FMQ on Brother ult2003 (Disney) Embroidery Machine, thread help please.
 

Does anyone have a Brother ult2003 (Disney) embroidery machine and have you tried using it for free motion quilting? I have this machine and want to do FMQ on two lap quilt tops I just finished. I dropped the feed dogs and used the embroidery "Q" foot with a built-in quilt stitch (1-30) and this seems to work really well.

The only problem I keep having is with the thread. I'm able to FMQ for awhile but then the thread bunches up and eventually breaks. I've tried 100% cotton threads.

My question is what is the best thread to use and is there a special stitch adjustment to use with the Brother ult2003 machine?

I love FMQ but am about ready to pull my hair out! Any help you can give will be greatly appreciated.

Where is the thread bunching up? Above the needle or on the back? What size thread are you using? What size & type needle? If the thread is bunching up above the needle, it's shredding and you need a larger size needle. If it's bunching up on the back, you may have forgotten to put the foot down, or the thread has jumped out of the take up lever.

Great questions. It's bunching up above the needle. I'm using a Schmetz quilting needle. I'm trying a cotton quilting thread by Coates. My machine doesn't sew unless the foot is down so nothing going on with that. For the bobbin (not sure if this matters) I'm using a prewound.

When you say, "a cotton quilting thread by Coats," is it "hand quilting" thread (with a glaze finish)? That stuff should never go on your machine. It's like feeding wire through your machine, and you can't get a good stitch with it. Another thing about Coats and Clarks thread is the spool has cuts in the ends, where you're supposed to tuck your thread ends. If you haven't got it in a perfect world, the thread will catch and jerk as it comes off the spool.

You need a bigger needle. a 90/14 or 100/16 topstich will help immensely with your thread shredding issue.

The Coats cotton quilting thread - if it is the thread on the cardboard spools - is 30wt thread. You'll need a larger eye needle as Tom said. A 90/14 is the smallest I would use. Also use a Sharp needle not a universal needle.

The needle I'm using is a 90/14 and the thread is 30wt machine quilting. I tried a sample again this morning using a different setting. Things went smoothly and no thread problems. This is only my second attempt at FMQ so I have a lot to learn. Also, it could be a problem with the machine. I would be so frustrated if it wasn't for all you kind members of this board. I'll post photos of both quilts when I'm done. One is a bandana dresden and one is a St. Patrick's Day dresden. Thank you.

Sande

Does the thread only bunch up when you are doing FMQ? I think I have the same (or similar) machine. Mine is the Brother Disney that also has the Embroidery unit. I bought mine back in 2001. If yours is about the same age as mine, have you had it cleaned at all to clear out all of the fuzz that builds up inside? When my stitching starts to get wonky I know that my machine is way over due for a cleaning.

I got my brother in 2001, too. I was having problems with thread breaking while embroidering so I had my machine cleaned and tuned up about 6 months ago. It was working fine until i tried to FMQ for the first time. I think I finally figured out how to set the machine up. I had so much fun today quilting and the thread didn't break once. The only problem I had was running out of bobbin thread! Just hope the Brother Disney can handle all this quilting.

If you bought yours in 2001 as well, we definitely have the same machine. I've only used the embroidery once on it and only did SITD quilting on it until I bought my longarm. Has your bobbin case ever been changed out? Last time I got mine cleaned, they said the bobbin case was worn out.

I can't remember which YouTube video I watched that went through explaining which needles to use, but she recommended using a top stitching needle for doing FMQ. Not sure why.