SM quilting in drag

My machine repairman always put extra felt circles on my spool pins after I brought it in for a tune up. Over time, I've probably lost a few...or maybe they are still there and I just don't notice them anymore. I'll check tomorrow.

My older SMs came with felt discs but the newest one didn't. Maybe they were saving 2¢. Maybe they didn't know they had a purpose. I didn't. Polly

"KJ" My machine repairman always put extra felt circles on my spool pins after I

Interesting - I've never had them on at least the last three machines? Now you've mentioned it, I remember that there was one on the Featherweight, but it never dawned on me to wonder why the modern ones didn't have the little felts. Actually, I've never thought of it at all! Sometimes I've heard the spools 'clattering', but it still never dawned on me ... ... . In message , KJ writes

Question - are the felt bits stuck to the thread spools or do they spin freely but with a little resistance for the thread?

I have seen them but never knew what they were for.

That should read stuck on the machine beneath thread spools.

Neither, Di. I think the felt disc just sits on the machine. The theory is that it prevents the thread spool(s) from spinning wildly and producing an occasional high loop. I very seldom venture in to special threads but know there are some here who do. Polly

They are loose. They spin with the thread.

oooo...i have a couple of those, they work on my White because it's a vertical but my Singer is horizontal and they dont stay on.

amy in CNY

So THAT's why I have a little felt disc that came with my machine!! I was wondering why one needed a felt pad for the spools but never bothered to try it. Gotta remember this tip for when I have problems :)

Thanks!! Allison

Polly Esther wrote:

I'm so glad I'm not alone! I'd forgotten what these were for, but believe me, I'll use them next time. I use a lot of specialty threads. Thanks. Gen

I remember them all the time on my Mom's machines, and with our new machines, Vikings, we have the thread net that we put over the spool of thread since it is horizontal, instead of the felt thingy. My old singer still has the felt thingy. Heaven forbid if I forgot to put on the net. The thread flies through way too fast.

Steven Alaska

I have some of the net thingy stuff, too. But I've not used it yet- it's a long piece of netting for that purpose. How long should it be cut? Should it go over the top and bottom of the spool or just the area where the thread is wound onto the spool? This might be the time to start using it- once I learn *how* to use it!

Leslie & The Furbabies in MO.

Yeaaaaaaaa! Steve and Leslie have showed up. I do wish y'all would just touch base with us more often to let us know you're still breathing. Polly

"Leslie& The Furbabies in MO." I have some of the net thingy stuff, too. But I've not used it yet- it's a

Thank you, Polly dear. I'm still busy with my house and yard and unpacking and organizing. I'm taking it slow and easy to not throw my arthritis into a painful frenzy. The dogs are loving it here- they have an electronic doggy door and think they are pretty darn clever to operate a door all by themselves!

Still need to know how to cut the thread net. Like I could even guess where to find the net!

Leslie & The Furbabies in hot, hot, humid MO.

Howdy!

This is when Kathyl discovers that the spool of thread is actually

R/Sandy -always leave the felt pad on there because that's what the home-ec teacher said & I'm still scared of her, 35 yrs. later 8->

Yes, I am still alive and kicking. More on that later.

Leslie, it's long, but I found that if I cut it, it didn't work really well. Hard to explain, but it was too flat or something on the spool when I cut it in half. I just double it over and put the raw edge to the bottom of the spool, farthest from where the thread goes to the needle, the bulbous part of the fold of the net at the end where the thread heads to the needle.

Thanks Polly for the shout out. Been a bit under the weather. Man health issues have reared their ugly head again, same part, but this time in the bacterial mode instead of the "parts wearing out getting older" mode, so I have attached equipment since last Friday/Saturday's trip to the ER. Maybe taken out/off on Friday, hopefully will be well on the mend by then. Uncomfortable to walk about or sit in a chair at the computer. Very frustrated since we are trying to do some house maintenance, remodling, and I am scheduled to travel to the mid-west next week and then to Anaheim, right next to Disney, for my business club.

Too much to do, too little time, and I'm frustrated in being restricted in my activity.

Steven Alaska

"Leslie& The Furbabies in MO." I have some of the net thingy stuff, too. But I've not used it yet- it's a

Hope that you will soon be feeling better. It is so frustrating to not feel well and be restricted in what you can do. . I have had a temp for a few days, and I take an AM and PM nap. SC has had thunderstorms with hail, and a neighbor's tree fell on our dividing fence. We are still picking up tree limbs all over the front and back yard. Barbara in SC

Good to see you here Leslie. Thread nets.... There are different kinds, and "sizes". Often some come with a serger, and those are designed to use on larger cones of thread. If you carefully look at the net it is a tube of plastic that has been "expanded" with vertical cuts. (sort of.... there is a metal grating that is the same type of thing, or you can see what it looks like by taking a piece of paper and making offset vertical slashes, so that slashes are like real skinny bricks and the paper is really, really thick lines of morter. When you pull purpendicular to the slashes the paper expands in one direction and contracts in the other direction. Thread nets are like that but molded plastic.) So you have a tube that you can cut into different lengths for different sizes spools/cones. But if your original tube is not smaller than your spool it won't do anything, there is no expansion happening to hold in.

Another option is to use a vinyl that will cling to itself, but not to the thread. Like window cling stuff. Cut a piece and wrap it close to but not tight against the thread, with the thread tail going "Up". The vinyl will keep the thread from pooling off the spool but not hold it back from feeding evenly.

And if you have a horizontal spool pin and need to do the "slow down" like the felt washer does on a vertical spool pin, try putting some fabric type first aid tape around your spool pin. Not much, just enough to add a bit of friction to the inside of the spool.

Have fun, Pati, > Thank you, Polly dear. =A0I'm still busy with my house and yard and unpac= king

Oh my goodness, Pati. Thank you. I had to print that reply and will post it on my sewing bulletin board until it 'sticks' in my head. Got to remember that one. Polly

"Pati, in Phx" Good to see you here Leslie. Thread nets.... There are different kinds, and "sizes". Often some come with a serger, and those are designed to use on larger cones of thread. If you carefully look at the net it is a tube of plastic that has been "expanded" with vertical cuts. (sort of.... there is a metal grating that is the same type of thing, or you can see what it looks like by taking a piece of paper and making offset vertical slashes, so that slashes are like real skinny bricks and the paper is really, really thick lines of morter. When you pull purpendicular to the slashes the paper expands in one direction and contracts in the other direction. Thread nets are like that but molded plastic.) So you have a tube that you can cut into different lengths for different sizes spools/cones. But if your original tube is not smaller than your spool it won't do anything, there is no expansion happening to hold in.

Another option is to use a vinyl that will cling to itself, but not to the thread. Like window cling stuff. Cut a piece and wrap it close to but not tight against the thread, with the thread tail going "Up". The vinyl will keep the thread from pooling off the spool but not hold it back from feeding evenly.

And if you have a horizontal spool pin and need to do the "slow down" like the felt washer does on a vertical spool pin, try putting some fabric type first aid tape around your spool pin. Not much, just enough to add a bit of friction to the inside of the spool.

Have fun, Pati, > Thank you, Polly dear. I'm still busy with my house and yard and unpacking