What to do when the bobbin runs out in the middle of a seam?

Find an old Eldredge two-spool machine. Instead of a bobbin, it takes a spool of thread.

One of the newer Singers uses what they call an "endless" bobbin, somehow. I've been trying to get someone from Singer to talk to me about their new machines, but no luck so far.

It is frustrating to run out in mid-seam, isn't it? We've all gone through that, though. Usually, I pay attention to the bobbin, and when I see that it's low I rewind a new one, then use the little bit left on the old one for handsewing.

Karen Maslowski in Cincinnati

J> Who's the idiot that invented the bobbin anyway? Seriously, the darn thing

Karen, I'm pretty sure the Singer XL5000/6000 sewing/embroidery machines use the endless bobbin during embroidery *only*. I have the

5000, and I love the automatic bobbin rewind for the big embroidery jobs. I haven't used the 5000 machine for regular sewing at all, I have the 401As for that. ;-)

The bobbin used for the "endless bobbin" takes far less thread then a regular bobbin, but it saves having to removed the hoop to rewind a bobbin, so it's great for that. And you do have to keep and eye on the big spool of bobbin thread, because it's not actually "endless"... ;-)

HTH,

Beverly

Oh yeah! The endless bobbin is on the XL6000, but seems like everyone uses it for embroidery rather than sewing. Most people say they use that lingerie bobbin thread, because it works better. The endless bobbin itself doesn't hold a great deal of thread, not like a NEB bobbin.

No one really answered your question, so I'll throw in what I do when I run out of bobbin thread in the middle of a seam. I snip the threads short, rewind the bobbin, and then begin again right where the previous seam line ended, making sure to overlap the seams by several stitches, just as you would at the beginning or ending of a seam with the back stitch to secure the stitching. I can usually get it to not look like I have overlapped the threads. However, if overlapping does become unsightly, it is usually wiser to pick it out and start over again!

Good luck! But watch that bobbin and change it before you run out! Some people with wind a whole spool of thread onto bobbins so they don't waste time while sewing, others will just wind a few at a time. I don't have much space, so I do wind mine one at a time.

HTH! Dannielle

I'll just put a corollary onto that: If you wind a bunch of bobbins, use one of them at the top thread spool, paired with the bottom in size and you'll have a constant visual indication up top of when you will be running out in both places. JPBill

Well, harumph! I'm truly disappointed to know that it isn't really endless. How can they tease a girl that way?

I thought maybe one of the most annoying parts of home sewing had finally been made more palatable. Durn. Although I am pretty sure Sue Hausmann told me there was a Viking that used a spool of thread for the bobbin, but that was a few years ago.

When I worked on industrial machines we used to load up a new bobbin on the bobbin winder when we changed them. The bobbin winder worked off the belt of the machine so that as you sewed the bobbin would wind. As soon as the old one ran out you had the new one ready to go. It was pretty nifty.

Karen Maslowski in Cincinnati

BEI Design wrote:

i hate when that happens, especially when it's topstitching.

And I will further add that this is only necessary to do when topstitching, or doing some other stitching that will be visible. If you're just sewing a regular seam, it's unnecessary to bother with making it look "perfect".

Karen Maslowski in Cincinnati

Dannielle wrote:

Jon,

Get the cussing out of the way first. ;) (I go with my Dad's rule on that one. When something goes wrong, you get one really good cuss word...then you have to start fixing the problem. lol) This is an easy fix. Frustrating, but easy.

1. Cut the thread from the needle where the bobbin ran out.

1. Remove your work from the sewing machine.

2. Wind a new bobbin. (this is a good time for more cussing if you're still really frustrated.)

1. Put the bobbin back in the machine.

2. Pick up your work, and align it so that you will be stitching over the top of the last few stitches (from before the bobbin ran out.)

1. Finish sewing your seam. Viola!

No need to backstitch or zero stitch. Stitching over the top of the last few stitches will hold everything together just fine.

Sharon

Thanks Danielle, and thanks as well to the other excellent suggestions. I'm glad to know you have had success with just starting a new seam and backstitching over the one that ended prematurely. The stuff I'm making is outdoor gear, which let's me not have to worry so much about appearance (mainly interested in functionality and strength).

Thanks again,

Jon

Thanks Sharon. You know, the thing that irks me so much about things like this isn't so much that it happens, but it's that it's such a glaring problem which has been an issue for, what, as long as there have been sewing machines?

You'd think this would have been solved like centuries ago! :-)

Jon

;-)

Beverly

Use prewound bobbins.....they hold 175 metres and last much longer!!

Br> "Shar>

UNLESS: The item/garment in question is going to be submitted to a jury of PACC judges, or the State Fair. I haven't actually applied for PACC, but if ever I do, you can be sure all seams will look/be "perfect". ;-)

Beverly

"Centuries" (at least more than 2 1/2 centuries) ago, they were still using needles and thread:

problem is, the needle thread must pass *around* the "bobbin" thread, here's a link to show how that happens: making the bobbin a great deal larger would probably create its own set of problems. But, IANAE (I am not an engineer).HTH,

Beverly

Here's a picture of the bobbin case on the Eldredge Two-spool sewing machine --

I always wind several (up to six, depending on the project) before I start. If it runs out mid seam I just stop, change the bobbin, and go back and stitch over the last inch or so of stitching. Never comes undone, doesn't show from the outside, adds no bulk to the seam.

Yes, some of the old treadles are double reel machines, and industrial machines sometimes use two 5,000m-10,000m cones. :)

They don't fit all machines, and they don't come in a big range of colours. Nor do they come in a choice of different weights of silk, cotton, and poly, or in polycore... :(