Help! Thread breaking at back of feet

Could be a sharp place on the needle........put in a new one and see what happens..........

Thanks for replying! I replaced the needle but that doesn't make any difference. It looks as though the thread breaks after the point where it comes in contact with the needle. Do you have any other suggestions?

------------------------ "Old quilters never die, they just go to pieces."

I am not the most knowledgeable person on this group, I just read it a lot - but I was having a similar problem, so I found this article and it was my bobbin tension. Since it hadn't been adjusted in years, I guess it had finally gotten out of whack. My thread wasn't feeding through the bobbin properly and would continually look like it was catching and break. I changed needles, etc, no luck. So I found this article (link below), and after trying the bobbin test on page 7 & 8, I found that the tension was off. I also opened a new spool of thread, because I was also able to determine my thread was 'old'. My problem is gone, and my thread doesn't break anymore and my stitch is again well-balanced.

-brenda

You say you are holding the threads. Don't want to sound patronising, but are you continuing to hold them after starting sewing? This would cause them to break. Also, you should be holding them at the back of the work, not to the front.

Margaret

did you try more than one spool of thread? Not at all unlikely to be bad thread.

A number of people have suggested that I check the bobbin. I am assuming that this refers to the bobbin which, on my machine, is below the needle. The thread coming from the bobbin is fine. The thread that keeps breaking is the one coming from the spool on top of the machine. Would incorrect bobbin tension (on the thread coming from the bobbin below the needle) cause problems with the top thread (and not with the bobbin thread)? I am new to this, so I apologize if my terminology is incorrect or if I am really "out to lunch" in understanding how this works.

Thanks, Molly

Possibly a rough patch down in the bibbin area: have you cleaned that all out and made sure there are no nicks, scratches, or rust spots on which things could be catching? Also, make sure that the bobbin is inserted in the bobbin case the right way round, and that the bobbin is seated properly: if you have a removable bobbin case, make sure it is properly in its hole, or the latch could be catching your thread.

Helena murmured while asleep:

that doesn't make any sense. The threads are locked into the fabric after the first 2 stitches, and whenther you cnotinue to hold the ends as you keep sewing shouldn't matter at all.

My advice would be to check for proper threading: making sure that the threads aren't somehow wrapped around the presser foot as you start, or for a snap somewhere.

Penny S

No one mentioned this, but a common reason for thread snapping this way is that it has caught in the notch on the thread spool. Look at the top of the spool: is there a diagonal slit? It's meant to hold the thread in place when the thread is stored, and if it is placed with that notch in the path of the thread.

To avoid this happening again, just make sure the notch is placed on top if your spool pin is vertical, and to the right if the spool pin is horizontal.

Hope this helps.

Karen Maslowski in Cincinnati

Wellllllllllllll---------could the bobbin tension be too tight??

Does the top thread break so that you have to rethread the needle as well? If so, your tension might be too tight... loosen the tension on your machine (usually a dial right above the needle area). Sometimes my thread is not threaded properly or it is snagged on the tension discs. I have to loosen the tension and rethread before continuing.

Could the bottom plate have a nick or rough spots? My Singer had that problem from day 1, even after it was sent out for repair. I actually had to remove the plate and file it smooth periodically. Sharon

Thanks to all of you who replied to my question! I tried a number of things including changing needles multiple times, adjusting both top and bobbin tension, re-threading multiple times, and following the thread to look for rough spots. I think the thread was breaking on a rough spot on the needleplate. In addition, the machine I purchased had the worst product manual I have ever seen (although it did give clear instructions for threading the machine and changing the needle). It did not; however, have any information on contacting the company by phone or email/web site. I decided that it was not worth the hassle to try to find the exact spot and sand it, so I returned the machine to the store. Problem solved!

Again, thanks for your help.

Molly