Welcome to the Quilting Board!

Already a member? Login above
loginabove
OR
To post questions, help other quilters and reduce advertising (like the one on your left), join our quilting community. It's free!

Page 2 of 3 FirstFirst 1 2 3 LastLast
Results 11 to 20 of 25

Thread: Long Arm Rookies Need Emergency Help...Stat!!! Please....

Hybrid View

  1. 02-03-2015, 05:11 PM #1
    Prism99
    Prism99 is offline
    Power Poster Prism99's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2008
    Location
    Western Wisconsin
    Posts
    11,290
    Blog Entries
    1
    Take thread and bobbin case out. Clean bobbin area as well as you possibly can. If possible, use a magnifying glass to look for a tiny snippet of thread that may have become caught in the bobbin area. Take the bobbin out of the bobbin case and check the bobbin case for any tiny bit of thread or lint, especially where the spring is located in the bobbin case. Make sure the bobbin is tightly and evenly wound.

    Clean between the upper tension discs by loosening the tension (make note of where it is before you change it), then using *unwaxed* dental floss to floss between the discs. If there is any tiny piece of thread or lint in there, this should remove it. Change upper tension back to where it was.

    Replace needle, making sure it is *all the way up* in the shaft and positioned correctly.

    Run your finger around the throat plate hole to check for burrs. The breaking needles may have nicked the hole just enough to cause thread to shred.

    When re-threading, be sure presser foot is in up position and make sure that the upper thread gets positioned correctly between the tension discs.

    After threading, run the machine very slowly and watch carefully (using protective eyewear!!!) to see what is happening as you move the machine. You can rig up a test sandwich strip to the side of the quilt to give you some space to test out the quilting; just pin a sandwich strip between rollers.

    Honestly, what it sounds like to me is that the first break resulted in a tiny piece of thread getting caught somewhere in the mechanism -- most likely the bobbin area. These tiny pieces of thread can be *really* difficult to spot, but they are the demons that change the tension on you unexpectedly -- which is probably why you had to drastically reduce the top tension after the first needle break. When you do spot one, it can be difficult to remove even with tweezers. Soaking the thread in a drop of sewing machine oil can help soften it up enough to remove it strand-by-strand.

    Edit: Also look for a tiny needle tip imbedded somewhere in the bobbin area.
    Last edited by Prism99; 02-03-2015 at 05:13 PM.
    Reply With Quote Reply With Quote
  2. 02-03-2015, 05:15 PM #2
    JustAbitCrazy
    JustAbitCrazy is offline
    Super Member
    Join Date
    Jan 2012
    Posts
    1,844
    What size needle are you using? You may need to go up a size, say from a 16 to an 18. Also, make sure your quilt sandwich is smooth but not tight on the frame. You should be able to grab the end of a finger with your other hand though the quilt top when you push it up from underneath the quilt sandwich. Also, make sure you are not trying to move too fast for the speed of the machine.
    Reply With Quote Reply With Quote
  3. 02-03-2015, 06:13 PM #3
    krafty14
    krafty14 is offline
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Apr 2010
    Location
    Sunny Arizona
    Posts
    417
    Other consideration. I am a relatively new longarmer, but I go to a quilt store that does a lot of quilts. One problem he told me about with t-shirt quilts is the rubberized print on the shirts. Skipped stitches, thread breaking. I was wondering if the center was such a shirt? If so, try quilting around the print. Good luck. It is a nice tribute. Ann
    Reply With Quote Reply With Quote
  4. 02-03-2015, 07:49 PM #4
    Prism99
    Prism99 is offline
    Power Poster Prism99's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2008
    Location
    Western Wisconsin
    Posts
    11,290
    Blog Entries
    1
    Glad you were able to finish!
    Reply With Quote Reply With Quote
  5. 02-03-2015, 07:59 PM #5
    Dina
    Dina is offline
    Super Member Dina's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2010
    Location
    Texas
    Posts
    4,583
    I am also glad you were able to get it finished. Whew!

    Dina
    Reply With Quote Reply With Quote
  6. 02-03-2015, 09:17 PM #6
    #1piecemaker
    #1piecemaker is offline
    Super Member #1piecemaker's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
    Location
    Ashdown, AR
    Posts
    9,637
    Blog Entries
    1
    Make sure you have the right needle for your machine and that it is in correctly. If all else fails, call the Baily hotline. They have people that can help you.
    Be the best that you can be at everything you do.
    Find me on Facebook Be my friend Join my group
    Leesa Kemp's Material Things Fabric Sales and Auctions
    Reply With Quote Reply With Quote
  7. 02-04-2015, 05:14 AM #7
    Dollyo
    Dollyo is offline
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Nov 2011
    Location
    Durand, MI
    Posts
    719
    I also have a Bailey. I love it. As to tension, watch Jamie Wallen's YouTube video "Taking the Stress out of Longarm Tension" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q1mRhcquZTM. My tension is set at 2. Make sure that your foot is up when you thread, down when you stitch. I belong to the Baileyquiltingmachines group on yahoo.com. You will find a lot of knowledgeable people there.
    "Proud Parent of an American Airman"
    Reply With Quote Reply With Quote
  8. 02-04-2015, 06:09 AM #8
    ManiacQuilter2
    ManiacQuilter2 is online now
    Power Poster ManiacQuilter2's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2011
    Location
    Southern California
    Posts
    17,177
    Just be sure to have gotten every piece of the broken needle out. What a lovely tribute quilt. The family will enjoy it for years to come.
    A Good Friend, like an old quilt, is both a Treasure and a Comfort
    Reply With Quote Reply With Quote
  9. 02-05-2015, 04:57 AM #9
    twinkie
    twinkie is offline
    Power Poster twinkie's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2010
    Location
    Alabama
    Posts
    12,346
    What a beautiful tribute. So sorry for the reason.
    Reply With Quote Reply With Quote
  10. 02-05-2015, 04:57 AM #10
    quilttiger
    quilttiger is offline
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Mar 2012
    Location
    Thornton, Colorado
    Posts
    869
    I also own a 17 inch Bailey. Two main reasons thread has broken for me are:

    1) The size of the needle was too small for the project. I find size 16 topstitch works well for me. I use size 18 for flannel and heavy quilts. Topstitch needles are the best, smile.

    2) An occasional burr on the bobbin hook underneath the plate. I use this little stone (maybe you can find this in a knife shop that sells all kinds of knives) which I had bought in a serging class several years ago. I gently use the stone to smooth the burr off.

    Since Bailey does just 700 stitches per minute, I find it works to have the tension a bit tight both on top and the bobbin. Before I got Bailey, I had a Juki machine that did 1500 stitches per minute and tension on the loose side worked very well. Just a matter of experimenting to see what works best.

    Now that I am practically past the learning curve, I really like my Bailey and the Grace Majestic frame.
    Reply With Quote Reply With Quote
Page 2 of 3 FirstFirst 1 2 3 LastLast
« Previous Thread | Next Thread »

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  

Forum Rules


SEO by vBSEO ©2011, Crawlability, Inc.