Yikes! Help with SM

There are 2 things that cause that on my machine.

1. The thread came off the bobbing thing (goes up and down when you sew pulling the thread off the bobbin
2. a piece of thread caught up in the cutter inside the machine

Before you panic rethread your machine and see what happens.

Oh, did you put in a new needle? I sometimes get the needle in turned around. I can never remember if the flat side goes toward me or away from me. That sometimes mess up the stitches.

If the top thread is looping on the back that means that the top tension is off... is the thread securely within the tension assembly? If it is just at the beginning of the seam, you need to remember to hold the top and bobbin thread ends for the first couple-three stitches, otherwise the take up lever doesn't take up the thread, just pulls more off the spool. Also, pressure foot down??

Pati, > I just sat down and started sewing, and the back side of my seam is a

Thanks, all of you! The culprit turned out to be the thread I am (was) using. It is actually rather stretchy, and wound unevenly on the bobbin--in some places so tightly that the bobbin thread would not unwind. The upper thread, being the same thing, just doesn't behave properly.

Naturally, another cleaning didn't help. But it did make the machine run like new.

Back to my faithful Aurofil!

And what a shame, this variegated blue would have been perfect for the quilt in progress. Moral of the story, don't buy an unknown thread on sale for a specific project.

Thank you, Carolyn, for reporting back in. I was watching to see if the solutions offered would take care of your problem or if we were going to have to get the manuals out and get Really serious. It may be that you can use the blue thread - if - you very slowly and carefully wind a bobbin. If the upper spool is not unwinding properly, it may be that you can pull off a few yards until you come to an evenly wound place. Now and then we come across an Aurifil spool that's kind of goofy and have to do some creative repair. Not often. Polly

Hi Carolyn,

Are you holding both ends of the thread (top and bobbin) as you start stitching? That can help eliminate the thread nests. Or, maybe your tension is goofed up. What does your machine manual say?

Let us know if you get stitiching again!

Lenore

On Tue, 22 Jul 2008 15:16:20 -0500, Carolyn McCarty wrote (in article ):

For me its usually a couple of things. Sometimes, if I forget to hang on to those threads when I start sewing a couple of tiny pieces. Sometimes I don't have the tension set correctly. And sometimes its just because the bobbin case needs to be cleaned out.

Maureen

The thread is Maxi-Lock Swirls; I bought a cone of it at TSWLTH, not realizing it was meant for sergers. I thought it would work anyway, and the color was perfect. Ah, well.........as they say, it was a learning experience.

I did notice when I unwound the bobbin that the bobbin (it is one that came with my 301, and I hadn't used that particular bobbin before) is slightly distorted. The edges sort of curve inwards ever so slightly. That may have had something to do with it, too. I tossed the bobbin, just to be on the safe side. I'll try the thread again on a scrap with a different bobbin just to see.

Amazing how many variables are involved with the simple act of sewing! Thread and needle and relative to the fabric, the cleanliness of the sewing machine, the condition of the bobbin, the phase of the moon........

Don't forget the exact position of the tongue, as you concentrate! . In message , Carolyn McCarty writes

Bad girl, Roberta. Sit. Stay. You know better than that. I'm expecting you to set a better example. Tsk! Polly

"Roberta" . . . Started FM quilting without

Ouch! I do hate frog stitching--no doubt because I have to do so much of it.

I wonder why serger thread is so different. Can I use it for regular clothing zig-zag stitching? Or do I have to give it away?

I have used serger thread, MaxiLock included, for years. I don't usually have a problem with it. (Yes my first machine quilts were done with serger thread. They are fine. ) Not sure why you had such a bad time of it, Carolyn. You do need to wind your bobbins a bit more slowly, but I can't think of anything that should cause the problems you were having. Remember that this is a spun polyester thread and use accordingly.

Pati, > Ouch! I do hate frog stitching--no doubt because I have to do so much of > it.

Polly: Are you sending the Quilt Police to Arrest Ms. Roberta? Can I go with them? PAT, angling for a trip to see Deutschland, and Roberta too!

Grand idea. I think we should personally go warn Roberta about the violation and arrest if she doesn't shape up immediately. What's the weather like there this time of year? Polly

"Pat in Virginia" Polly: Are you sending the Quilt Police to Arrest Ms. Roberta? Can I go with

The stich is formed after then needle gets all the way to the bottom of its stroke.

As the needle begins to come back up, the hook on the bottom shuttle moves into the flat or concave portion of the needle to catch the thread. The friction of the thread against the fabric causes a small loop to form, and it's this loop that is caught by the hook. The loop of thread is pulled all the way around the shuttle, capturing the bobbin thread. The needle must be inserted right, and the hook and needle timed correctly, and the loop formed well, or you have a bad stich.

Check the two plates of your upper tensioner. If they are gummy, they will catch the thread and hold it up just slightly. If there's a piece of lint caught in between, they won't close properly and keep a good tension on the thread.

Also check the presser foot tension. The material may be moving up and down with the needle (called "flagging", if I remember right). If so, then there's no friction to make a loop.

A pile of thread on the bottom usually means the loop of the upper thread is being pulled too far out and is not being taken up when the needle goes back up. Generally, the upper tension is too loose, your thread is not properly threaded, or your tensin plates are held open by lint.

You should also check the shuttle on bottom. Because the thread loop gets pulled all the way around the shuttle, if there's lint collecting in the oil, it can grab the thread and prevent the loop from being pulled back up and tightened.

Rough spots on the needle point or the shuttle can also grab the thread and hold it. Even just the barest fraction of a second can mean an extra inch of thread in every loop!

Ed