Breaking needles?
 

HELP!
So I'm still a bit new to the FMQ world and just now I broke 2 needles in less than a minute! What am I doing wrong? My sandwich is top and back of flannel with Warm and Natural 80/20 batting.
When I put the new needle in I was just thinking how much nicer it was with a really sharp needle and then BAM the needle shattered into 3 pieces!

What presser foot are you using? Might want to check that.

I'm using the darning/FMQ foot that came with my machine. What would be wrong with the foot?

It's really hard to identify your specific problem without observing.
My first question would be ... have you FMQ'd successfully with this machine in the past?

If so, then my next thought would be .... are you tugging on the fabric? or moving it too quickly? as you FMQ, so that you are pulling the needle and thus causing it to snap.

However, having it break in three pieces takes quite a bit. I don't think I have ever broken one in three before.


I know how frustrating this can be, so walk away from the machine for a while to let yourself cool down and relax.

Then when you are ready, go back and start fresh .... take the broken needle out, your foot off, the spool and bobbin out and then put them all back in place again, checking with your manual to make sure that you are doing it correctly, and with the proper settings, right foot and appropriate needle for the thread. It is so easy to do some little thing during this process that can offset your results.

Sometimes the problem just seems to mysteriously solve itself when we go thru these steps.

No doubt for the next while, you will be hesitant and unsure. Try to be observant, so that if it happens again, you might have a better idea as to at what step of the process it is breaking ... for clues as to how to remedy the problem.

I'm thinking that you are moving your quilt sandwich too quickly. If the needle is still in the fabric when you move it, it will deflect just a tiny bit which will be enough for it to hit the foot & break. Try moving the sandwich slower. The general rule is fast feet, slow hands. In other words, run the machine at a high speed, and move the quilt sandwich slowly.

What size needle are you using? A smaller size needle will bend more easily than a larger size needle. Try a larger size needle.

I do have glasses and boy am I glad I was wearing them. The middle of the needle popped right out! I think I was pulling on the sandwich a bit.

If your foot has a spring on it, it should work fine. I've done FMQ with feed dogs down and up. usually down though. you move the quilt slower than the foot pedal speed. the spring should prevent the needle from breaking.

I am not good at free motion so when I try it, I use a heavy needle. This helps so I am not pulling and bending it as I sew. I have some JEANS needles that I use just for this reason.