"squiggly" threads - Help!

This is generic since I don't know what your machine is:

It appears to be tension related. Whenever I hem jeans, (and the bobbin thread is going to show on the "right" side) I tighten my top thread a *lot*. Then test until I get the right settings. The other problem may be related to bobbin tension: are you able to loosen/tighten the bobbin thread independent of the top thread? If so, make small incremental adjustments, test, and see if you can't find a combination of top tension-bobbin tension which makes both sides look right.

Also, for hemming heavy denim you may want to look into a heavier needle.

BEI Design wrote: If so, make

I should have added, make your tests on scraps of the actual material you are going to use, and on the *same thickness*, i.e.folded twice for hems (three thicknesses).

Beverly

Thanks, Beverly! It's a White 3100. I just updated the web-site to include that

Thanks, I'll try the top tension adjustments tomorrow ( for the bottom, you have to remove the whole bobbin case, turn a screw, etc - not something I think I should fool with)! Why do you think it happens mostly with the Gutterman, and not the C&C (which I have read was NOT a good thread)??

Also, check that there's no build-up of lint in the spool area. A 'birds' nest' can play havoc with tension.

Mary

Great way to show us the problem, Serge!

It's definitely a tension thing. In addition to what Beverly told you (and I agree with everything she said) you might want to see if you need to clean between your tension disks. I keep emery cloth for this. You only need a thin strip. Run it between the tension disks, top to bottom. I only go one direction so that any lint I pull out doesn't redeposit.

When you thread with the finer threads (and it's the same thread in the bobbin right?) make sure the thread seats well into the tension disks. I know you know to thread with the presser foot up, but I thought I'd best mention that too. ;)

The reason you will get a tension difference when you use the jeans thread is the difference between the thickness of it and the regular thread in the bobbin. Turning the tension higher (like Beverly said) will usually cure that.

Sometimes it's just a matter of trying several different things till it sorts itself out. Good luck!!!

Sharon

Oops, right! I usually suggest cleaning out all thread paths before anything else, and it's definitely the *first* thing to try. ( Along with a *new* needle, but Sparafucile said he already did that.) ;-)

Agreed! Sometimes I have a bigger stack of "test" swatches than the fabric for actual garment. ;-}

Beverly

The other place I always check is under the leaf spring on the bobbin case! Sometimes a build-uo of lint there can cause mayhem! BE VERY CAREFUL if you need to take the bobbin case apart and getthat leaf spring off to clen lint or rust off it... I recently lost the tiny screw off one...

Thanks. It seemed WAY easier to put a photo up than describe it....

OK, I cleaned everything as mentioned by all, and also used "canned air" after. I increased the tension to "9" (my top) and it improved it by about 75%, but it still lightly squiggles with the Guterman.

OTOH, the Coats & Clark D.D.+ makes a very nice stitch at slightly above my tension midpoint (4.5).

Ron (the repairman) told me by email "Some machines just do not like some threads." It seems to me that I should use just C&C thread; would you agree?

I don't know much about thread, so this leads to a second question: what is your favorite thread for general sewing and garment construction, and your least favorite. Why?

Thanks! I appreciate the help!

Canned air is NOT Recommended, as it just forces any small bits you didn't manage to remove farther into nooks and crannies. A vacuum is better, get one of the tiny ones for computers.

I agree, but then I use C&C for almost everything, and have for the 62+ years I have been sewing. About the only time I use a different brand is if I cannot get a perfect color match in C&C, and it's going to show (like for topstitching).

See above. ;-) I occasionally use Gutterman, but C&C is my everyday favorite. I have a supply of silk thread for basting. For the coverstitch machine and serger I use cones of Maxi-Lock 100% poly serger thread (unless I need a better match, then I use C&C). And for my embroidery machine I have a largish supply of both rayon and poly, both Medeira and Robison Anton.

Beverly

Two more suggestions for you---

1) sharp/microtex/jeans needle (I'm guessing you want the jeans needle) -- if this is denim weight, and it's going through several layers, I'm going to guess size 14. Yes, the points do make a difference, sometimes a major difference. If you 'd like to see what a whole lineup of sizes of needles, usual varieties of needle points, etc. looks like, here are some photos I took last summer.

