Need Help!!! thread is shredding
 

I have a Brother Nouvelle1500S that I have quilted many items on.Suddenly the thread is shredding and breaks.I have tried everything to no avail.Changed needles numerous times,adjusted tension,tried different thread,cleaned thouroughly ,,doing nothing different than I always did and never had a problem. It quilts about 10 inches and breaks.No burrs on anything...Please can someone help!! I lost my hubby recently and decided quilting again would be theraputic,now my machine won't work. There is no where near here to repair them,and I can't afford sending it to the factory,especially when it seems like a small problem.It straight sews beautifully.(Yes,I had my dogs lowered).Thank you in advance!

Is the thread different than when you quilted before? Have you change it? That has happened to me before on the longarm machine. Finished a quilt, no problem. Changed the thread color to match the other quilt and it began..shredding and breaking, cleaned out the bobbin area, changed the needle, rethreaded the machine...finally changed the thread, same color just another spool and everything just fine... Who knows why

My machine likes to have the thread in a horizontal position rather than vertical for free motion quilting. Doesn't seem to matter for straight stitching. Might be something to try. Hope you get it figured out soon. Glad to hear you are back to quilting. So sorry about your loss of your husband.

Have you tried quilting on another test sandwich? I recently had the worst time with shredding and breaking on a certain material. I still don't know why it was such a problem, but I won't use that material as backing again.

I hope you find the answer soon. I know how frustrating this can be. I'm so sorry for your loss. It is great that you turned to quilting to help get you through the grieving process and to this board for assistance.

I'm sending positive energy to your machine to knock off the hassling.

I'm wondering if the thread is the problem. Or maybe there is something caught in the tension disks that the thread is catching on.
Please accept my condolences on the loss of your husband.

You said you changed the needle. Did you change it to one of the same size? I would try a larger needle. A jeans or topstitch needle has a larger hole and can keep the thread from shredding.
Also, next time this happens, stop and examine everything before you remove the fabric and unthread. Follow the thread path to see if it is hanging up on something or has jumped the takeup lever.

I have tried numerous threads,needles etc,nothing works,,,I have quilted 100s of items on it ,it ia a quilting macine,and it was fine with what ever needle or thread I used.Im stumped.

Have you tried following your thread back after it shreds and breaks to see where it is getting hung up? Maybe if you go very, very slowly, you will be able to see where the problem is. If you haven't tried sewing with a sandwich of different fabric, I would try that. Is it possible that there is a hidden piece of lint or thread in the bobbin case or the tension disks? So sorry about your DH. Best of everything as you work through your loss.

Check your tension again. There could be something within it causing tightness in the thread after a while. Check the
spring on the tension, it may have a burr. Have you put a drop of oil[just a bit] on the bobbin holder and run it a
little.

I have a Brother pq1500s there are 3 thread quide holes. Try only using 1 & 3 skip the middle one

my friend had this problem, it was the tracks that needed a rub down, she just used batting to rub off built up dust from the previous quilt.

is your Brother a long arm? I have a long arm that hates Sulky thread--just shreds it so fast! Also, older thread sometimes frays, especially if it's cotton. Totally rethread and try the next size up needle. When my top tension is a little tight, it also can cause shredding. And I've also noticed that when I do a batik quilt, especially with batik backing, I have to loosen the roller tension to prevent threading. Good luck! So easy to get super frustrated when your machine is demented. So sorry about the loss of your husband.

If it has been raining a lot, the high humidity will uncoil the strands of the thread. I had to change to Gutterman and that stopped the problem.

I also have that machine. Same problem. I have sent to the repair man time and time again sometimes not even taking from the shop before I tried it again. Still doing it. I am sure there is some sort of burr underneath . Sews fine with straight stitching but when I try to do free motion slowly (as around a motif) it shreds. So I have sent it back yet again. Have also tried new needles (as recommended by the machine shop) new cottons. will be interesting to see what repair man has to say this time.

Doctor Bob at Superior Threads has some wonderful information about threads, tensions, etc. I would suggest that you contact Superior Threads about the problem. I use a lot of their thread and never have problems when I follow the instructions. I also am careful to clean lint out of my machine frequently. I oil the hook and race mechanism when the maintenance light comes on as well. I hope you get your problem solved soon. I am sorry for the loss of your husband. I know that turning attention to something pleasurable will ease your grief. Do you have a friend who could help you.

I had a smal burr on the edge of the hole the needle goes down thru. I used really fine sandpaper and removed it. I needed a magnifying glass to see it. Try a different brand of thread? Different type of needle? Good luck this is so frustrating.

Check your bobbin case to be sure there isn't a burr or hole in the edge of it. This is a common problem with some machines. It often happens when you break a needle. It that's the case, you can take a very, VERY, fine sandpaper and go over the burr until you can get to your dealer for a new bobbin case. This problem would definitely cause thread shredding. You may also want to watch the thread as it feed off of the spool to be sure it isn't getting hung up on something which would cause the shredding. Hope you find a fix soon.

You didn't mention the size needle you are using...try a 90/14 topstitch. That may fix your problem.

I forgot to tell you, I was in a free motion boot camp.....instructor told us to use a microtex sharp needle......started using that needle...thread instantly started shredding AND BROKE THE NEEDLE. finally, I took the spool off of the machine, was looking at the tube...there was a sticker stating the size needle to use with that thread...changed the needle...AND IT WORKED..NO ,MORE SHREDDING.

