When I first started machine stitching, I was completely lost, especially when it came to finishing the edges of the fabric. I kept staring at them, wondering, “What stitch am I even supposed to use here?”
Instead of overthinking and getting frustrated, I did the smart thing — I called up my sewing machine expert friend. She didn’t even let me finish explaining before she said, “Girl, just use a zigzag stitch sewing machine!”
I was like, ‘ok, but how? She smirked and said it’s easy.
To create a zigzag stitch on a sewing machine, adjust the presser foot, set the stitch width and length, position the fabric, and sew while keeping the machine’s tension between 3-4 for a smooth result.
Her explanation sounds easy and gives me confidence to do it. But I was unsure, so I sat down and talked this through.
At a glance:
- Zigzag machine stitch is Ideal for finishing raw edges and sewing stretchy fabrics.
- For woven fabrics, set the stitch length to 2.4–2.5 mm and the width to 3–3.5 mm. It has to be thicker than a satin stitch sewing machine.
- Zigzag Stitch Symbol is a squiggly line symbol.
Table of Contents
What Is The Zigzag Stitch On A Sewing Machine For?
The zigzag stitch is basically the strongest one. It’s perfect for finishing raw edges so your fabric doesn’t fray all over the place. Plus, it’s super handy for sewing stretchy fabrics.
It’s harder than a machine running stitch, but worth it.
The ones that regular straight stitches just can’t handle without snapping. Once I got the hang of it, I realized that zigzag stitching also adds a nice decorative touch if you experiment with the settings. Honestly, it’s now my go-to for a ton of projects.
What Is The Best Setting For Zigzag Stitch?
So, after figuring out the magic of the zigzag stitch, my next panic was — okay, but what settings do I even use?! It is the same as machine chain stitch😵💫
I called my friend again (because why not?) and she told me Zig zag stitch (sewing machine settings):
Honestly, there’s no one-size-fits-all answer here. It kinda depends on what you’re sewing. 😅
But there is a simple rule: for regular woven fabrics, setting your stitch length around 2.4–2.5mm and the width at about 3–3.5mm is a solid starting point for any stitch patterns.
But when I switched to knits,
I learned the hard way that you need a narrower zigzag. Something like a 0.5mm width and a 2.5–3.0mm length. So, the fabric can stretch without puckering all over the place. This can also be useful as a double stitch sewing machine.
Now, I always do a little test run on a scrap piece before diving into the real project. It saves so much heartache (and fabric 😭)!
Zigzag Stitch Sewing Machine Symbol
After the setting, another confusion hit me. That is a symbol. I sit down in front of the machine and stare! I was like, what! Where to start? I often mix it up with sewing machine lockstitch. So, my friend cleared up my confusion, too.
So, basically,
The zigzag stitch is one of the easiest to spot. It literally looks like a little zigzag line! ⚡
On most sewing machines, it’s either shown as a basic zigzag or sometimes with different variations (like a tighter or wider zigzag). Just look for that squiggly line. You can’t miss it.
Once I knew what to look for, it made picking stitches way less confusing. But different machines can have various kinds of symbols.
Below, I have given you an idea of a symbol. All kinds of machines actually use those for zigzag & overlock.
How To Do A Zig Zag Stitch On Sewing Machine?
After the long talk with her and fully understanding the zigzag stitch on the machine, I decided to do it. And here is how it goes,
First, I Checked My Presser Foot
Before anything else, I stopped and looked at my sewing machine’s presser foot.
I made sure it had a wide opening in the center, because I remembered the needle would swing left and right while stitching in a zigzag pattern.
If I had used the regular straight-stitch foot (the one with a small hole), the needle would have hit it right. Nope, not risking a broken needle today! 😅
Adjust Zigzag Stitch Length
Next, I found the zigzag stitch setting. It looked like a little lightning bolt or a squiggly line on my machine.
Luckily, my machine suggested some settings right away: 3 mm width and 1.5 mm length. If your machine doesn’t do that automatically, no worries. You can just set it yourself.
Since my machine lets me adjust manually, I started by setting:
- Width to 3mm
- Length to 1.5mm
This length is perfect for any decorative stitch.
Some machines are old-school and have options like small, medium, and large zigzags. If that’s you, I’d recommend picking something around “medium” for your first try. But whatever you do keep the zigzag stitch sewing machine tension between 3-4.
Slipped My Fabric Under The Presser Foot
Alright, I was ready to roll. I:
- Slipped my fabric under the presser foot,
- Put the needle down into the fabric (super important so it doesn’t slip),
- Lowered the presser foot,
- And gently held the thread tails so they wouldn’t get sucked into the machine.
