I know nobody’s looking but...
 

Is there anyone out there that has perfect tension on the back? With my new midarm, the top stitches are perfect. The bobbin stitches are fine. They’re good but I can still see the upper thread showing through even with very reduced tension. I can live with this for sure but I’m curious to know if anyone out there has the perfect balance of tension on the front and back at the same time? And I know most people don’t care what the back looks like, but I’d love to know.

Are you keeping you top and bobbin threads close in color and value. I will not quilt for someone if they insist on something like white on top with red bobbin. Increasing your top tension slightly may solve it. Change in Very small increments and write down every change so you have a record. Remember changes in thread & batting will change tension requirements as well. I put a dot on my tension knob and keep a notebook listing how many turns less or more I need for each type of thread. I rarely change bobbin tension. Superior threads sells a gauge that tells you your bobbin tension. I use 3 different threads for bobbins. I have a separate bobbin case for each type. I used the bobbin tester to change them all to the same setting. Now when I change thread I only have to adjust top thread.

Wow that's amazing! What do you think about this on the back side? Am I being unrealistic or is this normal? It really didn't change on either 5.75 or 3.25 for the upper loop tension. I know the bobbin tension is good, they just set the machine up today and she showed me. Of course at the time I didn't think to look at the bottom tension but now it looks off to me, regardless of if the upper tension is tight or loose. Thoughts?

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Will you post a picture of the top side, too,?

And here is the top thread...

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I used a thread from Superior Thread that I have never used before and getting the tension set properly was an absolute nightmare! When I would get it where it needed to be and everything looked good I would start quilting and then it was off again. I almost gave up but finally it worked! Ripping stitches is no fun, not when sewing or quilting. I was taught to use 2 different colors so you know exactly where the problem is but sometimes that's impossible. Hope you post pictures of the top stitches.

Considering the colors your working with I think it looks fine. Sometimes when you have a picture that makes it look like the stitches are gigantic it's really hard to see the pokies but like I said with these colors I personally think it is fine. Is this your quilt or a customer quilt?

Nope, just me. But it's a new machine and I'm not sure what's normal and what's not. I'm absolutely not at any point soon entering a quilt show, but I have a feeling this wouldn't fly. I just want to make sure my new machine is in order and what to expect. The top is great, just the bottom seems out of whack. I'm curious what your thoughts are...

Pokies happen even with perfect tension, which is why many quilters, myself included, use the exact same color thread on both top and in bobbin.

I have read, and have not checked it out, that the pokies disappear into the sandwich when the quilt is washed.

I usually try to use the same color value thread on top and bottom. Plus I find though while quilting I may see the little dot of the thread from below, once I've washed the quilt, they seem to disappear. Most times I rarely have issues with tension. When I ordered my Innova I ordered their upgraded upper tension system and I've never looked back. These days I'm trying out different types of threads so worried I may have issues but the last quilt I used a 70wt polyester on top and a cotton 50wt in the bobbin and was pleasantly surprised I didn't have tension issue. Not one thread break either.

Little Dentist ... wow, you moved fast in getting your new machine! Nice! :)

I'm with you that not seeing those pokies is important, with the underside looking as good as the top.
The concept being, that the two threads meet right in the middle ... thus no pokies!

Sometimes running your fingernail over the pokies, (kind of like scratching the fabric),
can help bury them.

What I am surprised is that your dealer set up your machine in your home,
yet they did not check that it was stitching properly???
That does not bode well (in my mind).

To me, should have been part of the set up ...
... and they should make good on that with a return trip to ensure it is good from the get-go.

A midarm uses a larger needle than a domestic, so it makes a bigger hole as it sews through the quilt. From your picture, it looks to me like you can see the top thread, but it isn't actually poking through to the bottom. If that's the case, the holes will close up with time or washing, and the dots will disappear.

I know I found that a bit troubling the first time I longarmed, but that's how my instructor explained it, and she was right. This happens especially if your fabric is lighter or more loosely woven. Try quilting a little sample, throwing it in the wash, and seeing if the problem persists.

I agree that doesn't look how I would want.

Are you using the same type of thread top and bottom? With my friends long arm we got much better results with prewound bobbins of a different thread weight (lighter) than we used on top. We never could get her machine to wind a decent bobbin either while running or not.

I have a vintage Pfaff that is my go-to machine for costuming and fancy threads/fabrics but I could never get it to do a decent quilt stitch. Oh the piecing was find but no, couldn't get the stitches to meet in the middle despite hours/weeks/months of fiddling.

