Proud I did it myself!
 

This past Spring I bought a Singer H74 for a real deal at Tuesday Morning. It was a model made for selling on the HSN and has over 300 built in stitches, including 2 alphabets and numerics, came with a slew of feet, including a walking foot AND a cutter foot! Every time I tried using it, I could NOT get the tension right; the thread "bubbled" up on top. Called Singer help line and they "walked" me through the threading process---NOT the problem. She finally said it would be covered by warranty and the ONLY place in my state is over an hour's drive away. Or I could ship it. Neither one I wanted to do. So she gave me some info on a couple places nearby that could do the work for a charge. I knew the problem was the bobbin tension, but was afraid to play with it. Called one place and she talked me through adjusting the bobbin screw, assured me it would not invalidate the warranty, and NOW I finally have a decent looking stitch! Really proud I was able to do this! I was very intimidated by it, but so happy I can now use my machine! Next step: playing with the fancy stitches & the alphabet! Ooooooo, I can't wait to play with the cutter foot---like having a serger, but without another machine!

Good for you! and wonderful for Singer!

Happy for you....nothing like having a perfect stitch with correct tension.

congrats on adjusting it right... not easy to do :) my dealer gave me an extra bobbin case so i can adjust one and keep the other set per the factory.

Good for you for keeping at it til you got what you needed. I've been tinkering with vintage machines (only ones in pretty decent shape) and feel so "accomplished" when I get them straightened out.

Dealing with tension is something every quilter will need to deal with at one time or another. I wouldn't get too excited about a serger. that is a type of DSM that constantly need tension adjustments. I bought one when I worked at House of Fabric and walked out with a Baby Lock and I hardly ever used it. With four thread stitching, it makes a thick and bulky seam when pressing a quilt top.

Good for you! Every time I took my Janome 4900 to the dealer for its annual check-up, I would complain about the tension and the repair person would say everything was fine and don't play with the tension. Well, I finally talked to a different repair person and he told me to go ahead and try to adjust it myself. The type of fabric and the type of sewing I wish to do sometimes call for different tensions than the 'auto' mode. Now, I adjust as needed and am very happy with my machine.

A good thing someone was able to help you. I hate tension problems. I seldom have any problems with the two straight stitch only machines I use all the time. My older ones are sometimes a pain.

Woohoo! Isn't that a great feeling? And now next time, you won't be nearly as intimidated. :)

Thank you for reminding me of how I learned to sew. Gram had a treadle and a real aversion to sewing. Her main complaint was, you'll never guess, tension issues. In the bad old days, sewing machine repairmen came to the house and that could get expensive. And Gram could never get the tension right.

I was fascinated by her sewing machine that "lived in the kitchen." And I couldn't keep my hands off of it. I couldn't figure out how that big wheel went around and nothing happenned. One day Gram was working on repairing work clothes for Gramp and beginning to seethe. I asked her to show me what was wrong, why it was wrong, and what she was trying to do to fix it. Guess anything was better than what she was fighting with so she did exactly what I asked. A piece of muslin, a bobbin thread one color, a different color top thread, a screwdriver, and instructions on how to get the bobbin case safely out of the machine and I was off. I became the official thread tension "fixer." And I could actually do it.

I insisted on learning how to run the machine and do the much dreaded sewing repairs. Even buttons with thread shanks. All this started when I was about 7.

Time is a goodly piece down the road now and I am still at it. The treadle is in my sewing room. Complete with water rings left by Gram's beloved African violets.

Thanks for letting me babble.

Pat