Help with bobbin problem
10-07-2015, 09:05 AM
#1
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Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Bar Harbor, ME.
Posts: 2,911
Help with bobbin problem
I've been finishing up a quilt, stitch in the ditch. Now I'm trying to quilt the border with another pattern and the bobbin thread keeps coming in loops to the top. I've tried rethreading the machine, using another threaded bobbin and yet it still is happening.
I changed the top thread but the bobbins are the same I've been using for the front. Do I need to change the needle, would that help?
I changed the top thread but the bobbins are the same I've been using for the front. Do I need to change the needle, would that help?
10-07-2015, 09:12 AM
#2
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Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Ontario, Canada
Posts: 41,461
If you are FMQing the border, it sounds like you need to either loosen the top tension or tighten your bobbin tension. A new needle is a good place to start before fiddling the tension. Take a picture of your tension settings before moving them.
10-07-2015, 09:25 AM
#3
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Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Illinois
Posts: 2,140
Assuming you are quilting on a domestic machine rather than a long arm, there are 3 possibilities I'd suggest:
1) It's the thread. Thread is almost always the culprit for these kind of issues. If you can get a different brand/weight of thread in the same color, I'd try that before anything else ... especially since your machine was working properly before.
2) If you're Free Motion Quilting in the border, you need to change your machine settings & practice, practice, practice. Your stitch length should be set at "0". You need to either drop or cover your feed dogs. You need to switch to a Darning foot. Your needle should be size 80 or 90 (top stitch, quilting, microtex or universal needles could all work depending on what you're looking for). YES! I would definitely change out the needle. I've generally heard you can go 8 hours on a single needle. Sometimes I get a little longer, sometimes a bit shorter depending on the material & the stitch design.
3) If you have successfully stitched the pattern you're using in your border before & changing the thread doesn't help, my last suggestion would be to adjust the tension on the bobbin case. If you own one of those Towa tension gauges, this probably isn't a huge deal. For the rest of us, it usually causes as many problems as it solves. If you have an extra bobbin case lying around, do your adjustments on that. If not, I'd suggest getting a Sharpie (permanent) marker & marking a tiny line showing where your screw is now. Then, turn it to the right 1/4 turn & check to see if you still have problems. If needed, continue adjusting in 1/4 turn increments until the loops are gone.
Good luck!
1) It's the thread. Thread is almost always the culprit for these kind of issues. If you can get a different brand/weight of thread in the same color, I'd try that before anything else ... especially since your machine was working properly before.
2) If you're Free Motion Quilting in the border, you need to change your machine settings & practice, practice, practice. Your stitch length should be set at "0". You need to either drop or cover your feed dogs. You need to switch to a Darning foot. Your needle should be size 80 or 90 (top stitch, quilting, microtex or universal needles could all work depending on what you're looking for). YES! I would definitely change out the needle. I've generally heard you can go 8 hours on a single needle. Sometimes I get a little longer, sometimes a bit shorter depending on the material & the stitch design.
3) If you have successfully stitched the pattern you're using in your border before & changing the thread doesn't help, my last suggestion would be to adjust the tension on the bobbin case. If you own one of those Towa tension gauges, this probably isn't a huge deal. For the rest of us, it usually causes as many problems as it solves. If you have an extra bobbin case lying around, do your adjustments on that. If not, I'd suggest getting a Sharpie (permanent) marker & marking a tiny line showing where your screw is now. Then, turn it to the right 1/4 turn & check to see if you still have problems. If needed, continue adjusting in 1/4 turn increments until the loops are gone.
Good luck!
10-07-2015, 09:31 AM
#4
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Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Western Wisconsin
Posts: 12,930
Try changing to a different bobbin. Sometimes bobbins get warped. With a metal bobbin, this can happen easily if the bobbin is dropped. Plastic bobbins can get brittle or distort from being over-filled with thread.
What machine do you have? Does it have a bobbin case? A dropped bobbin case can become distorted also.
Because the bobbin thread is looping at the top, it sounds to me as if the bobbin thread is not getting sufficient tension.
Yet another possibility, if you have a bobbin case, is that a tiny piece of lint has become trapped in the bobbin case tension mechanism. This is easily removed with a pin. This video by Jamie Wallen shows how to clean the bobbin case tension (for machines that have a bobbin case! does not apply to top-loading bobbins!):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q1mRhcquZTM
Edit: One more possibility is a poorly-wound bobbin.
Edit 2: If your machine uses a bobbin case and the case is distorted, you will need a new bobbin case. If your machine uses a top-loading bobbin, double-check your threading of the bobbin thread path and also check for any lint that might be caught in the bobbin tensioning mechanism. The latter can require a magnifying glass and tweezers.
What machine do you have? Does it have a bobbin case? A dropped bobbin case can become distorted also.
Because the bobbin thread is looping at the top, it sounds to me as if the bobbin thread is not getting sufficient tension.
Yet another possibility, if you have a bobbin case, is that a tiny piece of lint has become trapped in the bobbin case tension mechanism. This is easily removed with a pin. This video by Jamie Wallen shows how to clean the bobbin case tension (for machines that have a bobbin case! does not apply to top-loading bobbins!):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q1mRhcquZTM
Edit: One more possibility is a poorly-wound bobbin.
Edit 2: If your machine uses a bobbin case and the case is distorted, you will need a new bobbin case. If your machine uses a top-loading bobbin, double-check your threading of the bobbin thread path and also check for any lint that might be caught in the bobbin tensioning mechanism. The latter can require a magnifying glass and tweezers.
Last edited by Prism99; 10-07-2015 at 09:34 AM.
10-07-2015, 01:01 PM
#5
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Lubbock, TX
Posts: 376
I agree about the warped bobbin . . .i have a Babylock Tiara midarm that uses metal bobbins and they occasionally warp. They're apparently not made of the same type metal as my Bernina 350 bobbins because I've never had one of them warp.
As for needle . . .if you have to ask about changing your needle, the answer will always be yes. I doubt it will solve your tension issue, but frequent needle changes is always a good idea. I change the needle on my 780 everytime i put in a new bobbin. On my 350, which uses smaller bobbins, I change the needle every other bobbin.
As for needle . . .if you have to ask about changing your needle, the answer will always be yes. I doubt it will solve your tension issue, but frequent needle changes is always a good idea. I change the needle on my 780 everytime i put in a new bobbin. On my 350, which uses smaller bobbins, I change the needle every other bobbin.
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