But yes, a lot of that does get sucked in during the wash/dry process. I'd try the do a sample and wash it and see how it looks. Also try a couple of different battings with your settings the same and see how they react.

I have an older Singer Quantum and it doesn't matter if I use black thread on top and white thread in bobbin. You can't see any pokies at all. It sews a perfect straight stitch. My other machines I have, a Bernina, Brother, other vintage Singers (includig Featherweight) and Janome do not have this perfect stitch. I guess what I'm saying is if Singer got it right with one model of machine why can't the 'best' machines for quilting get it right too.

Thanks, ladies. They did not actually check the bobbin stitch when they set it up and I was obviously too excited to check. 👎🏻 I tried quilting on a giant practice sandwich with double batting and it was the exact same thing. I will wash the tiny practice quilt but I’m willing to bet the dealer isn’t going to be of much help. This was the floor model...but I will def ask. You know when you get a slight sinking feeling...it’s there.

You will work this out! As I suggested, try a different weight bobbin thread.

Also, many times floor models are set up with a test sandwich... did they send that with the machine and does it look like yours?

Lol I hope so! They did. I have it but there’s white in the upper and lower thread for most of it. I can try another weight in the bobbin but I think it’s standard. Although now I’m not sure what they used...

It's not a bad stitch, but not the best stitch. I always go back to the roots of machine sewing. If there is a problem on the bottom, then it's the top thread tension that needs to be adjusted. If the problem is on the top, then the bottom is off....most often due to poor winding of the thread. I am one of the ones that do not adjust my bobbin tension. I just am not that good. Try adding a bit more tension to the top until you get the stitch you want. If that's not possible, then use the same color top and bottom and it won't be nearly as visible.

I've found with my LA - if I have the bottom tension set correctly (and I use a gauge) and it seems that no matter how tight I put the top tension it's still showing on the bottom - -I have my quilt too tight on the frame and need to loosen it a click or two.

I've learned to run my finger along the bottom, and if I feel the top thread, then I need to adjust. I learned from watch videos that the top thread will sink down just a hair when the quilt is off the frame.

The main thing you want to avoid is having the thread laying on one side or the other. If it's like this, one break and you can pull the thread right out of the loops. As long as there is some indent on both the top and the bottom it's not so bad.

I started paying a lot of attention to other quilts done on LA by demonstrators, and have found most of them have "OK" tension, and have seen plenty of display items that have tension I wouldn't consider "acceptable" so I've gotten a lot more forgiving and no longer try to get the tension as perfect as I get it on my regular sewing machines.

To me your stitches on the back are looking too flat (if you know what I mean). I would tighten the top tension a bit. I always use the same color thread top and bottom; I think because of the larger holes, you will always see the contrasting color even with balanced tension.

Yes! I agree completely. I can try to play around with it but even at really high or really low tension, it doesn't seem to make much difference. :( I could be more forgiving, but I actually don't think they don't right. I mean, I'll live. But it would be nice to figure out what's going on!

Same here. I have a q'nique 21 that I have had no problems with. Used Superior thread on it for the first time. I managed to get through one quilt, but it was a chore. Started another, and more problems, so removed the superior thread. Fortunately, I hadn't gone far, so it was not too much work.

Back to Connecting Threads polyester. Doing fine.

It sounds to me like you would benefit from getting a Towa guage for your bobbin case. If the tension is not improving when you adjust the top, then you need to get that little screwdriver out and adjust the bobbin, from your photo it looks too tight. Do not be afraid to adjust your bobbin tension. While I prefer to use similar colored threads in both top and bottom, sometimes I simply don't want that and am forced to use highly contrasting threads for the look I want on both front and back.

I have read all of the comments and I am forced to say that I do not think it is possible not to have the "winkies".I have adjusted the tension to where it is perfect on the sample. Yet when I go to actually quilt, the "winkies" appear. Solved the problem by always closely matching top and bottom thread. Hope you can have better success and I wish you luck.

I recently quilted something on my Brother PQ1500 and used two different serger threads (yes, serger threads - so far I am liking them) and I didn't have any pokies on either side and I forgot to lower the feed dogs and didn't do anything with the tension settings. maybe I just got lucky, but that machine is really nice.

The top always seems to be perfect no matter what. And unless the tension is set to really tight or really loose, I notice zero difference in the bobbin. In other words, there is no chance of a perfect tension. Maybe perfect is unattainable, I just had higher hopes for a machine of this quality. I don’t want to ruin the excitement of having this great machine, and if it has to be this way I’ll survive. But no matter what fiddling I do, nothing really changes.

