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Subject: [1630] OLL-#2: Basic Definitions

Date: Tue, 15 Feb 2000 17:47:11 -0800

From: Ashley Engelund <engelund@halcyon.com>

To: 1630 List <1630@lyris.quiltropolis.com>

 

This is one of a series of on-line lessons about the Bernina 1630 sewing machine.  All content is copyright 2000-2012 by Ashley Engelund. Permission is granted to copy and distribute this information provided that this copyright statement is included. All companies mentioned retain their respective copyrights and trademarks.  All info is the personal opinion of Ashley Engelund.

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Definitions

We need to define some important terms so that there's no confusion (or less confusion ;-) about what we're referring to.  There are a number of terms that seem to be used often, and even interchangeably:

• stitch
• stitch design
• pattern
• design

Sometimes a "stitch" means just one forward movement of the needle; but sometimes it's used to mean a sequence of needle ups & downs that form a single design.  (e.g. a zig-zag, or maybe H1/1).  Sometimes "pattern" is used to mean a sequence of needle ups & downs that form a single design (i.e. when it's used as "pattern begin" or "pattern end") -- which is the same as the 2nd definition of "stitch."  !!!  No wonder we get confused!

(See pp. 22-26 in your manual for a summary of functions  and stitch settings.)

I'd like to use these definitions so that we can be clear:

 

needle step:

 - moving the needle forward one step in a stitch.  (If you're sewing in reverse, then it the needle would step backwards.)

 

stitch:

 - a series of needle movements in a particular set of directions and lengths.  The most simple stitch is the "straight stitch" (A1/1).  A complex stitch would be something like H1/1.  A stitch is made up of a series of needle-steps made in specific directions and lengths.

 

built-in stitch:

 - a stitch that comes pre-designed and stored on your machine.  These are all the stitches in the menus A through I, and M through V.  (Menus J and K refer to stitches on keys -- or from your computer, and stitches on the W menu are stitch designer (SP) stitches.)

 

designed stitch:

 - a stitch that has been designed by you or someone else; any stitch that is not a built-in stitch.

 

pattern:

 - one cycle of the design in a stitch.  Used to mean the same thing as in the "Pattern Begin," "1/2 pattern," and "Pattern End" functions.

 

stitch sentence:

  - (yes, this is one that I made up)  a sequence of instructions to your machine, including which stitch to use, what settings to use, and what functions to employ.  This sequence  of instructions can be saved into one of the MR memory areas.

 

 

I hope that most of those are clear.  Let me explain the "stitch sentence" a little more.

Imagine that you wanted your machine to go forward 5 straight stitches, then sew stitch F2/9 once, then sew 5 more straight stiches.  If your machine could understand simple English, you'd tell it something like this:

    "Using stitch A1/1, do 5 patterns; then using stitch F2/9, do one pattern; then using stitch A1/1, sew 5 patterns."

That would be your "stitch sentence" -- a series of instructions to the machine about what stitches to use and how many to sew of them.  (The example does not include any other settings or functions.  I want to keep it simple right now.)

But of course, the machine doesn't speak English (or German or French or Hunan or....).  But it *does* understand it's own '1630' language.  So you just have to know how to enter that 'stitch sentence' in a way/language that your machine will understand.  And we can do that.  

To create and use  "stitch sentence," we must know learn (and be comfortable with)  MR memory.

 

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NEXT LESSON:  Intro to the MR memory area

This post will be put up on the FAQ pages. Go to: http://www.ashleyCaroline.com/sewing/1630 and click on "Ashley's OnLine Lessons" under the "Helpful Write-Ups" section.

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