Originally Posted by
quilter1
Is the pressure foot down? Ask me why I mention this.
I was going to ask the same thing. I've got a Queen Quilter 18 which is apparently a step-sister to the Tin Lizzie. It came with practically zero instructions. Thank goodness for Youtube and the internet, or I would have tossed it on the wood pile after my first attempt. Being used to a regular Domestic Sewing machine, adjusting my tension was a foreign concept to me.
If the problem is on the bottom of your quilt, it's your top thread that needs adjusting. Loopies on the bottom means you have way too loose of top tension. Righty tighty. Lefty Loosy. The other problem with getting lots of loopies on the bottom is that your presser foot is still raised. You have zero upper thread tension if your presser foot is up. That's the first thing to check. After you get your machine threaded, see if you notice any difference in how easy your can pull thread through your needle. With the presser foot raised, it should be pretty easy. If it's still extremely easy to pull the thread after you lower the presser foot, you need to re-thread your machine. Once you have this squared away, you can start adjusting the tension knob.