Driving me crazy!
#1
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Pikesville, MD
Posts: 720
Driving me crazy!
I had a problem with points not meeting on a quilt top, and someone on the board suggested couching yarn with a zigzag stitch over it to hide the problem. Great idea! It worked too! But all of a sudden my machine starts not zigzagging correctly. I get very loose threads, and even broken ones, which I really can't figure out because the thread continues to stay whole as it stitches. What's with that? How can it be?
I cleaned out all lint, I rethreaded, I tried changes in tension. I tested on a separate test sandwich and it works perfectly, until I sew it on the quilt sandwich, and then it messes up.
I've included 3 pictures. One, with blue yarn, where it's working correctly, and 2 with brown yarn where it messes up. The yarns, thread, etc. are all the same.
Any suggestions? Help!
I cleaned out all lint, I rethreaded, I tried changes in tension. I tested on a separate test sandwich and it works perfectly, until I sew it on the quilt sandwich, and then it messes up.
I've included 3 pictures. One, with blue yarn, where it's working correctly, and 2 with brown yarn where it messes up. The yarns, thread, etc. are all the same.
Any suggestions? Help!
#4
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Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Ontario, Canada
Posts: 41,538
Could the yarn be thick enough that when it zigs over the yarn the thread doesn't go far enough under for the bobbin hook to catch it. Maybe loosen the top tension so the thread has a little more slack to get over the yarn?
#7
If it does ok on the blue, but only has problems with the brown, I doubt it would be a machine problem. I notice in your photos that the problem seems to occur at the intersections of four fabrics. Also, the bobbin thread isn't catching. I'd try changing the needle. A sharper needle might be able to go through all those layers easier and catch the bobbin thread.
#8
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Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Pikesville, MD
Posts: 720
If it does ok on the blue, but only has problems with the brown, I doubt it would be a machine problem. I notice in your photos that the problem seems to occur at the intersections of four fabrics. Also, the bobbin thread isn't catching. I'd try changing the needle. A sharper needle might be able to go through all those layers easier and catch the bobbin thread.
#9
Are you sewing on different color fabric when you are having the problem? Are you doing your test swatch on the same fabric as your quilt? I had a similar problem and turned out to be the fabric. I was using 4 different batiks that were purchased at the same time from the same shop. I had no problems with three of them but the one blue I got skipped stitches. It was driving me crazy too. I cleaned the machine, changed needle, you name it I did it. I finally adjusted the tension until I got it stitching right and that did the trick. Different fabrics and even different color fabrics react differently.
#10
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Pikesville, MD
Posts: 720
Are you sewing on different color fabric when you are having the problem? Are you doing your test swatch on the same fabric as your quilt? I had a similar problem and turned out to be the fabric. I was using 4 different batiks that were purchased at the same time from the same shop. I had no problems with three of them but the one blue I got skipped stitches. It was driving me crazy too. I cleaned the machine, changed needle, you name it I did it. I finally adjusted the tension until I got it stitching right and that did the trick. Different fabrics and even different color fabrics react differently.
Thanks!
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