thread breaking/shredding

Is there some secret to avoiding breaking thread? I've been working on several quilts lately and I'm kind of tired of it. it doesn't seem to matter what quilt it is or what thread, the breakage just seems to go along with it. Is this normal?

Last night I was working on a quilt with cotton thread on the top and polyester bobbin thread. First I changed the bobbin thread to cotton and that heped but the top thread kept breaking so I switched to rayon on top. That helped for a while then the top thread started breaking again. I've changed the needle and adjusted the top tension. Anything ese I should do? Maybe adjust stitch length? Not sure how that would help but I'm willing to try.

Thanks, Tamra

Reply to
denisblair
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Tamra, Are you free-motion quilting? you might want to slow down a bit and check the needle size, too.

amy in CNY

Reply to
amy in CNY

I was going berserk with shredding and breaking thread when buttonhole stitching. I kept using a bigger and bigger needle until I ended up using an 18! I was using very heavy thread, so I guess that's not too strange. But I found even with that huge needle if I went too fast it would happen again.

Try different types of needles, too, as well as different sizes. There's so many- jeans, topstitching, quilting, microtex, metallica, etc. There's also different brand names of needles- I've read that Singer needles are a tad different length than Schmetz and switching from one to the other can make your machine unhappy. Also, you could have a tiny bit of metal that's rough or worn and it is causing the breakage. Sometimes you have to keep experimenting until you find the needle/thread/tension combination that's 'The Sweet Spot". Good luck!

Leslie & The Furbabies in MO.

Tamra, Are you free-motion quilting? you might want to slow down a bit and check the needle size, too.

amy in CNY

Reply to
Leslie & The Furbabies in MO.

Are you piecing or quilting? If quilting, free motion or using the walking foot?

Rayon thread is much more prone to breaking than cotton. You'll have the easiest time if you use the same cotton in both the bobbin and top.

My checklist for thread breaking is:

  • First break: Ignore it. "Stuff" happens.
  • Second break: Change the needle, no matter how new or worn. Little burrs can happen easily, even right out of the package.
  • Third break: Clean and oil the machine thoroughly, especially in the bobbin area. A small gob of lint in just the right (or wrong!) place can make that thread break like the dickens.
  • Fourth break: Spray the top thread with silicone lubricant. Some times a thread that's been working just fine will get a few hundred yards of a bad patch and start breaking for no apparent reason. If I don't want to use silicone, I'll wind a bobbin with that cone/spool to get it past the bad patch.
  • Fifth break: Check the thread path for burrs, especially around the take up lever, hook, and check spring. An old pair of nylons (like I ever wear THOSE!) is great for finding microscopic rough spots. 600 grit sandpaper will take them out lickity-split.
  • Sixth break: Stop for the day. Sometimes it's just not my day to be quilting. If none of the above solved the breaking, the only thing left is the operator, who is obviously too tired / stressed / whatever to move the fabric / machine smoothly enough to quilt without thread breaking.

For people who aren't too experienced at free motion quilting, I'd add a step 1.5, which is try changing the speed they're quilting at. Often, they're nervous and aren't quilting FAST enough. Speeding up can actually help. Also try slowing down -- sometimes the thread is just being obnoxious, and won't sew all that fast.

HTH!

Reply to
Kathy Applebaum

I wasa doing straightline quilting using a buiilt-in decorative stitch (the machine did al the work). Aside from "universal" I have no idea what kind of needle I was using. I've never understood the numbers on needle packages and I doubt it's rocket-science. I'vee just never had anyone explain the differences to me.

Tamra

Reply to
denisblair

Kathy, when you can, get a little bottle of Prym-Dritz's Sewer's Aid. I don't know what 'less than a drop is' but you can put a bare smidge on your needle, the thread in the bobbin and the spool up on top. Going even further, you can put a tiny bit of a bead on the thread leading into the needle take-up area and gentle slip it through. You mentioned spraying silicone. Sewer's Aid is effective without being quite so risky. Don't want you and your sweet Cubbe breaking your necks sliding down in stray spray. You're probably young enough that you would recover from a bad fall but some of us have to be Very careful. Polly

"Kathy Applebaum" * Fourth break: Spray the top thread with silicone lubricant. Some times a

Reply to
Polly Esther

Oops, sorry. Cubbe is not your QI. Obviously it's hard for me to keep up with who is "The Staff" for which loved pet. Polly

Reply to
Polly Esther

Howdy!

In which step do you start cussin'?

R/Sandy -- not a machine quilter but enjoyed Kathy's post ;-P

Reply to
Sandy Ellison

For quilting, you really need a very sharp needle of some sort - I would suggest that a universal is simply not sharp enough (it has a slightly rounded tip - visible through a microscope). You might try a 'sharp', 'microtex', 'jeans' . These all come in different sizes, 14 for quilting might be a good place to start. Schmetz is a very good make, unless you are using a Singer machine, when you should be using Singer needles, as they are a shade different in length. . In message , " snipped-for-privacy@aol.com" writes

Reply to
Patti

Have you tried a microtex needle? (Purple band IIRC) Sometimes those do the trick. Roberta in D

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Reply to
Roberta Zollner

Make sure the top tension is not to tight....been there.

Donna

Reply to
Donna

LOL! I assumed you were giving my DH a nickname -- we're both Chicago Cubs fans. :)

Reply to
Kathy Applebaum

I have Sewer's Aid, and haven't had much luck with it. :(

FWIW, I make sure no spray gets on the floor. That's so automatic with me (and also when I spray PAM in the kitchen), that I didn't think to mention it -- always a good safety tip!

Reply to
Kathy Applebaum

That depends on if I have a deadline or not. Sometimes I start BEFORE the first break. ;-P

Reply to
Kathy Applebaum

Tamara,

It isn't rocket science, certainly...but in order to obtain more professional results and have less problems, knowing more about needles brings you closer to achieving that. The 'wrong' needle can cause your thread to catch in the fabric and break. Maybe this link will help....

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Also, make sure your thread isn't getting 'caught' anywhere, such as winding around the spool...check the entire thread path to make sure it's 'all clear.'

-Irene

Reply to
IMS

Tamra, you've had some very good advice here, so I won't add much to it except to say that using a *sharp* needle (jeans, microtex, sharp are the labels that come to mind for Schmetz needles) of the correct size is essential when sewing on quilting cottons. It sounds to me as though you're breaking thread because your needle may be too small.

For needles, the larger the number, the larger the needle. For example, a size 80/12 is smaller than a 90/14. Don't let the double numbers bother you; they're simply two different ways of saying the same thing. If you've been using a size 80/12, for example, try switching to a 90/14 or even to a 100/16. A lot depends on what size thread you're using (and to confuse matters, thread sizes are the *opposite* of needle sizes, in that the larger the number, the smaller the thread size!).

Good luck!

Reply to
Sandy

A friend and I were cleaning up her machine and her thread was breaking. The problem was the needle and as soon as we changed it, the thread stopped breaking. Barbara in FL

Reply to
Bobbie Sews Moore

Thanks! What a good idea. Roberta in D

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Reply to
Roberta Zollner

Are there any burrs on your stitch plate. When I occasionally hit a pin (yes, I know, take them out first... ) sometimes it can leave a rough bit on the stitch plate that can then damage the thread. It is easily sorted out with some emery paper though.

Lizzy

Reply to
Lizzy Taylor

Here are a couple of links from Bob at Superior Threads. The first one gives hints about what thread might be best for which project: .

The second one talks about which needle to use, what size needle, etc.: .

I thought it was pretty good timing on Bob's part to put these out just as this discussion was going on here!

Reply to
Sandy

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