Then I pressed the pedal — slowly at first — and started sewing.
Watching the needle swing left to right was so satisfying. Good thing I had the correct presser foot on; otherwise, this would have gone south fast. And that’s it that’s how you will have a zigzag stitch within 1 min.
It’s easy and satisfying. 😍
Played Around With Zigzag Stitch Width And Length
Once I got the hang of the basic zigzag, I started messing around a bit:
- I set the machine to a zigzag stitch at width 3 and length 1.5 (I’ll call that 3– 1.5 for short). I sewed a line.
- Then I cranked the width up to 7 (the highest setting on my machine) and stitched another line. I do it for every machine embroidery stitches.
- Finally, I dropped the width down to 0.5 and stitched one more.
When I looked at them:
- The smallest width looked almost straight, barely zigzagging.
- The widest width was super wide — and yeah, it made the fabric pucker a bit because the stitches were pulling tight.
So the tip for this part is: Wide zigzags can mess up your fabric if you’re not careful.
Then I flipped it over to check the back. You could see how that wide 7–1.5 stitch was pulling and puckering even more.
Next, I messed around with stitch length instead:
I kept the width at 3 but changed the lengths:
- Sewed a line at 1.5,
- Then a line at 0.2 (super tiny stitches),
- Then one at 5 (huge, stretched-out stitches).
The teeny tiny 0.2 length? Yeah… the stitches just piled up and jammed in the feed dogs. Not pretty at all. Wouldn’t recommend. 😂
Big takeaway:
You usually want your stitch width and length to be somewhere in the middle, like 3–1.5, which is a solid starting point. Don’t play around as a beginner. Stay in the safe zone.
Zigzag Stitch Sewing Machine Troubleshooting
It’s easy & quick to do zigzag on the machine, but it doesn’t mean it’s trouble-free. Of course. So the other day, I sat down all excited to zigzag, and boom — problems. 😩
Here’s everything I ran into (and how I fixed it):
My needle hit the presser foot: It turns out you can’t use a straight stitch foot (the one with the tiny hole) for a zigzag. The needle needs room to swing left and right, so I swapped it out for a foot with a big oval opening. Problem solved.
Stitches looked weird, skipped, or tangled: First thing I checked? My threading. Re-threaded the top thread and bobbin completely (sometimes it’s just one tiny loop you missed). And boom, stitches were back to normal.
(If re-threading doesn’t fix it, double-check your needle too — dull or bent needles mess everything up.)
Fabric was puckering: This happened when my zigzag was way too wide for my fabric (like a width of 7 on lightweight cotton). I either narrowed the stitch width a bit or adjusted the tension lower (turn that tension dial down a notch). If you still get puckering, slowing down your sewing speed helps too.
Zigzag looked almost straight, not “zigzaggy.”: If it’s barely zigzagging, your width setting is too small. I bumped the width up higher (like three or more), and it looked way better. (Also, double-check that you actually selected zigzag and didn’t accidentally pick a straight stitch. Happened to me once. 😅)
Quick cheat sheet if your zigzag goes weird:
- Make sure you’re using the correct presser foot.
- Re-thread everything if stitches are skipping or messy.
- Watch your stitch width + tension if the fabric puckers.
- Don’t set stitch length too short unless you want a satin stitch.
- Bump up the width if it’s not zigzaggy enough.
That’s it! If you crack every code I’ve given you above, you’ll have the perfect stitch.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can all sewing machines do a zigzag stitch?
Nope, not all of them! Older, basic machines, especially vintage straight-stitch models, only sew straight lines. If you don’t see a zigzag stitch symbol (usually looks like a little zigzag line) on your machine’s stitch selector, chances are it can’t do it.
Why is my zigzag stitch coming out straight?
It’s usually one of two things. You accidentally selected a straight stitch instead of zigzag.
Your zigzag width is set to 0. If the width is at 0, the needle doesn’t swing side to side. So it sews a straight line.
What should the tension be for a zigzag stitch?
Most of the time, your normal straight stitch tension works just fine for zigzag, too usually somewhere around 3–4 on the tension dial. But if your fabric starts puckering (especially on wide zigzags), try lowering the tension just a little, like to 2.5–3.
Conclusion
And that’s the basics of the zigzag stitch! It’s seriously one of the most useful stitches.
The best way to get comfortable with it? Just play around with the settings, mess with width and length, and see what happens on scrap fabric.
The more you practice, the more second-nature it’ll feel. Happy stitching!
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