Top thread bunching on underside of quilt..
I am machine quilting using my Pfaff tiptronic 1171 with a meander, leaf & loop pattern, using the darning foot and feed dogs down. Top of the quilt is quilting quality cotton, Warm & Natural batting and the back of the quilt is flannel.
About half way through the quilt, when I replace a bobbin and resume my quilting, the top threads start bunching on the underside. I then put in another bobbin and off I go as I am once again quilting.
Next bobbin replaced and bunching again. Go for another bobbin and bunches. Pull all of the thread from one of the bobbins and rethread it. I am then able to quilt again.
Next bobbin changed and bunches. Throughout all of this I am rethreading the top thread, taking off the top plate and making sure that is clean, brush out any stray threads in the bobbin holder and moving the tension higher.
Out of frustration I walked away from the quilt a couple of weeks ago, but today I am back at it as all that needs to be quilted is two of the four outside borders and then I can bind it. I am so ready to go back to straight sewing and already have two sets of pillow cases pinned just to do that but I refuse to sew anything else before this quilt is finished.
Today I was able to get through outside border number three and then when I hit border 4 and changed a bobbin the bunching started again. Worked my way through it but the next bobbin I was not able to work my way back to quilting. I am starting to think it is time to go to the shop for a tune up of the sewing machine but do not want to as that was done about 5 months ago.
About this time I am starting to think I would not have this issue if I was straight sewing. So, I put my quilting foot on, raised my feed dogs and did a practice run using the same bobbin & top thread which had been bunching previously and all was as it should be. I then put the darning foot on and was able to quilt til the bobbin was empty.
Next bobbin bunched, so I did a practice run with the feed dogs up, all was good and then put them down and I was able to quilt through that bobbin. At least I have figured out a way to get through this which does not include pulling good thread from a just wound bobbin. Looking forward to getting the quilt finished and wrapping up in it in the evening while watching TV.
Does anyone here on the Quilting Board have an idea what has been causing the bunching so I can prevent it from happening?