Sewing leg elastic

I've been hand sewing fleece pockets, so haven't been doing the leg elastic properly. Basically i've just invented my own way of doing it which consists of sewing the 2 peices of the pocket together, then adding on a tube of fleece to the leg area, filtering through the elastic and stiching each end. Its functional but not ideal.

I'm getting access to a machine for a short while so will do all the leg elastics on that, can you tell me step by step how its different with a machine. Basically i've not been following a pattern, i've just created my own nappies through trial and error based on analysing ones i have bought. I can see that they zig zag stitch it but thats about it!

What I do is set the machine to zigzag stitch & then tack down one end of the elastic. So I go over the one spot a couple of times (use your reverse button on the machine). Then I change it over to the tripple zigzag stitch (make sure your needle is up before changing your sitch but no need to pull the nappy out & then start again). As I stitch the elastic down pull it tight as you go so your sewing down the elastic stretched. You need to hold it from the back as well to help guide it & the nappy through . Then once you get to the other end go back to your normal zigzag then tack it down.
This might sound like an obvious thing but I took a few nappies before I realised. But it is much easier to NOT cut your elastic to length before sewing it on. I place markers on the nappy so I know where to stop. It makes it easier to do it if you have elastic to hold on to where if you cut itt to length first you run out of easltic to pull tight as you get towards the end. KWIM?

one thing to make sure is that you have a ball-point needle, it doesn't break the stretch components of the material you are using.

Also gently stretch the material along with the elastic to sew it.

I'm just about to embark on my first MCN out of some fleece I have lying about so it doesn't really matter if I stuff it up. But one thing has been bugging me about the leg elastic.

Just wondering, how stretched should the elastic be as you sew it? Should it just be a really hard stretch or just a bit. There are no instructions in my weeweka pattern to let me know. In your experience, FJ and Schaz - roughly how much shorter should the unstretched elastic be (at the end of the process), compared to the actual fabric you are sewing? 75%, 50%?

FJ - triple zig-zag?

What I call is a tripple zig zag stitch is the one that is a zig zag but rather then 3 solid lines its 3 lines made up of 3 smaller lines so it goes - - - .
I stretch the elastic hard & i don't messure or cut it first I just start by tacking it down & then pull it tight as I sew it down to the finsih point then cut it off.

So like a short-stitch in the zigzag? Like a normal zigzag /\/\ is one stitch, but a triple would use 3 stitches for each / and \ ?

I also have a ___/\__ and a .:||:. kind of stitch ..

Yes Kazbah - that one that goes

/\ /\
/ \ / \
/ \/ \

on your machine if you have it.

(errgh - it doesn't look like I typed it!)

lol yep the one with 3 little short stitches for each long line of the zig zag. I had done a picture on blog a few months back FionaJill: Zigzag & Triple Zigzag