Brother CV3550 Double Cover stitch Machine

OK – so the first questions you need to ask are “What is a Cover stitch machine?” and “why do I need one?”

Well these questions are simple ones to answer. A cover stitch machine allows you to finish your fabric and hem it at the same time. It works a dream with stretch fabrics, t-shirts, jersey etc and will be giving you professional finishes in no time.  

It looks a bit like an overlocker, but it isn’t! An overlocker finishes your raw edge, then you need to hem it separately with a sewing machine – preferably with a twin needle to get a great finish. But with a cover stitch machine it finishes and hems IN ONE GO, saving time, effort and making you look like a pro! So if you want to make clothes, then a Brother CV3550 Double Cover stitch Machine is an ideal addition to your sewing room. 

Cover hem like a professional.

Just check out the t shirt you wore last and take a look at the hem. It will most likely have been done on a cover stitch machine with an overlocked edge and a twin needle hem in one go. That’s how you get a quick, professional finish with even tricky stretch fabrics. I use my Brother CV3550 Double Cover stitch machine making my crepe kimono top with an overlocker for the inner seams, and this cover stitch machine for the hems. It stitched up so fast it would make your head spin. From a standing start on this machine straight out of the box to a finished garment in less than an hour. It was even quicker the second time!

This machine uses 3 needles, which gives you so many more options than a 2 needle machine. I personally used the 2 needle Narrow Cover Stitch option for my kimono, using needle 2 and 3 and removing needle 1 so that it didn’t pierce my silk fabric. It was super easy to remove the needle with the supplied needle screwdriver. I love that Brother think of everything I might need to get stitching and provide it for me out of the box.

 

So what can you do with this machine?

The types of cover stitch you can create with this machine:

• Triple Cover Stitch – You can use a three-needle, or four-thread reinforced cover stitch. This is perfect for hemming, elastic and durable seams for sportswear. If it needs extra support, this is the stitch to use. It is also great for decorative effects expected to be visible on top of your garment and is great fun to play with!
• Wide Cover Stitch – The two-needle, three-thread cover stitch is ideal for hemming, top stitching and decorative effects on T-shirts and knits. This uses needle 1 and 3 to achieve a wide twin needle stitch on the top of your fabric.
• Narrow Cover Stitch – The two-needle, three-thread cover stitch is perfect for hemming on fine fabrics, tape binding and top stitching. This uses needle 2 and 3 (with the option to remove needle 1) to achieve a wide stitch on the top of your fabric. 
•  Chain Stitch – this one-needle, two-thread double chain stitch is excellent for sewing rolled hems, tape binding, joining woven fabrics and decorative effects.

The addition of an extra top cover stitch to give you 3 additional stitches for an even more professional look. When the cover spreader is engaged, a cover stitch will appear on both top and bottom sides of the fabric. 

• Triple Top Cover Stitch – this three-needle, five-thread top cover stitch is perfect for hems, top stitching, flat joining seams and edging with elastic and bindings with a cover stitch on the top and the bottom of your fabrics.
• Double Top Cover Stitch (Wide) – this two-needle, four-thread top cover stitch is perfect for hems, top stitching, flat joining seams and edging with elastic and bindings.
• Double Top Cover Stitch (Narrow) -  this two-needle, four-thread top cover stitch is perfect for hems, top stitching, flat joining seams and edging with elastic and bindings. It gives a finer stitch than the wide stitch.

These choices of 7 different stitches give you a wide variety of decorative options, as well as construction possibilities.

So what else do I love about my cover stitch machine? 

There are lots of reasons why I love my machine and why I feel it perfectly sits in my sewing room alongside my sewing machine and my overlocker! 

·        I love the clear foot because it gives me maximum visibility for my stitching. I can see exactly where I need to start and end my sewing for that perfect finish. Many cover stitch machines come only with a solid metal foot, so I was delighted to see that this one had both options!

·       Storage. The tools that you need to lay your hands on most often, namely the screwdriver, needles and the tweezers, have their own little storage clips inside the cover of the machine. This stops me scrabbling around my sewing table for the tools I need, when I need them!

·      Simple threading, and this is a must for these machines! 4 of the threads (assuming that you want to use all 3 needles) thread from the front and the paths are colour coded and easy to follow.  

     When using the cover spreader (an extra to many models) you have even more stitch options because you can choose to have a cover stitch on the top and the bottom of your fabric at the same time! The looper is also colour coded and the path marked on the inside of the easy open cover.

• It has a simple to use differential feed – easy to use feed allows me to work with both stretchy and none stretchy fabric, just with the turn of a knob!
• This is a super-fast machine, with a possible maximum of 1000 stitches per minute. This means I can whip around a seam quickly and accurately and have something ready to wear in no time. 
•  Large 6.1" x 3.9" workspace so I can get bigger projects through the machine with ease.
• Free arm for easy sewing of necklines and cuffs.
• With 3 needles, one lower looper, and one cover spreader, the CV3550 lets me stitch professional hems, and chain stitching, as well as to add double-sided cover stitching to my projects for a special one step finish!

 The technical bit!

KEY FEATURES
• Double-sided Tri-cover (6mm), Double-sided Wide Cover(6mm), Double-sided Narrow cover (3mm) stitches, Tri-cover (6mm), Wide Cover(6mm), Narrow (3mm) and standard chain stitching capacity
• Large 6.1" x 3.9" workspace
• One-touch lever tension release
• Free Arm for easier sewing of necklines and cuffs
• Bright LED Lighting - cooler and energy saving
• Thread Cutter for convenience and added efficiency
• Fast and easy looper and cover spreader threading
• Color-coded threading guide & easy to follow lay-in threading
• Dial adjustments for stitch length conveniently found on right hand side
• Presser foot pressure adjustment dial

SEWING FEATURES
• LED Lighting
• Maximum Sewing Speed (Stitches Per Minute): 1,000 SPM
• Feed Dog
• Stitch Width (mm): 3.0 - 6.0mm
• Stitch Length (mm): 2.0 - 4.0mm
• Presser Foot Pressure Adjustment

SERGER FEATURES
• Cover Stitch
• Differential Feed: 0.7 - 2.0
• Underlooper Threader

BUILT IN STITCHES
• Double-sided Triple-cover (6mm)
• Double-sided Wide Cover(6mm)
• Double-sided Narrow cover (3mm) stitches
• Triple-cover (6mm),
• Wide Cover(6mm)
• Narrow (3mm)
• Standard chain stitching capacity

INCLUDED ACCESSORIES
• Soft Cover
• Thread Net (4)
• Thread Spool Cap (4)
• Cleaning Brush
• Hexagonal Driver
• Needle Set (130/705H) #90
• Attachment Screw
• Spool Mat (4)
• Foot Controller
• Instructional DVD

So in conclusion, I am still at the beginning of my relationship with my Brother CV3550 Cover Stitch machine, and we have many happy hours of stitching ahead of us. So far, we are fast becoming good friends and she is making my sewing projects easier, quicker and look more professional, and I cant wait to use her more!