Top Stitch Not Pretty, Underside is?
 

I've spent the better (worse?) part of the day experimenting with my decorative stitches that I'm using on rice therapy bags. I've never had issues with decorative stitches before, but today has been brutal.

I'm so frustrated, having messed with needle changes, cleaning the whole lint area, adjusting tension,
thread changes, width and length changes for the stitches (as well as keeping them "as is"). What I'm finding is that the top stitches are looking bad, but the bottom stitches are fine.

What am I missing? I would abandon the project today and do something else, except that I have a craft show coming up (my first one) with lots of inventory still to make. I don't want to use plain Jane straight stitches, but am trying to make each bag somewhat different in fabric and/or decorative stitches. I have to keep them tight so no rice or flaxseed come out .

Please advise.

I know you are trying for "pretty" - but how about french seams for finishing the items?

You could have the finished seam either on the inside or outside - I think it would look fine on the outside of the bags.

#1 what is the fabric (does it have a nap to the "good" side that perhaps the stitches are getting buried in)?

#2 are you using the same thread in both needle and bobbin?

The first two bags went fine with the "wave" stitch". But this vine stitch is a different story. Let me show you what I mean. It doesn't seem to matter whether I use 2 or 4 layers. And no, there's no nap to the fabric.

The tension is set to auto, the stitch to its auto-programmed one. I have not changed it in these samples. My thread is the same--Connecting Threads in the same color in needle as bobbin.

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So picture ! is the top side. Picture 2 is the bottom side. They should match but clearly the top stitch looks all narrow and funky.

Looks like the auto tension is not working correctly. Can you override the auto tension & manually try to adjust it? Maybe try re-threading your machine & check to make sure the needle is in right & not backwards.

I will do more tinkering after a nap. I woke up with a headache and it was exacerbated by the sewing issues. I’m calling it a “tension” headache!

Great name for the headache.