kddeedle

Hi All! New to here and new to stippling, sooo, have a problem. I am trying to learn how to do stippling and I am having a problem with my needles breaking. I know it is me and not my machine, so what am I doing wrong? I drop my feed dogs, put on the open presser foot, have tried slower and have tried faster speeds when moving the test piece. By the 'hits' on my plate it looks like the needle is hitting to the front of the plate. So far I have gone thru about 7-8 needles. I may be your first 'lost cause'! LOL

laureneberhard

It has to do with the speed of the quilt being moved. It takes lots of practice to get into a rythem. Sounds like you are pulling-pushing the quilt while the needle is going into the machine. You need to have more speed on the machine and a smoother movement of the quilt. Easy? No, but with practice you'll get better. Don't give up.

Where in IL are you?

renee765

Could it be possible that you are moving your fabric too fast? It might be pulling the needle out of position, causing it to hit the plate and snap. I know that when I get tired, I start moving the fabric too fast and end of up awful looking stitches.

KR

Sounds like the rest of your quilt is getting hung up on the edge of the table/in your lap/behind the machine/etc. When that happens, the needle can bend enough so it hits the throat plate and breaks. I'm no expert, but I've learned that before I begin stitching, I adjust the rest of the quilt so the area I'm working can be moved easily and freely. Hopefully some more experienced FMQ'ers will weigh in here. Karen

stewyscrewy

you are pulling your needle it is called needle flexion and us longarmers have to deal with this all the time and we have to adjust our tension. or the fabric is getting hung up and sretching the and pulling the needle

nativetexan

also does your foot have a spring on it. a darning foot does and that is used for FMQ. it helps keep the fabric still for the split second the needle is in the fabric.
fast foot pedal speed and slower fabric movement.

np3

All good suggestions. It takes time to get it right. Hang in there!

kddeedle

Lauren, I live in Wood River, near Edwardsville. Thanks for your help, this is very frustrating, and I'm not one to give up, but this is getting the better of me! I'll keep trying, wonder if I buy needles in bulk if it's cheaper, the way I'm breaking them, cheap is good! 0h, and guess you could tell, patience is not my strong point, haha!

kddeedle

Thanks everybody, guess I'll keep trying, and practicing on being more patient as I try to learn. You may wanna buy stock in schmetz needles in the next day or two!

littlehud

When I first got my frame I broke needles right and left. I found some bulk needles on line and bought those. I love having all those needles but found the problem was me trying to move too fast. I increased the speed on my machine and kept moving it at the same pace and it fixed my problem. I still break needles now and then but not nearly as much.