2) you may be running into an issue called "flagging", which means the fabric deflects as the needle goes through, and can cause all sorts of funny problems. This can be as simple a cure as moving the stitching over to the right or left side of the needle slot, putting some paper or stabilizer below the fabric, using a different needle, or changing the presser foot pressure so the fabric can't hop up and down like a trampoline being bounced on by a little kid. Universal points on wovens have more problems with flagging than sharps on wovens.

Then play with the stitch balance. And like Kate says, watch those bobbin screws -- they're very short and like to hop out, never to be seen again. I put the bobbin case and the screwdriver in a closed, ziplock bag for bobbin screw adjustments.

If you're worried about adjusting a bobbin screw, get a very fine Sharpie pen and put a mark on the bobbin case that continues the slot across the screw head. Bobbin screws are adjusted in tiny increments (I use "5 minutes" of a clockface as my standard trial adjustment). But I have a funny feeling that a #14 jeans needle will improve the stitch as is.

Some good stuff on thread problems:

these are meant for people doing "factory sewing", there's stilla lot of good stuff in here for folks who sew at home. Oh yes:

I always knew you had a screw loose..... (which makes you one of my kind!!!) LOL!!!!!!

Sharon

Ron is so great. And yeah, there are some threads that certain machines just don't like.

I prefer Mettler. I will use C&C. And I've noticed an improvement in C&C over the last couple years. For a while, it was horrible; especially dark colors. There were big slubs in the thread. Big enough to toss it out of the tension disks when they passed through. That's when I started using Mettler for most things.

I've never had a problem of any sort with Mettler in either my Singer or my Viking home machines.

I know a few folks on here have said they have had problems with Guterman over the last couple years. You might look through the archives. I haven't used much of it in a very long time so I can't say from experience.

Sharon

Sorry, I don't know what kind of machine you have and I did not see anyone mention the bobbin case tension (sorry if I missed it). But, if your machine has a removable metal bobbin case, have you checked or had the tension on it checked recently? Bobbins with tension screws need periodic checking and adjustment. There are protocols and gauges for doing this. I keep a second bobbin case, for instance, that I use for decorative threads one normally would not use in a bobbin so I can adjust it as necessary and not have to touch my normal bobbin case. They always check the bobbin tensions on my Bernies when I take them in for their periodic check-ups.

Phae

Yup, Ron is a very nice guy! Thank you and Beverly for your thread advice, it was very helpful. I'll simply use the C&C, I can buy it locally - Mettler can't be found locally, only online.

I also tried a larger needle, and a "jeans" needle, no difference. Something about Gutterman that fools with the tension, I guess...

I'm glad my problem is resolved, and thank everyone who replied!

Even though it comes only in white and off-white, I use DMC 100/6 Cordonnette for all cotton and linen because it's strong. Sometimes I use 3-ply cotton when white just won't do, but I try to back it up with 6-ply -- sew the first stitching of a flat-fell with DMC. then top-stitch with matching thread, for example.

For silk and wool, I prefer size A machine twist, and insist on reeled silk. ("Spun" silk is chopped up to suit cotton-spinning machines, and should not be used for seams that have to stand up to wear, washing, or stress.)

For synthetics, I prefer nylon thread when I can get it. I would probably like filament polyester if there were such a thing. I have a few spools of staple polyester around here someplace.

For gathering medallions in my embroidery classes, I use a wire-like "bonded" nylon that is too thick to run through my sewing machine. As long as I use the "energy saving" iron (lukewarm, uses two-thirds as much electricity per hour, you have to iron three times as many hours), it works very well for hand stitching. (It also worked when I used the good iron once, but I got black stuff on the iron and had to press through paper for the rest of the session.) The bonded nylon is also good for making hanging loops when I give the class in December. (The rest of the year, I hang the medallions on ribbon and call them necklaces.)

My least favorite thread: ravelings from the fabric itself. It's a lot of work, but when it's important that the stitches continue to match perfectly after the garment is washed, there is no other choice. Joy Beeson