Sewing machine not stitching
 

If all you said, and presser foot is down and feed dogs are up, I think maybe the timing is off. Needs to go for repair. Timing can go pretty easily for some machines. I have a little 180 embroidery machine that this has happened 2-3 times. I'have set the timing myself because it's a simple machine.

Does it sew normal when you are doing piecing? If so, you may need a larger needle when quilting. For instance, I piece with a 12 or 14, but if I am going to do quilting, I may try a 16 or 18, the latter of which is used for leather. I have a high end Brother, or at least it was 10 years ago, and it won't sew heavier material with a finer needle.

Welcome to the QB. Sorry to hear you are having frustrations. Hope you can find a solution

Welcome to the board.

I can so relate to your frustration.

Do you have a raise or lower the feed dogs mechanism on your machine?

All my machines are older, but here are some places that "switch" might be located on your machine.

On a Singer 404 - there is a lever that moves back and forth - located on the right hand size of the machine bed.
On a Singer 237 - there is a knob that turns located on the right hand corner of the machine bed.
On a Pfaff 1471 - I need to open the door to the area that holds the bobbin case - then there is a thing that pushes to the left for "Feed dogs up" and then I push it to the right for "feed dogs down" It moves less than 1/4 inch. There is also a "half down" thing for lowering the presser foot for darning/mending and FMQ.

On the Bernina 530, there is a fairly large knob near the bottom on the "control tower" - below the stitch length selector.

If you still have the manual, that might give you some clues.

Also, many machines have a "presser foot pressure adjustment" - that adjusts how "hard" the presser foot is "down"
You might consider looking at that, too.

Good luck with the problem.

Have you unscrewed the plate under the pressure foot and removed the lint in there? Between those feed dogs lint clogs up. I used to omit that step.

I've done actual quilting on 5-6 different machines, and some don't seem to like doing it, and a few are wonderful no matter what.

For quilting on brothers I have never touched my tension dials. Speed control is the most important thing for fmq., going too fast or too slow will affect stitch quality. The speed of you hand has to match the speed of the machine. I use size 90 sharps or topstitching needles for quilting. I would also make sure no lint in bobbin or feed dog area for stitch as well. Don't give up fmq has a big learning curve and it took me a few years to have my aha moment. It's not something you try for the first time and expect to have the best results. It takes time

Is your foot up when you thread the machine? If not, your tension gears are not open. Also stop the needle just past highest point and starting down to keep thread from pulling out when you start again.

Some machines need to have the stitch length set to 0 (zero) while others require it to be at the regular length.
Some machines refuse to quilt in one direction (mine for example will not quilt straight backwards).
Does it work on small sample pieces? Sometimes the weight of the quilt distorts things.
Are you moving the quilt sandwich too fast?

I feel your frustration and hope you find a solution.

Sometimes on my brothers the thread will slip out of the slot in the bobbin case. Try making sure you hold onto the bobbin thread for a bit. I don't usually touch either one of the tensions. Good luck. Please report back.

What size needle are you using? I don't really understand what you mean by "flap", but my first suspicion is that your needle is too small. When I piece, I use a size 11 or 12 needle. When I quilt, I have to go up to a 16 or 18, or the top thread won't catch the bobbin thread and I get nothing but thread laying on top like a dead fish.

Pictures need to be resized to less than 1 meg for uploading. Here are some how-tos that have been posted on that subject.

https://www.quiltingboard.com/qb-hel...g-t166655.html
https://www.quiltingboard.com/qb-hel...s-t168819.html

Check to see that the needle is in correctly..especially if you just changed it. Happened to me after cleaning my featherweight...forgot and inserted the needle the wrong way.

I was having an awful time until Jim said try the little section by the feed dogs. It was completely clogged with lint. No problem after that.

I googled your machine model and it's actually pretty similar to what I have, a Brother XR3420, on which I quilt too.

The other month I was having problems quilting and here's what I found worked for me. I used a 100/16 needle; I put my tension dial to '5'; (I was FMQ so I had my feed dogs lowered,) I used 30wt cotton quilting thread, and I focused on moving my quilt at a slow but steady pace. I also cleaned my bobbin case and under the feed dogs at every bobbin change; probably too often but I thought better safe than sorry! Funnily enough, the thing that really worked for me was that, instead of using the FMQ foot that came with my machine, I found my old FMQ foot from my previous Brother worked better. I think the spring on it was better and floated above the quilt "just right".

I found that the top stitch needle did not work for my machine at all, so each machine is differnt.

I hope you are able to fix the problems and don't need to take it in for a service! The last time I took a machine in, a singer, I got it back with the timing just as rotten. A waste of $65. That's when I said " forget it!" And bought my Brother:) Please let us know how it goes; I so feel you pain with quilting issues!! Been there, done that all too often!

And welcome to to the Board!!!

When I bought my Bernina, they recommended cleaning and putting a drop of oil on the bobbin area with every bobbin change. Its so habitual now that I clean the bobbin area of all my machines at every bobbin change. It only takes a minute. When I don't have something on the machine that I'm quilting, I always take the throat plate off the clean under it also.

