Today my 4 way stretch jersey fabric arrived to make my Aqua boot covers. I was following the Tutorial on here to make them you see but the problem is...

My sewing machine just wont stitch on the fabric! It works fine on everything else and ive changed the needle to a new one but it still wont stitch on the stretch fabric.

Any ideas?

I know this probably isn't the problem but I'll put it across anyway. Is it your thread? I know my machine is really picky about thread, it hates old, slightly "fluffy" thread and won't sew with it. Perhaps try changing your thread?

The thread is alright with any other fabric. its like the needle wont pick up the thread from the bobbin underneath

Have you fiddled around with the tension?

I think there was a topic somewhere about someone having the same problem. I believe the solution was a specific needle for it, I can't remember >_<

I've tried every tension and tried different needles. it works on every other fabric just not this one =/

You are using the right kind of needle for the fabric, aren't you? I think you need to use a ballpoint needle for stretch jersey.

with some types of material you need a really fine needle otherwise it just won't sew, had that problem earlier this year (yay handsewing.......)

I had the same problem trying to sew neoprene. Adjusting the tension did nothing - supposedly the stretch is the problem. I was recommended to buy a "running foot" for my machine. It's some kind of foot that feeds the fabric through in a special way from what I can make out.

Ballboint needles were recommended too!

Yes, I had the exact same problem. When I asked the sewing machine shop guy he said it is because the streach fabric effects the timing during the sewing operation, thats why the stitches fail to catch as the bobbin comes around. The answer is - a special type needle for streach fabric. Ask at your local sewing machine shop for 'streach' needles.

These are the ones I bought..
http://sewing.about.com/od/sewingmachineindex/ig/Sewing-Machine-Needles/Stretch-Sewing-Machine-Needles.--9D.htm

Thank you guys! I Will defo look into this streach and ballpoint needle!

this is going to sound like a daft question (but you'll be surprised how many people don't think to do this) but are you stretching the fabric as you sew?

Quite often people don't stretch the fabric as they sew and it is one of the best ways to get your sewing machine to like it.

I did it when making 7of9 jumpsuit from Yoyager. It was a 2 way stretch lycra that was shiny. My sewing machine didn't like it. That was with the right thread and needles. In the end I figured that the fabric needed to be stretched and it worked. Make sure that the stitch length is on quite a small setting. About 1.5

This is a tip for working with difficult fabrics... if you sandwich the fabric in question between two layers of tear away interfacing and sew through that, it should go through your machine without problems, you can then tear away the interfacing and be left with a perfect seam. This works for other tricky fabrics like pvc and pleathers.

I had this problem too. I still use the same old needle and presser foot, but I stretch he material. I also like using this triple stitch setting my machine has. It's just like straight stitch but it's three short stitches next to each other. It gives a little bit of stretch and helps with feeding the fabric through. If it drops a stitch here or there on difficult edges etc, it still works well as it's a triple stitch.