To gather fabric with elastic thread on your SINGER Quantum Stylist 9960, you need to prepare the machine in a specific way. Wind the elastic thread directly onto the bobbin by hand, without pulling the thread too tightly, to avoid it being too tight and losing its elasticity. Then insert the bobbin into the machine as usual. On the upper spool, place a standard sewing thread. This combination of elastic thread in the bobbin and standard thread in the upper spool creates the desired gathering effect.
Select a straight stitch on the LCD screen of your machine and set the stitch length to 3.5 to 4 mm (a longer length than usual). This longer stitch length significantly facilitates the gathering of the fabric. You can check the recommended settings directly on the high-resolution digital display of the machine, which indicates the optimal settings for each selected stitch.
Sew along the area to be gathered in a straight line. Do not make lock stitches at the beginning or end of the sewing, as you will need to be able to pull the threads freely to create the gathers. For a more pronounced and even effect, sew two parallel lines spaced about 0.5 cm apart in the same area.
Once the stitches are made, gently and gradually pull on the elastic thread from the bobbin to gather and ruffle the fabric to the desired height. Distribute the gathers evenly along the entire length of the seam by adjusting regularly. Use only the elastic thread for this, which has the property of being stretchable.
To permanently secure the gathers in place, tie the two ends of the threads together or make a few lock stitches at each end. You can use the Automatic Locking Stitch function of your SINGER Quantum Stylist 9960 to reinforce the final stitches and prevent the gathers from coming undone.