Near tears. Please help
 

I have a brand new Brother PQ 1500 SL. It straight stitches great. When I try to fmq or use a ruler, it consistently skips stitches. This has been going on for days and I don’t know if it’s me or her. I’ve used aurifil 50 wt and coats and cotton that is straight wound. I’ve used a size 14 and a size 16 needle. I’ve cleaned, rethreaded, etc. I’m using a Dreamstitch High shank ruler.

I'm sorry I don't know your exact machine but I understand the frustrations!

Did the machine ever work correctly for you? I know you have already done the obvious but when I have the sort of thing where "it was all working just fine the other day" that a really thorough cleaning of the bobbin casing and general area can magically make things better. Even a new needle can have a flaw, or we can create the same flaws by our actions and motions.

I describe my Bernina as cranky and notice that it seems to really be impacted by humidity changes. There are days when I can just sit down and sew (which is what I expect) and days when that is simply not going to happen. Even when all I want to do is straight stitch, sometimes I work with my zigzag to get the tensions right for that, and then switch and see if it holds for the straight stitch.

What is the fabric/project like? I find I get a lot of skipped stitches on batiks and finely woven fabrics and get better results with a microtex point, other than that I use universal needles but do go up to 14+ for the quilting. This year I have a lot of tops ready to go and I will be trying different types of needles to see if I can tell much difference.

Have you done fmq and ruler work before? umm...just trying to think. The aurifil thread is cross wound so it should be on the horizontal thread shaft with the thread coming off the top I believe, the Coats and clark I believe is straight wound so that should be on the vertical spool shaft. Do you have foam pads on the spool shafts also? Those make the threads unwind smoother I believe. With the ruler, make sure you are not pushing the ruler against the needle as that will deflect the needle slightly and throw the timing off a tad because of the needle deflection and that will cause a skipped stitch. I assume you do not have stitch regulator on your machine? You might want to try either slowing down how fast you are moving the fabric or speeding up your machine. If you are moving your fabric too fast and the machine is stitching too slowly, it may mean your needle does not have time to clear the fabric before it is moved too far away and the needle ends up getting deflected again causing a broken thread or a skipped stitch. similar, if you stop moving the fabric to think about where you are going, make sure you stop the machine too or it will stitch in place, make a knot and break. Again, I don't know if you have experience with fmq sorry if I am saying things you already know. It takes practice to fmq.
Do you have a ruler foot on the machine?

I have two of those machines. The ruler foot itself makes things tricky. The foot has to be just the Right distance from the fabric sandwich. I tried the Westalee foot and could never get it adjusted properly. Then I got the two piece Janome set for their high shank. I think it is a 1600. You need the two part set. No more skipped stitches. But ruler work does need some practice.

I too thought of the height of the foot, and although I don't have that particular machine I know several Janome parts will fit Brother machines.

Thanks everyone! I’ve been at this for more than a decade with multiple machines, but this is the first one that has not been computerized. I will try all the different tips and report back I will definitely look into the Janome 2 piece foot.

I've found that a polyester thread behaves better than cotton, when doing free-motion or ruler work.

Do you have the thread through all three holes on the thread guide? Sometimes I use 2, sometimes 3. That seems to make a difference. Otherwise, if the top and bottom tension are OK with the normal foot, you might need to move the ruler foot a tad closer to the top. My Janome 1600P was a struggle until I got the adjustable ruler foot. And it only likes polyester thread.

it is a big adjustment going from a standard domestic to a high speed straight stitch only. Each of my machine can be used to do FMQ or ruler work, but each has its own quirks.

The foot should just skim the fabric as it goes through, otherwise you will get skipped stitches or even broken thread.

Watson

I also have that machine and while I haven't done much fmq at all, I did find playing with the three-hole guide made some difference, as did choosing a stronger thread. Still not perfect but I know most of that is my inexperience.

I've found my Juki seems to like Glide thread better than others for FMQ

I have the Brother 1500 PS I use the three hole bar for a thread guide, not for tension. I use one hole to guide the thread. The other holes are for specialty threads that need more help. A Brother tech told me this and said it wasn't addressed properly in the manual. Brother sure didn't spend any money on the manual I got with my machine. Very vague and basic.

Oh and never ever use a metal bobbin that has the open holes around it. Don't use plastic bobbins. That is true for most one stitch machines like Brother 1500 and Juki. A wrong bobbin will cause havoc and can cause damage. I know, I had my repaired twice by a dealer repairman that didn't know this and was blaming it on user error. A Juki tech said it was basic info every repairman should know.

the metal bobbin with the holes is for the high speed industrial, and if you are sewing fast it really helps to keep the bobbin cooler having the holes.

The tech told me the holes will cause the machine to damage the hook. I had to have two replaced because of using the holy bobbins. The repair guy kept saying I did something, well I did, I used the wrong bobbin but he didn't know or didn't bother to tell me. Cost a lot for repair and he got the fee twice. The third time the tech was there and saw the problem right off.

My Bernina 630,440, and 215 all came with metal bobbins with holes in the sides. I was told never to use any other bobbins for my machines. I think the best thing to do, is to use the bobbins that came with your machine, and if you need more, buy them for your specific machine. I have never used the generic type bobbins sold by chain stores. Sure, they may cost more, but I figure I same money and time. That said, it is possible you could get a warped bobbin or even create a warped one by dropping it on the floor.