Originally Posted by
Frodowisebrandytook
Thank you so much! These replies have all been very helpful, and I think I’ve solved the issue!
There was indeed a hole in the bobbin casing arm that I had never noticed before. That actually helped me out a lot! Also, upon carefully studying my thread path, I noticed that my thread seemed to be snagging a bit on the hook that fed into the tension disc. it always wanted to get looped around.
I also increased the tension on the bobbin case a little bit, although this was a bit of a last resort. For me, my biggest tension issues have always come after I tried to adjust the bobbin. For some reason, that always ends up blowing up in my face. Not this time!
Again, huge, thanks to all of you. You have saved my project!
Excellent! Thank you so much for letting us know you resolved your tension woes. Yes that little hole in the arm of the bobbin case has saved my bacon more than once. Mostly when I am doing machine applique. All my quilting is done on a longarm of which also gives occasional tension woes but I don't hesitate to adjust on the longarm, both top and bobbin. Sometimes too much and I end up having to go back to factory settings. Thank goodness for youtube on that!
As for your issue with the thread wrapping around a thread guide before the tension discs, this can be a couple of issues. If you are using cones and a thread holder for the cone, try using a thread net. You can go to any florist and ask for the netting the flowers come in (same thing), they will happily give it to you as they normally just throw them away. You place the net over the cone and it helps the thread feed more evenly.
Another issue that can cause this is check the spool cap you put on the spool after mounting it on the spool pin. They can get little abrasions that will snag the thread which causes your top to tighten up and then suddenly let go causing all kinds of tension headaches. If your machine is from the 80's it is entirely possible the spool caps are worn and you may need to invest in a new set or use a different sized one. My Bernina came with 3 different spool caps and I use them depending on what kind of spool I am using. I rarely use the largest size one as the few spools of thread I have (I mostly use cones) are the tall skinny kind.