Machine keeps making tiny, tiny stitches. What should I do? Aurora 440
 

Today I started the quilting on my husband's birthday quilt. I did the first round of stabilizing stitches around the perimeter of the quilt. Everything was fine. Then at just about the end, the little oil can light came on (indicating cleaning and oiling). I finished up and then cleaned and oiled the machine. Ran it with no thread and then rethreaded and did a test swatch. No problems.

I start with the vertical sashing in the center and I continue to get these tiny, tiny stitches. As if something is catching. I take the quilt out, try again same thing. Rethread top and bobbin. Same thing.

I am using my walking foot with stitch-in-the-ditch foot but this is not the first quilt I've done using this and I've never had this problem. What else can I check/try?

Check for piece of thread caught somewhere: bobbin area, tension disc, or even the walking foot. Hope that helps and it's not something more ominous. Use some scrap fabric to try it out.

Have you tried changing the needle?

I know you said that you did a test swatch right after oiling and re-threading and that everything was okay. Did you do a test swatch a second time after having problems on the quilt, and was that test swatch good again? If so, I agree that it sounds like something on the quilt is catching or hanging heavy and that the material is not being allowed to feed freely. JMHO :-). I hope someone here can help you.

I'd go back and check everything one more time. It is probably some little something that you over looked. Have you pulled your feeddog plate off and cleaned there. Lint collects under there too and when there is enough buildup, it won't let the feed dogs work properly which messes up your stitches.

Did you accidently reset your stitch length? May sound simple, but I have done it.

When my walking foot 'hangs up' on a thick spot (multi-layer seam for instance) it does that. It happens as you gat past the seam and the back side of the foot does not move forward correctly.

My Brother machine did that. Then it started to stitch backwards! Anyway, I returned it for another and it has been great. Make sure there is nothing down in the bobbin area-thread, broken needle part, etc.-and hopefully you won't be looking for a new machine.

Ok..when I first started on the first set of stitches I began with a new Microtex needle and 50wt thread. Then I did the cleaning, under the throat plate, ran a thin sheet of paper through the tension disks all clear.

I just changed to a topstich needle because I did read that sometimes a heavier needle is better for the thicker layers. New needle and I changed to a 40wt thread. It does feel like the foot or quilt is catching on somehting but I can't feel what. I also unthreaded and rethreaded the top and bobbin again. Still catching.

I tried to duplicate the problem with a test swatch using heavy muslin and the same batting. Stitches still small, so I took off the walking foot and tried with a regular foot. Stitches are perfect now. I took off the sole on the walking foot and reinstalled it. It seems to be working a bit better. I will check the pressure foot setting.

Thanks for the suggestions!