Because of its strength and flexibility, a four-thread overlocker is commonly used to sew woven and knitted fabrics.
This is because it sews two rows of stitching in your cloth with two needle threads. The four-thread overlocker is highly liked because of its flexibility and durability.
The four-thread version of a thread overlocker is a solid bet, and we’ll talk about how to utilize it on this note.
In this post, I’ll explain what a 4 thread overlocker is and what it does.
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What Is a 4 Thread Overlocker?
One of the most frequent construction stitches is the four-thread overlocker. It is recognized as the strongest construction stitch because it employs two needles and two loopers.
This thread overlocker is broader than others, with two rows of stitching and looper threads that wrap around the fabric’s edges.
It creates a stronger seam in your cloth and is best suited for medium and heavy-weight materials.
While sewing and overcasting seams, the four-thread overlocker also delivers a chain stitch or safety stitch.
Because chain stitches are non-stretchy, they are the ideal alternative for stitching wovens.
Both woven and knitted textiles can use the safety switch. It’s perfect for stitching high-stress places on clothing like the crotch or sleeve seams.
What Are the Benefits of Using a Four-Thread Overlocker?
For basic seam construction, such as knits or wovens, a four-thread overlocker can be utilized.
It is far more advanced than the two and three-thread overlockers, and as a result, it is widely used. The four-thread overlocker has several key applications:
1. Sewing areas of stress in garments
When stitching regions of stress in clothing, a four-thread overlocker is the best option. Because of their location and accessibility, certain locations are difficult to stitch.
They’re also difficult to stitch because there’s a chance of overlapping and holes in the sewed parts. The best choice is to use a flexible and long-lasting thread overlocker.
Parts like the sleeves of blouses and shirts, as well as the crotch of pants, may be seen readily with the four-thread overlocker.
Fitted clothes are often time-consuming to make, although a four-thread overlocker may help.
This overlocker wraps smoothly around textiles, even thick ones, thanks to the two looper threads. The four-thread overlocker is excellent for garments that are prone to wear and tear.
2. Installing elastics in fabrics
Some clothes require elastics, which can be difficult to attach with a two-thread overlocker but are simple to attach with a four-thread overlocker.
Two needle threads and two looper threads help in the establishment of elastics in textiles using this thread overlocker.
If you’ve been looking for a good thread overlocker to use to add elastics to your fabrics, look no further. You can solve such a problem by using a four-thread overlocker.
3. Inserting zippers
Many clothes require zippers, and while they are useful and fashionable, they require the appropriate sort of thread overlocker to be successfully inserted.
The length of time a zipper will survive on a garment is determined by the thread overlocker used to install it.
The four-thread overlocker is ideal for putting zippers into clothes since it is robust, flexible, and long-lasting.
Can a 4 Thread Overlocker Be Used on Any Fabric?
Because it can stitch both knits and wovens, a four-thread overlocker may be used on most materials.
Because it gives both stability and durability, it is ideal for both stretchy and non-stretchy textiles. It may be used for woven fabric seams, particularly lightweight ones.
It is highly suggested if you want to use it to wrap edges of materials beautifully and cleanly.
This is due to the additional needle thread’s ability to secure the looper threads that bind the fabric’s edges. This helps to keep the fabrics from fraying.
If you want a neater edge without heavier seams, you may need to choose another alternative, especially if the cloth is thicker and stitched industrially.
A four-thread overlocker may not be appropriate since the finished items will naturally be broad, and you may not desire thicker seams.
A four-thread version may be too much for people using a domestic overlocker, since it might result in thicker seams.
If you use an industrial overlocker and operate with a variety of textiles of varying thicknesses, a four-thread overlocker may provide the uniformity you want.