Please can someone explain how to pull the bobbin thread through to the front of the quilt before stitching to prevent a clump at the back. I can't seem to get the knack and end up pulling on the spool of thread. What am I doing wrong. I have seen the experts doing it on QNNtv but they do not show how it is done close up. If I can master this little technique it will give me the courage to attempt machine quilting. Perhaps there is a link demonstrating the method. :oops:

Hanging on to the upper thread, put the needle down through the quilt and back up again, then slightly tug on the upper thread and the bobbin thread should pop up thru the quilt, then you should be able to either slide a scissors under the foot and "grab" it or I use a crochet needle too.

Here are a couple sites that might help. On the first site, scroll down to number 5. The second site is a tutorial on machine quilting.


http://www.simplicityhomecare.com/ftp/whitepapers/Simplicity%20DecoMate%20S07%20Instruction%20Manual .pdf

http://www.geocities.com/jiterbug.geo/pg13freemotionquilting.html

Thank You, Thank You for posting this question. I was going to post it today myself but thought I would look through old posts first to see if I could find my answer. What a coincidence! I even had hubby on machine the other night trying to see if he could do it. I saw a video where they done it but she was so fast and not real self explainatory. I am starting to quilt my sampler by quilt as you go method but couldn't figure this out.
Thanks again for the answers too. I will have to go practice again.

Thank you so much CountryQuilter and Minda. Absolutely perfect and simple explanation and the websites are an added bonus. It is one of those little tricks that they always seem to leave out of the text books, or I can never find them. Newquiltertoni and I are very happy now. :lol:

Don't feel bad. It took me the longest time to catch on to something so simple too. Until I caught on, I was always guilty of building nests on the back side of my quilts!

I guess the next logical step is to draw it through at the finish and leave a long enough tail to thread onto a needle and hide the knot in the quilt, as with hand quilting.Umm, except I now have two threads! :?

This is actually quite easy. Okay, first off, make sure you have a fairly long bobbin tail. Now using the hand wheel (not with the foot pedal) take one stitch into the quilt. Having the needle up grasp both the tail of the top thread AND the part that is coming out through the needle, making a U with the threads. Gently pull up. The bobbin thread will pop through the top. Secure these ends by wrapping around a pin or hold both ends and sew two or three stitches very close together. You may now cut your thread ends and begin quilting. Once you do this once you'll have NO problems doing it again. Hope this helped! Any questions about the above...just ask.
bev. :]

That's how I do mine, too...then, I pull out about 5 inches of both and hold on while I make the first few stitches with the machine.

Thank you quiltease. It all makes sense once you know how. I am now feeling much more confident about having a go at machine quilting. I will practise on small projects to begin with. I hope to then have a go at free motion quilting, but one step at a time.