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skipping AND breaking

I've had a new machine since the beginning of the December, so not long, I've been very happy with piecing, some machine embroidery I've tried and the quilting of the first two quilts, which were both small and didn't have very complex quilting, one everything free motion was a gradual curve going over no seams, 2nd was quilted with a spiders web, did cross seams and appeared to be fine. The third was where things started to go wrong, but I assumed it was the batting, as I was trying a fusible for the first time, the skipping would happen as I crossed a seam and the thread would snap. All of those were small, now I'm working on a 70"*70" top which will get borders added to be a queen size. I made a test sandwich and everything appeared fine, but on to the big quilt and it's a disaster, I don't think I'm moving too slow or two fast as it's find until I get to the seam, the way it then snaps is making me wonder if somehow hitting the seam makes something unhappy and the top tension suddenly tightens and then it snaps.

I think it's a going to the shop job, as I think I've tried everything, I tried different sizes of needle, quilting needles rather than sharps, tried the thread on different spool holders in case the snag was at that end. I wondered if the foot was responding badly to the height of a seam, but played with all the settings there to no avail.

I'm going to have to drag the quilt in with me as unless I make a small block of the same fabrics I can't duplicate the problem, it's fine on a regular sandwich. I'll have at least one kid with me and if the local schools are running late again, his preschool is cancelled, even though them running late makes them start at the same time.

I had hoped to make inroads on this quilt today, I've done some QITD that I decided was neccessary, I think I have 2 "blocks" where I did manage to get through and lots of other bits I need to unpick. I'm presuming they'll have to send it away, which means a week!

Cheers Anne

Reply to
Anne Rogers
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Sigh. Sometimes they just won't behave, for no apparent reason. Different machines can be finicky about different threads for free motion. Even threads they tolerate in regular stitching. It does play havoc with tension when you pull the work in all directions. And lots of seams do not help at all. This might be where you need to go very slowly, one stitch at a time, slow enough to react and not move the quilt if it skips a stitch, so it can try again in the same spot. Roberta in D

"Anne Rogers" schrieb im Newsbeitrag news:jY2dnVlfZ96fMRDanZ2dnUVZ snipped-for-privacy@comcast.com...

Reply to
Roberta Zollner

tension too tight? Foot pressure too much? Just guesses. I was having trouble moving too fast. Slow down and see what happens. My favorite local quilter tips are here:

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There is a good trouble chart here:
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You might just put a phone call in to your shop. They might have a few suggestions for your machines. There are an awful lot of quilters that do wonderful home machine quilting here. Where are they today? BTW, what is the machine? Taria

Anne Rogers wrote:

Reply to
Taria

Anne, I've been hanging out over on a yahoo group, 'wefixit', and they suggested that it is the difference in the height of the sandwich when one goes over a seam. Have you tried a longer stitch? It takes more thread in the thick spot. Bonnie, in Middletown, VA

Reply to
Bonnie Patterson

When I had a problem even though using a quilting needle, someone suggested a topstitch or metallic needle. I used the metallic one and it worked. I was using Rayon thread.

Sally at the Seaside ~~~~~~~~~~ (uk)

Anne Rogers wrote:

Reply to
Sally Swindells

I even tried different threads. I have tried going slowly, but the extent you have to slow down is extreme, the speed that makes it work is difficult to free motion quilt, when you seem to have to go at a medium speed to get the flow going nicely. This is supposed to be a good machine, it's specifically designed for quilters, my bottom of the range Janome could deal with this, though the size of it's harp and angle meant that my right wrist would be agony very fast, but it was still possible!

I want to call the store, but annoyingly my groceries which were due to be delivered by 9 haven't arrived, so I don't want to start phoning, which would probably guarantee the groceries would arrive at just that moment!

Anne

Reply to
Anne Rogers

lowered the tension, no luck, changed the foot pressure too, it has two settings, height and pressure, I thought initially I must have had it set too high as it didn't look as if it was pressing on the sandwich, but making it lower didn't help.

She suggest a denim needle, which is one thing I haven't tried.

According to that I'm doing all the right things :-(.

It's a Brother QC1000, I'm going to call the shop once I sort out the grocery issue!

Anne

Reply to
Anne Rogers

It's free motion, so a longer stitch would mean either moving the fabric faster, or sewing faster, not a changing a stitch length setting. Looking at where the punched holes are from the skipped stitches, any longer would be too long they are about 10 to an inch. I used my walking foot to do some in the ditch quilting on the same quilt before moving on to free motion, which was great, nice straight lines, no wobbles or missed stitches when crossing seams.

Cheers Anne

Reply to
Anne Rogers

I'm using bog standard 50wt cotton, not the 40wt sometimes used for quilting, which should mean less needle issues. I just remembered another quilt I finished off on this machine, all the bits of quilting that went over seams was done, I was using polyester thread and the design did have lots of corners and different directions and it worked out fine.

Cheers Anne

Reply to
Anne Rogers

I have nothing to offer except an "I'm so sorry" hug!! :(

I hope it gets resolved ASAP so you can get back to quilting and enjoying your new baby!!!

Hugs!!

-- Connie :)

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Reply to
SewVeryCreative

something has occurred to me because of a similar recent experience with my new baby lock - my manual stresses that the bobbin thread and the top thread need to be similar in weight. I had been using a very light bobbin thread with a heavy quilting thread on top, and when I switched to the heaviest black I could find in the bobbin, the stitches improved a lot, though I can't say it never skips.

Musicmaker

Reply to
Musicmaker

Was using the same in both! I almost always do, it has the advantage that if there is a slight tension problem it's not noticeable.

Took it into the shop, tried both a denim and a topstitch needle, the frustrating thing is, neither the shop assistant or I can get the problem to replicate on a sample, she didn't try on the quilt itself, but I showed her what happens and it's pretty clear that whilst I'm not perfect, it's not me suddenly doing something random that causes it to skip. Oddly enough it started skipping more randomly and not just at the seams.

It's going to the workshop, I hope they can figure it out, the best theory is it's some kind of timing or fine adjustment that's a little off, that's good enough to cope with when you have a small sample, but when you've got a big quilt the slight extra stresses are enough to make it not work.

Cheers Anne

Reply to
Anne Rogers

Thanks, I'm feeling a bit anxious about this, I have this horrible feeling that they'll find nothing wrong and I need to find the right needle/thread/fabric combo. I understand that you need to make good choices, but if it's soooo sensitive it makes life very difficult, particularly when I know that my bottom of the range Janome can cope with this, it's just my wrists and shoulders that can't!

Cheers Anne

Reply to
Anne Rogers

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