steam-a-steam

[Audrey K.]

I have recently purchased a new supply of Steam-a-Seam 2 Lite and am having trouble with it gumming up the needle thus causing stitches to be missed especially on blanket stitch ,is anyone else having this and can recommend how to resolve ?

Thank you
Audrey Knight

[Betty J.]

I don't know how to resolve it. I've not had Steam a seam gum up the works before, so I'll be interested in seeing if anyone has any ideas.

[Nancy R.]

My only thought would be that maybe you got a bad batch. Does the paper on the steam-a-seam 2 have a grid drawn on it? If not, I would return it to the store where you bought it. There was a while where the company that made the paper for steam-a-seam stopped making it so the company was scrambling for a new supplier. During that time, I think they also played with their glue and it seemed like people were having lots of problems. So they stopped making it for a while, regrouped, began their own paper manufacture (I think) and the new product is on the market and, from everything I've heard, is working great. This new product had the grid printed on the paper, so that's how you can tell if you have that. That's the only thing I can think of.

[susan h.]

I am using the steam-a-seam with gridded paper on one side and it is a disaster. Despite very lengthy fusing with steam, the glue never fully sets and it gums up a needle after only a few inches of stitching. Suggestions for remediation are welcome because the project cannot be re-done.

[Charae H.]

I don't have any problems with the needle gumming up, but it sure doesn't fuse as well (for me) as the old Lite Steam-a-Seam 2. I get a lot of pop ups.

[Dawn S.]

I do a lot of fused appliqué, and also have had some problems with the gumming and bonding of the SAS. I have switched to Wonder-Under 805. It is what Laura Wasilowski uses, and I figure if she can do prize winning quilts with it, it's a good product. (But, it also changes from time to time.). You do need to follow the specific written directions for all fusables, though. I did learn a little trick from a long-armer.......she said there is much less gumming up on a needle, if you use titanium needles. She claims the needle doesn't heat up as much as a chrome needle does, thus not melting the adhesive.

Dawn

[Nancy R.]

Melinda Bula uses Steam-A-Seam 2 (not Lite). She said that wiping some Sewer's Aid on the needle will get rid of the gumming. She said spit will also work, if that doesn't bother you. Also note that you have to use steam for the Steam-A-Seam to bond. Even with the name, I didn't realize that until someone pointed it out to me.

[susan h.]

As I indicated in my original reply to this topic -- I have steamed the *!#@@$ out of the fused blocks and SAS remains gummy -- almost like rubber cement. I have completely saturated the piece with water (even soaking over night) and ironed with steam for minutes, literally, by the clock. Nothing works. I have contacted the company and they have been very nice, but continue to insist that I just have to fuse longer. I don't think so. It is not physically possible to fuse longer. I think this was a defective batch. Unfortunately, I am just going to have to live with it because the blocks were made by work colleagues, each is unique for that person and they cannot be re-done. If it was just me, I would start over.

I have been using alcohol to clean off the needle. I will try a titanium one, and the sewer's aid trick. thanks.

[Betty J.]

So sorry you are having problems with the Steam a Seam. I have found it is possible to more or less kill any fusible with too much heat and too long a steam, which it sounds like you may have done with this one, though it might have been defective to start with. I did that a couple of times and it's most disconcerting. Hope you can still complete your project, though. Best wishes.

[Nancy R.]

I don't know what you're doing, but if you're having trouble with the fused pieces lifting off as you sew, you can put a piece of water-soluable stabilizer over the top of the piece to hold the pieces in place while you sew. That'll keep you foot from getting under the pieces. Then when you're done, you rip off as much of the stabilizer as possible, then soak the rest away. That is, if you can get your project wet.

[susan h.]

I wanted to thank everyone for recent advice. I tried every remedy to get rid of the gummy-ness and in some cases the fusible died, but the gum lived on. HOWEVER, alcohol wipes to clean the needle and a tiny dab of sewer's aid to slick-up the needle made it possible to finish stitching down the applique around the edges. The quilting will just have to avoid sewing across the appliques. Note to self -- TEST, TEST, TEST.