How to Chainstitch with a Coverstich Sewing Machine

Mind. Blown.

That's how I felt when I FINALLY got around to trying this sewing technique. I'm not joking when I say I've had this Safari window open on my phone for at least six months (anyone else a serial non-window-closer?). And what window was that, you ask?

The pdf manual for my Brother 2340CV. Wowwwww exciting right. I don't remember why, but I was looking in the manual for something one day and saw, right there, instructions for chainstitching. What? Are you serious? I thought chainstitching required a special machine?

Special machines DO exist, but it turns out that I can replicate it on my coverstitch. And it's super easy. If you don't have the exact machine that I do, check your manual!

The Brother 2340CV is a three-needle coverstitch, with the fourth needle being the lower looper. To make the chainstitch, you remove the left and right needles and use only the center needle and lower looper. Set the tension settings to 0 for the two needles you removed. Set the needle tension to 2 and the lower looper tension to 5.

Then sew.

That's it! I was blown away when I saw how easy it was. No fiddling at all. I grabbed a piece of stretch denim, folded it over to mimic a hem, and it worked perfectly.

Then I grabbed a four month old pair of unhemmed jeans and hemmed them. Also worked perfectly!

Supposedly a chainstitch can also make a great basting stitch, as it is meant to unravel when it becomes unsecured. I didn't try it because I didn't want to pull any of my pretty stitches out.

Are you going to try this trick? Or, are you on the fence about a coverstitch and need just one more reason to get one (dooooo it)? 

If you'd like to see this technique in action, check out my Reel on Instagram!