So now you've messed with the tension, rethreaded the machine and cleaned all the lint out. Did you check that the feeddogs aren't full of lint, too? Now I'm wondering if the bobbin has been put in correctly. There is a right and left for that to turn as it should. Check your machine manual.

Ditto on her comment and also hang on to both threads with atleast a 3-5 inch tail. After a couple stitches then let loose.

All new machines tensions are set for poly thread at the factory. Even Berninas. The floor models have been set up by the dealer to use whatever thread the store uses. If you take one right out of the box, it's set for poly. Most machines sew fine on that setting. Changing tension is simple. Loosen or tighten as much as you need.

When my machine wouldn't sew I had the needle threaded backwards. I threading right to left instead of left to right. Drove me nuts until I realized what I was doing.

Sorry to hear you are having problems. One thing I thought of is if you are using quilting/darning foot to free motion quilt then you have to have the arm of it up over the needle bar. If you aren't sure what I'm talking about it should show a pic in your manual or you can google it. Hopefully you find a solution soon.

Did the original poster say she was FMQ? Or just quilting it on the machine, i.e. with a walking foot?

Welcome to our addiction. Lol. I am glad you have joined us. My only guess as an owner of a low end and high end Bother machines, would be to suggest you check what needle you are using. A ball point ( read knit) needle or a universal needle can be your problem, especially if you hear a mild "thok" sound as the needle goes into the fabric. You need a standard sharp needle for quilting to get through all the layers. If you notice that your thread is being "shaved" through the needle before it breaks, you have too small a needle in your machine. Also, sometimes you just get a crappy needle even in a pack of schmetz needles. Even with their great quality control, "baddies" can slip through. Before taking your machine into a shop, check these things first. If you are using cheaper needles this can continue to happen. Schmetz needles cost just a litttle more, but they are worth it to avoid the frustration. Also take a piece of slightly heavier thread, (I use quilters thread for this) cut a 9-11" piece off the spool, turn it around so the new cut end is at the bottom hand, and use it like dental floss between your tension discs or plates. If you have done a bit of sewing with cotton thread, you can collect lint between the discs, (even with polyester thread) and your thread will start to catch between them and cause what you are seeing. Hope this helps. I have been a satisfied Brother user for 40+ years. (Last thought, how old is the spool of thread you are trying to use? If it is an old spool of cotton, it may just be too old to use. If it has a wood or styrofoam spool under the thread, that may also be part of your problem).

The poster did not say exactly what they were trying to do and with what. To some degree, everyone is shooting in the dark. So, lets ask.

So, Sandee, are sewing together pieces of fabric to make a quilt top or are you putting together your top, your batting and your backing and sewing it together?

Assuming you are putting the three layers together and attempting to quilt them, how do you want it to happen? Are you trying to sew a random pattern? If so, what kind of foot are you using? Have you dropped the feed dogs? If you are trying to sew straight lines, are you using a quilting foot, or are you attempting to do it with a regular sewing foot?

All of these questions make a difference in the answer.

Can you help us a little more with the details of the problem and we might be able to give a better answer.

By the way, yesterday was one of those electronic nightmare days for me. My printer died, but not gracefully. It kept acting like it would work. All the diagnostics said there was nothing wrong. It just didn't work. Then my ethernet wouldn't work. It seems like electronically, when it rains it pours. We all have those days. Maybe you've had more than your share lately. Hopefully, it will improve. My grandmother was a woman full of "sayings". (She was born abt. 1890.) She had one for everything. One of my favorites was, "God never gives you more than you can handle". I always realize she was right, but sometimes, it's the next day.

bkay

She did say she's trying to quilt it, not piece it.

Yes, Pekish, I understand. Your're right. Lots of details are missing, however. Given what's she's told us, we really don't have a good answer. We're all over the map. We need more information.

Let's wait for her to respond.

bkay

The "flapping around" leads me to believe she is not lowering her presser foot. She may also have the needle in backward.

Could it be that you're using a walking foot that hasn't been properly inserted? There's a slotted piece that needs to slide on a rod to the right of the needle.

If you are quilting, not piecing, as your post sounds like, here are two more ideas. I had a quilting instructor once tell me to always use a "TOPSTITCH" ( I prefer a size14) needle when quilting. I can guarantee if there is nothing mechanically wrong with your machine that will make a difference. Also be sure your whole quilt is supported even with your machine. If your quilt is hanging over the edge of your sewing area the drag from pulling the quilt will effect your stitches. Good luck and welcome to the board. Great bunch of people and always helpful.

I googled "top thread not catching bobbin thread" and am amazed at what I got. Pictures, youtubes etc. the post is correct in that there is not enough information for informed answer.

Hello Sandee. May I suggest that you look for youtube videos on this machine. Also, watch a few videos showing free motion quilting etc. and you will see the best techniques to try. But it really sounds to me like a trip to the repair shop may be necessary to figure out what is happening. Unless you know a quilter friend who might come over and watch you work a bit. Good luck....this can be so frustrating!