I do like bows on my bras. I especially like when the bra has three bows – on the centre front and one on each strap attachment point. But sewing them on by hand slows me down. Here is the perfect bow sew technique, done by machine. best of all any zig-zag machine can do it.
You say you don’t like bows? <gasp> Why not?
Here’s how to do the perfect bow sew, right at your machine. First (and most important) LOWER YOUR FEED DOGS. On older Berninas, it is this dial on the lower right of the machine. Turn it to the right low drop those dogs. On Janomes it is a slide lever on the back of the machine behind the bobbin area.
Then, for the perfect bow sew, adjust your zig-zag to a wide setting. My machine goes up to a 4 mm width, but the classroom Janomes go to a 7 mm wide width. That can be a bit excessive, so maybe stick to 4-6 mm, depending on your bow.
Next, be sure to have thread in the top of your machine that matches your bow. In this Views of London Dalston bra, I used contrasting fold-over binding. I love the look of contrast fold-over but every time I do, I curse myself for having to change the thread so many times. Every. Single. Time.
Lets’ get the the heart of it. Your feed dogs are down, so now it is easy to position your bow where you want it, lower the presser foot and zig-zag in the very centre of the bow. I prefer a vertically-oriented stitch. But what’s nice is that your bow cannot shift around because the feed dogs are down and out of the way.
If your machine cannot drop the feed dogs, the next best thing is to set the stitch length at 0. That way the bra won’t move. it’s a work around for sure but it does work.
So here is the perfect bow sew! Now I have to clip those threads!
So let me know in the comments if you like this perfect bow sew technique!
