I sew on a Bernina 1008 (mechanical machine) and having trouble with invisible thread breaking inside the machine and the thread getting tighter and tighter as it feeds through the machine until it breaks. Anyone has a solution to this problem, let me know.
Just had the machine serviced last month.

You must go very, very, very slow with invisible thread. Try winding a bobin; it's even worse. It's not the machine.

Is it the top thread you are having the problem with? sounds like its just not passin through the tension discs. Try adjusting your tension right off, and perhaps if its a mechanical dial a little spray of silicone between them. That works for me. Or, even fix up a litl cloth that has been sprayed with silicone that teh thread can pass through, thus getting a coating of it on the way through....does that make sense?

I'm not an expert of invisible thread....but I believe it all about upper tension or the lack thereof.

I've heard it's easier to use regular thread in the bobbin and invisible in the top although I made something one time with it in both. I reduced the upper tension and did sew slowly. I kept telling myself I sewing slowly I was still sewing faster than hand sewing. It worked.

I used to have problems using the invisible thread. It would break no matter which tension I used. I would sort of unwind from the spool in between stopping and starting sewing. My machine has the thread unwind from the spool while in the horizontal(sideways)position. I turned the spool the verticle(upright) position and problem solved. I also use cotton thread on the bottom. Invisible thread on the bobbin caused problems and headaches

I've used invisible thread a lot, and as long as you do adjustments to the thread tension, you will be fine. Try it on scraps and fiddle with the tension until you like the look of the stitches. Also make sure the thread isn't getting hung up on something outside the machine... sometimes mine has gotten caught on the slit in the end of the thread spool where the thread was secured when it was purchased.

Dumb question here.....when/why do you use invisible thread?

Just curious......


Thanks!!!!!

I use it when I want the piecing to be the star, not the quilting.

I use invisable thread alot . A couple of things the top tension typically has to be adjusted way down. I use a very small needle 70/10 , this even works on thick batting. I use alot of invisable thread so I buy it on a cone , and using the thread holder stand really helps to get the tension relaxed before the tension discs. I had the most trouble using it on the machine spool pegs. It just did not want to unwind or theh spool move.
All brands of invisable thread are not made the same. Some have so much static in them it is nothing but frustrating. I have the best luck ( I need to make almost no adjustments in tension) is from Prim/dritz. This particular brand , is one that I can use on all of my different machines and have success. I get it from a catolog company called Home Sew.
Using invisable in the top and bobbin is really frustrating. I recomend only using it on the top.

I guess I'm the odd one (or lucky) as I've never had a problem using invisable thread. I don't even have to adjust the top tension. I don't use it in the bobbin as winding it stretches it too much, but I do sew slow. It could be the brand you are using. I don't know what brand I have. Sorry I can't be of any help :)

I just started a quilt this morning with Sulky polyester, it's so soft and fine, like baby hair! hard to thread because it's so hard to see and you can't feel it at all, so far I love it.

I have 3 spools of invisible thread that I bought with the intension of using it for quilting. I tried it and had nothing but problems. I just changed my mind and went with something else. Problem solved.

The brand of thread can make an enormous difference. The only type I have sewed with on my Bernina is YLI brand, which I think is .003mm thick (about same thickness as a strand of fine hair). This type of thread has more stretch than regular thread, so it is necessary to loosen the top tension. When winding a bobbin, use only a metal bobbin (plastic bobbins) can distort, wind slowly to prevent stretching, and underfill the bobbin. With all of this, I can use YLI invisible thread in both top and bobbin without problems.

I ws told never to put invisible thread in the bobbin but I too have had trouble with thread breaking. I will try the 'go slow' part. That might be my problem. Many times I wish I could have used the invisible thread and then remembered all the trouble I've had. I even used the superior quality invisible thread to no avail. Thanks for all of your advice!

I use invisible thread a great deal. I really have very little problems with it. My dealer instructed me to not use it in the bobbin. I have a Viking 630. I have read that hand winding is best because it will not stretch the thread as machine winding does. Also, if you are having trouble threading the needle because you can't see the thread, I often run a magic marker over the end. That you can see. Works for me.

Funny story (funny now, not then) about using invisible thread in the bobbin the first time I tried it. You know how sometimes when you wind bobbins, if you're not careful, the thread will start winding around the bobbin-winder shaft instead of on the bobbin? Yup. By the time I realized what was happening, I had a bunch of that invisible thread wound around that shaft. It was so tightly wound that I spent a couple of hours cutting and unwrapping thread from the machine. I never tried to use it in the bobbin again.

I've used invisible thread in my Bernina's with no problems. I used the Sulky and it's the only Sulky my machines like. I used it in top and bobbin for sewing free standing lace together.

I went to a class on thread that was put on by Babylock. The rep said that invisible thread has to be rested. I put mine in the back of my machine in a small what use to be an ashtray, and then thread it through the machine. I have very little breakage this way. Also when it does break you should go at least a foot away from the break and cut that off, because the thread is damaged that far up. Hope this makes sense, because it does work.

What kind of invisible thread do you use? I use Invisifil and it is wonderful. It is the same size as regulaer thread (not fine like baby hair) and I fill the bobbin with it the same as regular thread. I've never had a problem with it. I used Invisifil to FMQ this table topper.

(Fingers crossed here - this is the first time I have tried to post a picture. Here goes.........)

I don't use it in the bobbin, and I put the spool in a heavy coffee cup behind the sewing machine. I still don't understand why this works, but it does.

