Oh my!
 

You ladies are gonna get sick of me. I'm using my new machine, the Brother 420PRW, but when I use the automatic scissors they'd still a 2" tail left on! Ugh, what am I doing wrong?

Wish I could help you but my Bernina is too old to have an automatic cutter. I am too old to learn the new gimmicks that they are putting on the newer machines. I am sure someone on this board can help you.

Thank you!

My BL Decorator's Choice auto thread cutter leaves a smaller tail, but I don't use the cutter anymore. The threads are too difficult for me to grasp to pull them up so I can hold the tails when starting a new line of stitching.

Don't know if you purchased this from a dealer or not. I know my technician can adjust the cut length, but I have a different brand.

What paper princess said...also, gramajo if you use your thread cutter, you should not have to grab those tails to begin sewing again. Just make sure your threads are behind the foot when beginning....just as they would be if you were holding them.

Don't have a Bernina myself, but I don't use my thread cutter either - unless I'm doing embroidery work, then it cuts automatically anyway.

my thread cutter leaves about 2" tails too (Baby Lock Espire). I usually just leave them and haven't noticed any problems doing this. Sometimes I do clip them, though I can't remember why I do it. I love my thread cutter - no more messy clipped thread endings to clean up!

I wouldn't want 2" thread tails left! That's way too much. If you use a cutter and then pull the threads that defeats the purpose of the cutter. My cutter leaves about 1/4" tails. I don't have to pull the threads up and back, just start sewing. No bird nests or thread tangles at all. I have a Brother 1500. The auto thread cutter saves a lot of thread.

There are pros and cons about automatic thread cutters. The 1/4inch tails are fine if piecing but not nice looking on back of quilts (after FMQ). 2-inch tails would be great for burying between layers. Perhaps the manufacturer went with two-inch tails to avoid the stitches coming apart at the end of seams?

I have a Janome with a thread cutter and I use it when I'm piecing but otherwise not because I want to be able to tie and bury threads when I'm quilting. The tails left on for mine are really two lengths. The ending length is quite short but the threads left when I begin to sew again are longer because they have to reach from the needle to where they've been cut under the throat plate. I don't see how they could be around 1/4" since it is farther from the needle to the thread cutter than that. As for pulling them up to start sewing again I don't do that because they are held in place enough to just start with no problems. Thread cutters are nice in some situations and not so much in others.

gramajo - you shouldn't have to pull up your threads before starting to sew after you've used the scissor button. It may need some adjusting. Check with your dealer. I use mine all the time and have about only 1/4 inch tail left after it's cut with the scissor button. I have a Janome. Hope you can get it to work the way it should as you will like it then.

My Viking's auto-cutter cuts the bobbin thread too short so I have to bring it up each time. Not worth using. I just use the cutter on the side.

The auto needle down has to be selected, that keeps the thread the same length starting and finishing. Machines with auto thread cutters states in the manuals that the auto needle should be engaged. At least the ones I have do and the tech/repair told me to be sure to engage the auto needle down or problems can happen.

My Viking D1 leaves a 2" tail too so that may be what they all do.

Hey Kelly,
I have the PC420. It is normal to have a tail after using the automatic cutter. When you push the button to have the thread automatically cut, the needle goes down (if it was stopped in the up position) bringing the threads to the back and then cuts them. It doesn't matter whether you've programmed the needle to stop in up or down position. When you hit the thread cutter button it automatically puts the needle in the down position to bring the threads to the back.

On my PC420 this leaves two tails measuring around an inch or inch and a half on the wrong side of my fabric. When starting a new seam, there is a tail about the same length left on the top side of the fabric.

Rob

My new Bernina leaves about a 2in tail on top and maybe a 1/2" tail under the fabric. I stop my machine and trim the tail on top as I go. The back side can get pretty messy if the tail is stitched all over. I can turn the scissors off on my machine. Maybe yours can be turned off too.

Here is picture of my thread tails. I did a fast stitch on single strip of fabric so the tension is not right for the fabric but you can see the tails. I enlarged the picture 200%.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]541814[/ATTACH]

I also have a brother, and I believe they are left that long for quilters who like to bury the tails after quilting. I am not sure if that length can be adjusted. Call a local dealer and ask?

My Babylock leaves 1/4" long tails. Maybe your machine can be adjusted.

My Brother SQ9000 has a cutter. I have never used it. Is there a reason you are not wanting to use scissors?

I have a Janome 6600 and a Janome 3160QDC that both have thread cutters, they both leave around 1/4" tails on the back.

I don't use it when I'm quilting, so I can have longer tails. But for the most part, I LOVE that little button! I bought my 3160 specifically because I wanted my portable machine to have that button too. I do a lot of foundation-pieced crazy quilts and that button is VERY handy for that task.

I don't hold my tails after using the thread cutter, it's not necessary on either of my machines. Janome did a good job making sure you could just start sewing again after using it.

I have several vintage machines I use too so sometimes my habits get mixed up and I'll start trying to find the scissor cut button on the old machines, or start trying to find tails to grab on the newer machines. Then if I use my old Kenmore that has a handwheel that goes the opposite direction I get REALLY mixed up!

I don't know. I'd check with the dealer.