It's not catching on anything and it's not threaded improperly. That I know of for certain. I had problems for 2 1/2 years with the thread breaking and finally bought a cone of 50 wt. and no more problems. I guess I should talk to my dealer. I like to do machine applique and I use different colors and small spools, so I have to get it figured out. To make the tension less tight, do I go up in numbers or down in numbers? Sorry, I'm not wise to this part.