I would also try different size/type needles and different combos of various threads. Maybe you will find one that works the best.

I think you are being too hard on yourself. There is definitely a learning curve with any change in machines of every type. Enjoy the experience of getting to know your machine. Do not, I repeat do not be afraid to adjust the tension, that is how you get to know your machine and are able to run it optimally. I notice you have dark thread in the top and light thread in the bobbin. Nearly every machine on the market has to be adjusted to be able to get a "perfect" stitch with this contrast, many never attain it. Most longarm quilters always match the top and bottom thread for this very reason. I would not get very much work done if I had to spend an hour adjusting tensions for contrasting thread in top and bottom for every quilt I quilt. All that being said I am sharing a link for Jamie Wallen's YT video on adjusting tension. It works for about every machine and many quilters have had lots of success using his method, I know I did. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q1mRhcquZTM

Did I miss what machine you have? All machines are not the same. I have an APQS and I have to say that I have only had one instance of having tension trouble and I almost never use the same color thread or brand top and bottom, and I don't adjust tension for each quilt or thread. You should not see pokies. If there is nothing wrong with the machine, you should be able to adjust the top tension to not see black dots on white thread no matter how big the needle! Call the people you bought it from and see what can be done. You still have a warranty for a while yet; get satisfaction or you will never be happy with this machine. Even if it's operator error at least find out.
BTW, on my machine a slight turn does not affect the tension. It requires at least one full revolution to start changing. I think this machine is the only one I've ever heard requires this. I don't mean to imply that this is what you need to do. Although I have heard it said to tighten the tension too tight and adjust it down until tension is good, testing between each adjustment. If I ever had to do this and didn't reach good tension really soon, I would likely give up quilting. I don't have that kind of patience. My name is Jan, not Job.;) I hope you get this resolved favorably. There is nothing like seeing good tension using two colors.

It’s a Bernina q20. I just went to try it and on this last go, set the upper tension to 5 and It seemed the most ideal. But I can def tell the top stitch from the backside stitch. Can you guys tell the difference between the top and the bottom stitch? Are there any photos of anyone else’s bobbin stitches? So curious.

I quilt on a vintage machine and it has a lovely stitch, but yes, I can still tell the top thread from the bottom, even when my tension is ready right. Congratulations on your new machine!

don't be afraid to adjust your tension both on top and bobbin. I use a Towa gauge for each bobbin--even if the same thread, sometimes I find that I wind the bobbin just a little different--especially when I'm switching between colors. I prefer to adjust the bobbin and leave the 2 tops tensioners on my Gammill alone. But some threads to require I make a top adjustment too. I recently used Magnifico (Superior, like Glide) for first time and really had to loosen the intermediate tensioner. Check the Bernina website for video tutes and also sign up for the Bernina FB page for more help from folks that own the same machine.

On my longarm, I can't use different colored threads on top and bottom. It just never looks right. But I can make it look good on my little Bernina.

I have a brother PQ1500 on a SR2 grace frame. I use different colored top and bottom threads a lot. Here is a pic of the Top and bottom. Orange is top with orange thread, teal is bottom with white thread. Same weight thread. You can see the tension is pretty set so you don't get color on the wrong side. There is a slight peek of the orange on the back but only with the enlarged pic to the naked eye you can't really see it.

Wow, Oreo, those are some beauties!

Your tension is fine. You are supposed to see “the ball headed man” when you have different colors top and bottom. I have a Gammill Statler and I keep my bobbin loose enough that it drops like a rock when I hold the thread up. This has worked for me for 15 years. Any tension adjustments are always made with the top tension.

Jan, I must say you are very fortunate to have such success with your longarm if you rarely ever have to adjust tension. I have an Innova and I rarely ever adjust tension except when I want to use different thread top and bottom.

Update. I winded a new bobbin, did check and tweak the tension on it and it seemed much better. I think I’m getting the hang of it finally. I guess you really do have to get to know your machine and probably calm down a little. Maybe some wine. 🤪 The adventures continue!

pewa88, yes, I think I am because I have heard some tension horror stories! I started from the beginning using two colors when I first got the LA 11 years ago. APQS prided themselves on a machine that didn't require a lot of tweeking on every quilt, and had a beautiful stitch, and almost went in a straight line by itself. I'm sure there were some lemons in the bunch, as with any machine, car, etc. I don't know how they are now since I haven't needed service in 11 years(and am not looking to upgrade) but once a few months ago for an encoder wire that was $10. And all that took was a phone call.

littledentist, so glad things are working out. Quilt on!!!!!