Try using a thread stand with YLI and you should have all problems solved

OH!!!! Let me tell you! If it is invisible how can you see it to do anything?! That's my problem.lol

Only use YLI and make sure you turn you tension way down. I use it all the time with no problems. I even use it top and bottom.

I had that problem when quilting w/ polyester invisible thread. It would stretch and break. Switched to YLI nylon thread and the problem went away. Harriet Hargrave, in her book Heirloom Quilting, advises against using invisible thread in the bobbin, she recs cotton thread in the bobbin.

Ohoh, I have some scars with that thread!! A girlfriend of mine who also quilts warned me about the invisible thread as she was telling me that I had to use it on a project. It worked. . .after it jammed my bobbing winder on my sewing machine. Yeah, and that little winder has never managed to work since then. I have since gotten a new sewing machine, which is more expensive than the other one, and probably will never have invisible thread run through it either. I'm sorry I don't have any particular advice for it, as it's just the nature of that type of thread from my experience. Sorry I couldn't be of more help. :?

Invisablethread requires little to no upper tension. If you use it in the bobbin,either wind very slowly or hand wind.I use it on my quilting machine all the time.I like to see the pattern of the quilt instead of the thread.

I use invisible thread on top and cotton or polyester in the bobbin. I use it to stitch in the ditch to anchor a quilt top to the batting and backing before I do FMQ (free motion quilting).

My Bernina Activa sews best with it when I put the spool in a little jar beside the machine and run the thread through a hole in the side of an empty bobbin that I put on the thread spindle. Before I did it this way, the thread would tangle or get caught on something.

I think everyone has just about hit it. To recap...

Invisible Thread Trouble Shooting

1. Good Quality Invisible (Polyester MonoPoly) .004 or thinner. Inspect the thread, is it fine like a hair - that is good. Does it have bumps (indicates it was wound too tight) - that is bad.
2. Try a couple of different types of thread - cotton or cotton/poly in the bobbin.
4. Test the top tension. Very important. Tension dialed way down could mean "0" tension. On my older Bernina I sew at less than zero or as far as the dial will turn.
3. Try the Invisible MonoPoly on the spool pin, if it jerks or "over spins" place it in a jar and create a threading eye on the top of the machine near the spool pin (you can tape a safety pin upside down and thread through its hole).
4. Moderate your sewing speed. I sew at half speed for the best results.
5. If necessary try Sewers Aid to help reduce friction. I place a drop on the last metal contact point before the thread enters the needle. (I don't find this necessary with MonoPoly, but do need it with some of the specialty metallic threads.)
6. And oh yes, thread the "finger" on your bobbin if it has one.

I do alot of free motion quilting on my Bernina 1260 using invisible thread. No problem. Wind the bobbin as usual, they thread it thru the little hole (don't know what it's called) no problem.

Thanks to everyone for giving me ideas on what to try. I will try everything until I find something that works. I use the thread only on the top, never in the bobbin.

Personally I detest using invisible thread and my Berninas don't like it much either. I managed to break one of my Viking bobbins(plastic) winding invisible thread on to it.
I much prefer cotton threads.
Just my 2 cents.

How can you secure the invisible thread when starting and stopping? If I sew two or three stiches in place, I get little knots.

i was having same problems with invisible thread so i checked with my local quilt shop today and they told me to lower my upper tension, use cotton/poly on bobbin, place my spool on tall thread holder fastened to back of my machine and go SLOW! Solved my problems

I use invisible thread for quilting alot. Since I am not that good at machine quilting it hides alot. Sometimes if the thread is old it doesnt want to work. I have used it in the bobbin but once in awhile it breaks and you cant find it. Also a metallic needle can help plus putting it on a spool pin thats not sideways helps. Jean

Lots of good answers already. Do remember that not all invisible thread is created equal. I like SewArt Int. (nylon) because it has a matte finish. Superior's Monopoly is great and the Sulky Polyester invisible is also pretty good. Haven't used YLI or the others, and avoid the stuff that feels like fishing line. <G>
Do be careful when you use nylon invisible. It doesn't stand up as well to heat. Story: I used to work as an alterations tailor in a major department store. We used an industrial blind hem machine and gigantic cones of nylon invisible thread to hem pants.
Someone came in and needed the hems put back in their pants because the thread "disappeared" in the dryer. <G>

So it can happen if you aren't careful.

But I do love using invisible to quilt with for all the reasons given.

Have fun,
Pati, in Phx

What brand of invisible thread are you using? I had trouble with Coats & Clark after they went to the new pink spools, the thread will wind itself around the thread spindle, and tighten and break. I have switched to YLI, on a spool shaped like a little silo, a little more expensive, but has 1500 yds on the "silo", and doesn't have that problem at all. If you have a lot of C&C spools that cause problems, I found a product called Baby net, that is netting to use on cones of thread. They are long, so cut one in thirds, and slip over the thread spool, and it will stop that annoying breakage.

Sie

Ohhh, good idea on the thread net, I hadn't thought about that.

You might try using "lingere" thread in the bobbin. I use it when playing with the shiney Sulkey sliver metalics. There is some give and there is less breakage. It has a soft feel so is soft against the skin hence, lingere.

First invisible thread I used was Coats and Clark and had nothing but breakage. YLI works fine in my Pfaff, either in the bobbin or on top. First I do trial stitching runs on a quilt sandwich using the backing and top fabrics and batting until I have the stitch length and tension I want. May in Jersey

PS. Like the idea someone posted about unthreading the invisible thread into an ashtry to get the kinks out, sounds like a good idea.

Call where you bought your machine and they will tell you what to do. For my Bernina I just turn the tension to 2 and have no problems