Just a little note here to you all about bobbins and tension. If your machines are giving you the "eyelash" effect....and you haven't changed the tension, etc.....then listen up. I've been working on a quilt all day today -- all of a sudden, I was getting eyelashes. I did everything the book said, re-threaded, new needle...the whole bit. Finally, I put in a new bobbin....YIP - no more problem. Then I got to wondering...WHY???? I compared the bobbin with another that I'd just used successfully and discovered the faulty bobbin was different! Came out of the same package but was different. How to describe it --- bobbin are two disks with a tube in between. Those two disks were the same size diameter-wise, BUT they were twice as thick!!!!!!!!!! Well, that makes sense...if it's thicker, then it would have a harder "pull"...and tension would need to be adjusted. So, before you start messing with the tension...REALLY look over your bobbins.!!!

This has been a community service, no money has been spent in creating this documentary.. :mrgreen:

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Well... I would never have thought to look for this!! Thank you for letting us know :D:D:D

I am off to check over my bobbins... you have performed a GREAT community service 8-)

That's interesting .... and a new one to me!

Thanks Dee! I learned that the hard way too. Bobbins are not created equally. :)

Another thing I have heard is to watch for burrs on the bobbins :lol: Especially the plastic ones :wink:

Thanks for the tip :thumbup:

Thanks for the tip.

thanks for the great tip. I have never even considered that! Something to look for next time.

Thanks for the Heads up on this issue. A few years ago I bought an extra set of bobbins for my machine...... and I have nothing but tension issues when I use the "new" bobbins.

Thanks. That's something I never would have thought of, but you can bet I'll try it.

Also watch the plastic ones for stretching out of shape. I had one that had been used for a time and suddenly I was having troubles getting the bobbin back in place. With a bit of investigating, I discovered that it had somehow become thicker and therefore would not fit completely into the bobbin case. Just thought it might be something to look for if you are having trouble.

Also if you drop a metal bobbin and step on it and it looks okay, it's not. Toss it.

Now THAT sounds like someone has personal experience!!!! LOL

I heard a talk from a machine repair person who said to always use the bobbins for the specifi machine and not the generic ones. Also to roll the bobbin on the flat surfact of a steady table. If it rolls well then it is ok. If slight bobble then it won't work. Bobbins are manufactured in large quantities and anything like that is bound to have some flaws occasionally.

Is that one of those "ask me how I know" kind of things? :D

Wow, that's a new one to me. Thanks for the heads up.

Thank you for your PSA (public service announcement)!

OMG!!!! I quilted a whole table runner today before I noticed the whole thing is eyelashed!!! And yes, it was due to the size of the bobbin. Used the one called for in machine book too. Go figure!!

Thanks for the tip. Who would have thought, hey?
I'll have to give this FMQ another go one of these days.