is a wealth of information on coverstitch machines); I threaded the machine in the order of looper first and then the needles left to right and "flossed" the threads to seat them properly in the tension guides. It made a huge difference. I don't know why I am surprised, as my old Brother serger was finicky about how it was threaded. I was able to go back to the original recommended settings on the picture guides on the machine AND do the hems without any stabilizer added. I've done 2 tops this way since this original post and they turned out beautifully.
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It looks like I've had my Janome coverstitch machine for about 7 years now, so it's about time I learned how to use it properly. I have had really hit-and-miss results when doing hems on knits, particularly thin knits. And apparently I'm not alone; there are lots of discussions online about this issue. I am in good company with my issues of skipped stitches and tunneling. I've always just used the recommended tensions as shown on the chart on the machine, so it was time to change that up.
I did a lot of experimenting as I made
New Look 6034, a knit shell. One of the first things I did was to back off the pressure foot pressure. I often have problems with the fabric bunching up there and I read someone's opinion that it comes from the factory with the pressure set too heavy. I cut some scraps of fabric and practiced with a variety of tensions. I even tried "0" on all needles and the looper. The lower tensions did bring better results for tunneling but also ended up with skipped stitches. If the left needle is too close to the edge of the folded under hem it tunnels. The needles must all work on the same number of layers. I finally caved and added
Lite Steam-A-Seam 2 as most people recommend. The problem is that even though this is a "light" product and I was very careful not to stretch the fabric as I applied it, it still added a definite waviness to the hem. Not attractive. I then washed and dried it in the dryer to see if that would help but even after pressing you can see the final result at the left here; not great.
Next up I made
another New Look 6735. This time around I didn't add any product to the hem. I folded and pressed a 5/8" hem but coverstitched it as a 3/8" hem to make sure I didn't get too close to the raw edge of the hem. I used "1's" across the board for my tension and oh-so-slightly stretched the fabric as I sewed. I think that helped with avoiding skipped stitches. It didn't look great but after pressing it was acceptable.
For the next experiment I decided to try
Sulky water soluble stabilizer. I was thinking that I need something to firm up the fabric while sewing and then go away, and I had this on hand for my embroidery machine. I cut 1/2" strips and pinned it into the seam. I did not try and iron it in place as I don't think that is how this product works. On the sample at left I first sewed the seam on the left without any product. You can see tunneling particularly where I've placed a pin. The seam on the right was done with the Sulky; you can see that it is nice and smooth. I then soaked the sample in some cool water for about 10 minutes and the product completely disappeared. Time to try it on the top.
I am amazed at how well this worked! I had a beautifully stitched hem with no tunneling, even where the left needle went over the raw edge of the hem. I had the tension set at 3 for the needles and 2 for the looper, and to be honest I think I can tighten that up one more notch to 4's for the needles and 3 for the looper. I did hold the fabric taught as I fed it through and I didn't end up with any skipped stitches. The top is in the washing machine to get rid of the product but I did wear the top before washing; it was definitely wearable as is. If I end up with any unusual results after washing I will report back.
In the meantime I will continue to research online other's experiences with their coverstitch issues. I have read about using the proper needles - ELX705 Serger/Overlock needles (I do). I also
read a suggestion to sew your sleeve and ankle hems on the flat and then joining your sideseams. You then do a small bit of topstitching at the hem to hold the side seams in place. So there is lots of info out there. Here is a
good video review of the Janome 2000cpx (mine is the 1000cpx) It's about time I focus on getting to know my machine better.
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