I am NOT a sewer, so when I get to the beginnings of the finishing stage for anything just off the loom, I get sweaty and DREAD the step of zigzagging. this time, having just removed ten yards of twill play, I am having fabric get stuck inside the needle plate, and I'm learning it may be occurring because I'm attempting to zigzag on a very thin, relatively, piece of fabric. do you all have any tips for me as to how to avoid this? my sewing machine skills are that of a grade-schooler (I'm 56), so bear that in mind. I do my hemming by hand and only use the machine for the zig zag finish. sigh. I am so frustrated. thanks in advance for any wisdom out there. thank you, Jane et. al., for having this space for folks like me!
Not to worry - I'm not a sewer either! I do, however, zig-zag the ends of the cloth that would tend to get quite agitated in the washer and dryer, just so they don't shred. At each end of my warp, I normally weave an inch or so of Plain Weave to secure the warp and to spread it before I start weaving. I would do it again at the end, if I had woven the full warp, as a sample. The PW also gives you a more controlled zig-zag on your machine. I hope this helps!