I have the Brother 1500 and the last time I FMQ with it I had the same problem. It never did this before so I know something is causing a problem. The so called dealer doesn't really give me much help as to her the machine isn't a high end sale. Keeps saying it must be user error. I sews perfectly with the walking foot or doing straight stitching.

Please accept my condolences for your loss. frustrating when you try to do something to help cope and a machine malfunctions. Don't need that kind of frustration. I have nothing in the way of ideas to help since I don't have a long arm. Hope the situation is resolved quickly. ((((Hugs))))

I have that machine too, bought used, and have been trying to figure out what the problem is. I have used a lot of different needle/thread combinations, using all the holes, two of them, running thread backwards through them, a thread stand, cones, etc. I do better with Isacord so far, as Leah Day recommends and says that she went with the Isacord because of thread breakage and said some machines just like to break thread if going in a certain direction. I also notice with my particular machine the problem is more pronounced when I move the sandwich to the left. I am trying very hard not to pull it through and I have the whole thing well supported. Someone on the Facebook pager this machine had the problem after quilting many quilts successfully and found a tiny burr in her needle hole and had some products up that I can't remember that she used to smooth things out. I haven't tried that. I clean and oil my machine regularly and it does a great straight stitch and sometimes will go for a long time without shredding/breaking the thread. So it is a mystery to me too. I do have slightly better results with the Juki open toed foot vs. either one of the two Brother feet made for this machine. Could be coincidence. I hope one of us figures it out!!

I don't know anything about the Brother machines, but found these 2 articles that maybe will help.
https://help.brother-usa.com/app/ans...ing-at-the-top
http://support.brother.com/g/b/faqen...qh00000024_000
good luck

As a wild guess, something is catching the thread on the way down. If you have changed needles, threads and cleaned machine, this is the only place it could be weakening the thread. It may be that something has tweaked or moved just a tad and is catching. If you can't see inside or take the cover off, it would be worth it to take it into a shop and asking them. I know that one time I was having a devil of a time with assorted problems and discovered a 1/4" piece of thread caught inside the bobbin area! Just about drove me nuts!!!

I agree with Tartan. If there is any pull at all I've had the same problem.

I had that same problem at one time and a larger needle fixed it.

I had the same problem on one quilt. The shop owner and I decided (after trying many different things) that the thread was wound too tight on the spool. It was every spool of that color from that manufacturer. A different brand worked fine.

I know this seems counterintuitive but try working with the feed dogs up. My machine hated working with the feed dogs down, shredded and broke thread a lot. No trouble with the feed dogs up. If it works ok FMQing with feed dogs up, next time you take it for service tell the techition to adjust the feed dogs or replace. I did so and had no more problems even with feed dogs down.

When I have trouble with thread shreading & have tried other options, I switch to a metallic needle & often times, it works. I also like Titanium needles but I always use a premium needle in my machines. We spend so much $$ on these machines but sometimes try & go on the cheap side for needles, thread etc. Never usually worth it, in the long run. Try a metallic needle, won't hurt to try one. I also make sure my machine is clean, especially in the bobbin area. Lint builds up in there so quickly or some small pieces of thread get caught up in there & causes nothing but headaches.
My sympathies with the loss of your husband. You certainly don't need other problems to add to your stress. Hope things work out & you can get back to some quality sewing.

The bottom thread cutter may need replacement. My service guy sharpens it. Just had same problem on my innovis 4500d now fixed.

It's a combo machine sewing and embroidery and even though it doesn't use the blade when sewing it still chewed the thread untill sharpened or replaced. We also replaced the needle plate because the thread rubbed and frayed

Hold the spool of thread vertical then turn it upside down. Look to see how much of a twist or curl has on the thread when it is about 8 inches off the spool. Now do it the opposite way and see how much of a twist the thread has. Place the thread back on the machine in the direction which had the least twist. This will be the way it was wound on the spool at the factory. Some machines are finicky and need to be done like this. Try adusting your upper and lower tension to get them in balance. Change your needle and hold your thread when starting to sew. Also, a little longer stitch length might help. Good luck.

One more suggestion. Are you by chance using a ruler foot? I found when I used my ruler foot that the thread quide did not keep the thread in the groove or scarf of the needle. I took a small gauge wire ( I took a twister seal and peeled off the paper) and wrapped it around the needle bar and created another thread guide. Now the thread is properly guided into the scarf and now it works like a charm.

do you think you could post a photo? Sounds intriguing.

I was hoping you would get a definitive "for sure" answer, because I am having sort of the same problem. But my machine just won't pick up the bobbin thread when I have the darning foot on. I did knock it out of alignment and when I got it back from the repair shop, it wouldn't FMQ. Getting ready to take it back to be looked at again.

But I was wondering, on yours, if there could be a problem with the spool allowing the thread to advance? Or if it gets hung up? Mine advances so hurky-jerky with the FMQ foot on, it sometimes flops out of place and gets wrapped around something that holds it firm. I know that's not right, either. In the past, I have had thread get caught by a burr on the edge of the spool.
I hope you find out what's causing it, and can correct it.
Oh, and you might check with your quilt shops and machine shops. I bet they know someone local who works on all kinds of machines.