Good morning eveyrone. I'm hoping someone can help, I really don't want to have to take the machine to the shop, I have a bunch of stuff to do this weekend.

I'm fairly new to quilting and have been practicing my FMQ. I've done a few that are okay, nothing to write home about, but I keep practicing.

Anyway, the past few days, I've been having a terrible time with the top thread breaking while FMQ'ing and then last night, it started to break needles too! I can only get a few inches of quilting done and "whammo", either the top thread breaks or the needle breaks.

I've rethreaded it about a hundred times, cleaned it out about 40 times (all in the past few days)! It does sort of feel a little tight in the thread slots, but I can't get to them.

I'm using Connecting Threads thread, which is what I use all the time.

I did send an email to my dealer this morning, but figured I would put it out here as well.

Any thoughts? I will probably take it to the dealer, but I hate to be without the machine this weekend, I have a 3 day weekend that is supposed to be a sewing/fabric shopping weekend!

Thanks!

Carrie

I have a Quilt Expression 4.0. When trying FMQ I was having the same problem, especially with Connecting Threads thread (and I love that thread). I was especially having a problem trying to use varigated thread for decorative stitch quilting. I finally found the right settings for tension after about 50 tries. Either try a different thread or work on tension settings.

There was a gal on here having the same problem a week or so ago and she found that she had forgot to let the foot down.

Did you lower your feed dogs?? I was having a problem and that is what I had forgot to do. Oh well, I am blonde!!

I had the wrong pressure foot on-was using the regular foot. When I switched to the darning foot the thread and needles quit breaking. (FMQ still looked like it was done by a kindergartner but at least my thread and needle didn't break LOL)

The feed dogs are down...I usually forget to set the presser foot down, and get the birds nests underneath, :)

I'm using the FMQ foot, it's clear so you can see what you're doing better. Not sure, maybe it's the thread...

For FMQ your top tension should be a bit on the loose side, not sloppy but a bit loose. Also, it could be that your are trying to move the fabric too fast. If you move the fabric while the needle is in the fabric it will break the needle. When FMQ with varigated threads you do need to slow down a bit.

FMQ does take a lot of practice. You just have to find that right point between your moving and machine speed. It does take time but it will come.

Thanks! I went to get more needles at lunch and different thread, we'll see if that works when I get home later. I'm not using varigated threads, but thanks for the heads up, I didn't know that made a difference. :)

I find the faster the machine, the more control I have on the fabric. I go like hell!!!