This is sooo frustrating! My guild's annual challenge quilts re due on Friday. Because of the upheaval in my sewing room, I am racing the clock. My entry is a sampler with 20 blocks. I had finished stippling the main areas of 19 blocks. Do NOT know why I missed one, but started to machine stipple it yesterday. Hours later I am still not finished that ONE block!! I have broken about 12-13 needles. I am using nylon thread. I changed to a fresher, but not newly purchased, thread. I changed to different style or size of needles. I even changed from zig zag plate to straight stitch plate. The thread keeps breaking. I just complained to DH and he suggested a tension problem. So I lowered to number 3 tension and the needle broke again. This is making me nuts!! I want to finish this blasted block and add the binding. Then I can get going on a few quick quilts for the Hurricane People. The quilt will still need more quilting, but will be acceptable for the display this week. Getting some quilts done for the relief effort is more important to me. Besides, hanne is coming tomorrow and will work with me on this effort. So, any suggestions about this needle issue?? THANKS!! PAT in VA/USA
Needles Breaking; Help, Please!
Sep 07, 2005
15 Replies
Is your thread getting twisted and/or hung up on something? I had this problem the other day. Broke a couple needles before I realized it was a problem with the way the thread was coming off the spool and through my cone thread holder. I HATE it when that happens.
This happened on my Viking over the weekend, the first time the thread slipped out of the take up spool, the second time it had wrapped itself around the thread spool holder. Maybe yours has gotten hung up somewhere?
-Irene
-------------- You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.=20
--Mae West=20
--------------
That's good news!!!
Wow! I'm impressed PAT. You can *plan* a stippling path? ! . In message , Pat in Virginia writes
Hurray! :) glad at least you know where the problem lies - now hopefully it's an easy thing for the dealer to explain and not just some sewing gremlins :)
Roberta (in VA)
...cut...I will go back and try
I'm glad the problem was solved, Pat. I've had trouble with invisible thread before, but it usually results in broken *thread*, not needles. I was really puzzled. I wonder if the new foot has its needle hole in a slightly "off" place, leading to the broken needles when they hit the foot? As you suggest, this might mean the foot is wrong for your model.
I'm a rank beginner at stippling - only just beginning to be able to do it at all. I recently tried a triangle (inside). The 'wiggles' were OK, but there were two large 'holes' without any stitching >gWell, yes. Say I have to stipple 4 background triangles in a pinwheel.
Pat, you are probably done with it by now, but it's worth mentioning that I've been known to break needles when sewing in a big hurry to get done, simply because I pulled the fabric around faster than the needle was going up and down so my speed at pulling was out of sink with the speed of the machine, and it pulled on the needle and made it bend and break.
I ran in to this problem yesterday. I was working on my Siggy Turtles 50 quilt, trying desperately to get it finished before my son and his fiancé came over tonight. My thread kept breaking so I changed needles. Still kept breaking. So I re-threaded and adjusted the tension several times, all the way down to 0. Still breaking. I took the machine apart and oiled it. Thread still kept breaking. So I pulled out the manual to troubleshoot. I went step by step through it and even changed the needle again. Still breaking the thread. DH came in and took a look at it and took the bobbin mechanism apart, adjusted the tension and all sorts of stuff. Still breaking the thread. Finally, I pulled the bobbin out and there was a tiny little tail of thread sticking out the hole of the bobbin. I clipped it off and yeeehawwwww my thread didn't break anymore. I finally got the quilt top finished and it's now ready to go to Arkansas to be quilted. Something so simple really created a lot of frustration.
Join the Discussion
Have something to add? Share your thoughts — no account required.
Didn't find your answer?
Ask the community — no account required