CoverStitch – Janome Cover Pro CPX 1000

Update 2020:  Check out my latest post on the Brother CV3440 Coverstitch.

Do I really need this coverstitch machine?  I guess I’m about to find out!

I already have a sewing machine – older, but functional.  The HuskyStar E10 machine by Husqvarna is basic, but it works well and I have had it for over 20 years now.  So, I also have access to a friend’s serger which seems to plow through anything I throw at it. So Hub and I agreed a seasonal gift was in order and the CoverPro 1000 CPX by Janome was selected to join my machine line-up.

Here is a close-up of the coverstitch hem.  I left the looper in white which doesn’t show through, but it makes it easy to see the lovely stitch. This is the inside. The outside of the hem is two straight lines.

This coverstitch machine literally worked right out of the box. The needles and looper were all threaded with the 3 needles already installed. I sewed a few scraps and found that the machine has a good solid feel to it. I figured the hardest part of using this type of machine would be getting the lines straight, but it wasn’t an issue at all. The lines stayed straight – although I’m not sure if it is due to the presser foot or my improved skill ( I suspect the former).

I must admit, this is not a sew-and-go machine.  It takes quite a lot of tweaking to get it to work for different fabrics. On wovens for instance, it is easiest and produces a beautiful stitch!  The most difficult part is finding and staying on the edge to enclose the raw edge of the fabric. You have to work from the top and try to catch the edge of the fabric on the bottom. There are a few tricks and tips that can help but it is easy to miss in spots.

YouTube is your friend

So, then I starting fiddling.  Taking a big breath, I removed all the thread and re-threaded everything – and it worked!  I think that after fighting working with a serger for the last few months, my improved skills made threading the coverstitch a breeze! It is easier than threading the serger, but it does take a bit of haggling with it.

I did practice removing a needle though and accidentally loosened the screw too much and the actual screw fell out before I could catch it. OMG! What a royal pain to get it back in – it is so tiny; I couldn’t get a grip on it.  The stupid thing dropped on the floor, on the table, into the machine itself through the attachment holes – twice!  I was getting so frustrated! Finally, using a fridge magnet, I managed to it back in. Lesson learned – don’t over-loosen the screws so they fall out!  I removed and replaced all the other needles and re-threaded each time.  There is this really nifty little tool supplied with the machine that holds the needle for you while you remove and replace it.  Very nice!

First Try with Cover stitch:

I had already been working on a New Year’s Eve outfit – another Laundry Day Tee in red velvet this time. I hadn’t done the hem on it yet so it was a perfect opportunity to test run the double stitch line hem with the CoverPro. Rather than buying more large spools of red thread, I filled and used 2 bobbins with the red thread and the looper with the spool and I was off to the races!

Here is my finished Laundry-Day Tee for New Year’s Eve.  Slight modification was to add cuffs to the sleeves.  I had originally just loosely turned in a small rolled hem on the crew neck using a herringbone stitch, but when I saw how straight I could make the rows of stitching, I took a chance and did the neck line too.  I added the scarf to try out some details to accessorize for the evening. 

As with any coverstitch machine, it is not used in the construction of a garment so it is definitely an add-on only machine. So far I find this lovely machine to make beautiful finished hems when it works. I will continue to try other fabrics and hopefully try to improve my process, especially the removing and tying off at the end.

It is still a bit hit or miss as to whether the stitching will work right and look nice. Until I am more consistent, I only use it for areas that aren’t likely to be seen.