Troubleshooting tension?
 

Ok gang, this is incredible information, even for experienced quilters like me.

Having problems with tension? Thread breaking and you can't figure out why? Got pokies? Your machine not stitching that beautiful straight stitch? Here is a video from The Quilt Show (Alex Anderson and Ricky Tims) that explains it all and tells you how to fix it.

This episode is free to everyone until December 31 2019, so share with your friends. I've set the video to start with the segment concerning machine tension, but you can watch the entire episode at your leisure.

https://youtu.be/v2dPJqY7vHE?t=1460

I have trouble remembering which way to turn the upper tension knob to achieve my goal. Their "To lower the knot, lower the tension number" and "To raise the knot, raise the tension number" will help me immensely.

I also liked their discussion and demo with the needle prop. That's good to know.

Thank you for sharing this! It has helped me.

Watched this the other day. Brilliant. Love the visuals, really explains tension!

Wow! Excellent video. His descriptions made it so easy to understand the mechanics that affect tension, breaking thread, etc. issues. THANK YOU for sharing.

-Bonnie

thanks for sharing this.

Thank you for sharing this. Excellent descriptions and visuals.

Thank you for sharing this, very helpful

Very helpful. His explanations were so "understandable"! This should be part of every instruction book!!!!!!

Shelley's concern for having all the pieces "going in one direction producing calmness in a block" - that even many "tiny" prints are directional - is worth noting.

I learned/realized that after I had made some blocks for a class - I am still undecided about how much this is bothering me - if it is enough to redo the blocks or to live with them.

Great visual! Thank you for sharing :) I've now 'Subscribed" to The Quilt Show on YouTube!

I believe I also learned about Bernie's book You and Your Sewing Machine: A Sewist's Guide to Troubleshooting, Maintenance, Tips & Techniques from a previous post on the QB and purchased it about a year ago. I immediately read it from cover to cover and found it equally helpful and have referenced it a few times since.

https://www.amazon.com/You-Your-Sewi.../dp/1617455814
https://www.ctpub.com/you-and-your-sewing-machine/

Thanks for sharing--he does an excellent job of explaining tension.

I agree we should be braver however not all machines have numbers for the tension (thinking of my longarm which requires more than one complete turn sometimes) and bobbins don't have numbers

Fantastic help. Thank you,

Susanna

Yep I am one of those afraid to mess with tension. I can never remember to turn up or down so always end of fouling up and fixing nothing. I bookmarked the page so can study it until December. Thank you!

Thank you Peckish for this informative video. The first time I saw a quilting class on a PBS station it was Alex and I was smitten from the start, always my favorite. No matter how much you think you know there is always one more tip to learn and utilize in our craft.

It is always good to check to see if your stitches are balanced, but before adjusting tension, do check that your needle and thread weight match if you have loops on the bobbin side. For free motion 90/14 topstitch works great with 40 or 50 weight thread. If you have loops or eyelashes with free motion, it means your hands are moving faster than your machine...either slow down your hands or speed up your machine. If you think it is tension, stop and stich a straight line....if your tension is good , then it is your moving your hands too fast.

Thank you!!
I don't know how this myth got started but I remember being taught never to touch the tension when I started sewing. I don't even think I asked why??? :D