I was wondering if this ever has happened to anyone else. I was quilting a quilt and when I am sewing on light colored fabric the stitches are well defined and even, but when I would stitch across black or dark patterned fabric blocks, the stitch isn't as defined and almost looks like the thread is one line, then when I sew into a light colored patch the stitch becomes defined again. The back of the quilt shows very well defined stitches so I can't understand why the change in outward appearance. Has this ever happened to anyone else? It happens all the time, but I just thought to ask the group if anyone else has experienced it and what (if anything) I can do about it. Thanks in advance! Hope I am making sense.

Do you think that maybe the darker dye makes the fabric a different "feel" to the machine? I know that on my embroidery machine when I use dark thread I have more breakage than normal.

i think the darker fabrics are tighter or stiffer due to the heavier dye. that way, the top thread tends to lay there rather than sink in a liitle.

Is it with the same thread, might just be the thread blend more into the background then on the light

This happens to me all the time too! I have a babylock elegante. I spent so much money on that machine and am never satisfied with the stitches. To me they are not pretty at all. the back looks wonderful. On dark fabric forget it and I use the same thread. It does great embroidering but not sewing. I always have to go back to my trusting old Elna and quilt all my quilts. It just frustrates me because I spent alot of money on that babylock. I think if I ever do it again I will not get a babylock for quilting

Yes it is the same thread and the same quilt at the same time--the only difference is the color of the fabric I happen to be quilting across. It happens so much, I try to not use really dark fabrics (like black and navy) anymore.

Could be a color value thing or optical illusion