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Sewing machines vary a little bit in their stitch length settings. They don’t always tell you how many stitches per inch are at each setting, so I’m going to tell you how I determine what stitch length I use just by the stitch length dial.
I have two machines. My Kenmore has a setting from 1-4. My Viking has a setting from 1-6. For most of my bears I set the stitch length a little below half (around 1.75 on my Kenmore, 2.5 on my Viking). I want a nice tight stitch as I will be stuffing the bear pretty firmly and I don’t want it to split. I also double stitch my seams (most of the time).
When I’m sewing smaller bears, I make that stitch a little smaller so that I can stitch neatly around the curves. Since the bear is smaller, it won’t take forever to sew using that short stitch length.
When I’m sewing with real fur, I often make my stitch length a little longer. The reason is that a small stitch can perforate the leather backing instead of stitching it together. I also do NOT double stitch my real fur bears for the same reason. I don’t want to weaken the leather backing. Double stitching in some cases will just perforate the leather just like a short stitch can. I also don’t stuff my real fur bears as firmly as my mohair or faux fur bears so that I don’t stress the seams.
