LOL! I've had lots of practice with removing stitches. the method that works for me is to go to the back of the frame, roll the quilt onto the take up roller and remove the stitches from the back of the quilt. Use lots of masking tape or a lint roller to get the little pieces of thread, then go back to the front and remove the thread from the top of the quilt. Just make sure you get all the little threads so they don't get caught up in the wheels or track.

Oh, I feel your pain. I've had my longarm for a year and still get the LA Blues! I've tried a few of the mirror/flashlight suggestions and the best way for me to see the stitches underneath is to hold my Walmart mirror (about 7x8" with handle) under at the backside, at an angle to the quilt and shine the flashlight right onto the mirror(small LED with several lights from Harbor Freight). I can get the mirror really close to the stitches and, therefore, easy to see the stitch quality. The small telescoping mirror and the door mirror lying on the table didn't work well for me. I keep them right on the table and check frequently since ripping is difficult when the quilt is on the LA. Also, you said you skipped a slot when rethreading. Did you know you can cut the thread above the cone, tie the new cone to the thread from the previous one that's hanging on the machine and from the front pull the new thread through all the "slots"? It's so much easier than rethreading every time! Hang in there...it does get easier.

Don't you just go 'grrr when you have such an 'excellent learning opportunity.' I know I do.

It is often by our errors that we learn the most. The worse the error [or so it seems] the less likely we will repeat it.

ali

i keep a 12" square mirror tile on my quilting table- it is thin enough that the carriage travels right over it without hitting it- and i can start- stop & check- so a large area underneith & know if all is well- everytime i change my bobbin or thread, or stop for a bit as soon as i go a couple inches i stop & take a peak to make sure all is well before i have a large area of a problem...it really saves alot of time to take the moment to check. good luck with your next trial-
and great song!

I did know about tieing the thread and pulling it through. But, my machine requires a 5 minute warm up before use. And, you have to take the bobbin out and unthread part of the machine so that it doesn't get sucked up in somewhere during the warm up. So, I usually just thread and tie to the too of the machine so there isn't any danger of that happening. I'll have to invest in a mirrow soon cause it is hard for me to get down under the machine. My body aint what it once was. thanks for the tips!

It's always good to check the bottom right after you start. I also do it every time I do a bobbin change. You never know when it will mess up and it's a good habit to always check on it.

A few other tips you may not know is doing test swatches on the edge of the quilt where the extra backing and batting are. I lay a square of material on top of this area and every time I change bobbin or advance the quilt I do a quick test to insure the tension is all good.

Another trick to check the backing is to run your fingernails under a finished area of the quilt backing and if it feels smooth you are ok. If you hear popping or cliking sounds as your fingernails hit the thread you have a tension problem and need to adjust.

I also use a mirror and flashlight to check the back.

As for why the thread does this, it is usually thread tension, which improper threading of the machine would be part of. Good luck and keep on practicing. My teacher actually had me reset the tension several times after she purpously knocked it out of proper tension. Talk about a learning experience!

peace

I am like Dunster, I like to crawl under with my flashlight and sometimes I just lay there on my back and stare for the pleasure of it and to give my body time to argue with me before the getting up part. LOL. I also do the test swatches on the side like ube quilting. On the edge like that you can simply flip it over enough to see of the stitches are good.

I have never heard about having to let a machine warm up for 5 minutes?!?! I am sure glad my LA doesn't have that requirement, that would drive me insane. Especially when having to unthread part of it? What kind of LA did you get that requires this? And more importantly what was the manufactureres reason for it? That seems a bit ridiculous in my mind with today's technology.

thank you! now i will have this in my head all day long! :))) what a horrible thing you'll be pullin them stitches for hours!

I was thinking the same thing: what kind of machine requires a 5 minute warmup? especially with unthreading entire thread path?

Sorry to hear about your 'learning experience' - I know when I have my 'learning experiences' I almost NEVER forget what I've learned...a.k.a. 'on the job training'