Addiction

Fairly obvious, but I would say one of my most common mistakes is "needle installed backwards" or "needle threaded backwards." My fault for toying with multiple machines without consulting the manual!

KenmoreGal2

Thanks for this thread!! It helps us both.

Does the use of the machine cause the bobbin tension to slowly change? I find from time to time I have to tweak it. I usually use the machine in question for piecing so the tension setting should not change. And yet it does, from time to time. Perhaps over months. I wonder if the sheer vibrations of the machine can loosen/tighten the tension screw in the bobbin case.

If it seems I have to really turn the dial a long way on the upper tension, I take out the bobbin and do the yo yo test. Sometimes my bobbin has gotten tighter. I loosen it just a tad and I can put my upper tension back in the neighborhood where I think it should be.

(I have notes of where I get good stitches for piecing on my upper tension dial.)

On a related note, how much should one change the bobbin tension? I usually limit myself to 1/4 turn. Is that the right range?

KenmoreGal2

Oh, another question.

I recently had an issue with skipping stitches. Do skipping stitches have anything to do with tension? If so, what is the mechanism for a tension issue to cause a stitch to skip?

Wow, thanks so much for letting us pick your brain!!

ArchaicArcane

The only thing I can think of with your modern machine is that the bobbin isn't wound consistently and when it gets to the end, it's either somehow getting bound up and that yanks the top stitches down, or the tension on the thread itself is too tight for some reason.

I think you're on the right track with your 660. Also, we tend to quilt with our tensions top and bottom way tighter than they need to be. Try loosening both - your top tension especially. On my machines, I often drop from about 4.5 to 2-3.

Yeah, the most common reason for skipped stitches for sure and often tension problems to go with the skipped stitches. I usually look at the last guide before the needle. That tells me which way the needle threads and for most domestic machines where the needle has a flat side, it tells me which side the flat of the needle goes to as well. For instance, the last guide pulls the thread to the right - like on a featherweight - that tells me the machine threads right to left and that the flat of the needle will face left.

sewbeadit

Tammi, I got my tension going just fine, had to find the diagram, it had fallen off while moving it and dh put it back on wrong so I fixed it. My dealer also uses the pellon sandwiched in between cotton for test driving new sewing machines, which is why you should bring your own fabrics to try the machine on. I so agree with you on the test stitching.


Your dealer uses Pellon? That stuff is expensive! Test sews in general make me crazy. They're rarely indicative of real world. They're an indication of how well the person making the sample knows how to manipulate the machine. A lot of people who don't "get" tension yet will never get those results. Plus, there's no proof it was made on any given machine.

I am not liking my dealer, after you buy a machine you are a nobody and they are rude, but I need one and they are closest to me within one hour drive. Good dealers are worth a premium.

ArchaicArcane

The bobbin tension shouldn't change just from the vibration of the machine. I would be curious to see what happened if you used a touch of nail polish over top of the screw to hold it in place. Or if you just want to see what it's doing without trying to hold it, mark it with a sharpie. If the tension still changes, you can see if the screw changed position. If it didn't change position, it's likely lint and other visitors under the tension spring. If it does change, chances are good that the screw or the threads on the case are a little worn allowing it to move some.

When's the last time you took both tensions apart and cleaned them up? Starting from a known good does wonders for troubleshooting. If I start finding myself having to turn up the top tension to match the bobbin tension (assuming I know that the bobbin tension and bobbin thread haven't changed), I assume I need to clean my top tensioner. Not floss it. Disassemble and clean it.

I allow tension changes until it works right. Typically, if I have to change more than about 1/4 turn though, I disassemble and find out why. It could be a deformed tension spring, lint, oil and debris, etc. It's rare for a properly operating tensioner (top or bottom) to change without assistance. When you start to have trouble with one or the other changing - pull on both threads. They should feel about the same. If one is way easier to pull - it's loosened up.

Skipping stitches can be tension - usually too tight because the thread is too tight to form the loop for the hook to jump through. That said, really loose tension could in theory cause the loop to flag and the hook to miss it but I think it's less likely. Do I vaguely remember your skipped stitches being during FMQ? If that's the case, look at your FMQ foot. I have one foot (the purple "Big Foot") that hangs up on the needle bar and causes skipped stitches. If the darning foot doesn't control the fabric and lets it move up and down with the needle stroke (flagging), the loop doesn't form properly and causes skipped stitches.

sewbeadit

addiction, I use a cheat sheet, a little square of paper I write down which way the needle goes, which way the thread goes in the needle and which way the bobbin thread winds to go in the case and anything else like needle size, I need to know so I don't wear out my manuals, I usually tape it where I can see it quick like the bottom of a drawer or on top of the table out of the way so I can glance at it when I change machines. Saves time and wear and tear on the manuals. Makes it more fun using different machines.

KenmoreGal2

Thanks Tami! I will do as you advised. I wasn't having skipped stitches during FMQ though, that was someone else.

ArchaicArcane

Well, my memory does have a few holes.

I had an interesting problem machine on my bench today: It was a Singer 500J It came in because the needle thread was intermittently wrapping around the hook retaining finger under the feed dogs. Until this would happen, the stitch would be a tiny bit loose but fairly acceptable otherwise - except that the tensioner was turned up to 8 to get that "fairly acceptable" stitch.

This indicates thread that's not being well controlled. On a lark, I put the presser foot down and tugged on the needle thread. Practically no tension. Ahhh. There's the problem! Rebuilt the tensioner, made a couple of clearance adjustments in the hook area and it's sewing great now.

Incidentally, the reason I don't recommend "un-threading everything and re-threading" anymore is that we don't learn anything from that. If something's jumping out of a guide, or the thread isn't flossed into the tensioner right, we'd not see that and know to pay more attention to that particular area, we'd just keep getting frustrated and un-threading and re-threading". For me, a machine misbehaving is a learning opportunity.

KenmoreGal2

I love this!!! I hate when I can't figure how I fixed a problem. How will I fix it if it happens again? I find this happens to me often with my machine. The problem "magically" gets solved and I have no idea why. That really bothers me.