Skipped stitches
 

I've done everything I know to do; retread, clean bobbin area and removed plate behind that one and cleaned it out.
I changed the needle, retreaded again! I have tightened the tension but as I free motion quilt I am still getting skipped stitches! I am almost finished and pulling my hair out!! I have a Brother QC1000, have never had a problem until now. Any suggestions??

All I can think of is - are you pulling the quilt too much? Maybe loosen the tension. Work on a practice piece until it straightens out. If all else fails, stop until morning. Someone else may know what is wrong.

Use a jeans needle,have the same thread in the top and the bobbin.

If you've tried everything, your timing could be off just a little. As a temporary fix, you can move the needle position to the left or right a bump or two. That will change the timing just a little until you can get it to the shop.

Of course, some of the more sophisticated machines may not let you do that. You may have to lie to it and tell it that you're doing a straight stitch with the standard presser foot. And you won't be able to use the straight stitch plate. And the needle won't be centered in the middle of your presser foot. But it might sew without skipping.

You'd know if the timing was off by sewing a regular zig-zag stitch on a scrap about 7" long. Sew the length at least 3 times. If it's skipping stitches, you know the timing is off.

I agree with stop now and try again in the morning. If I have problems and it's after 9:00 pm, I pack it in. Often in the morning, I sit down and figure it out in a couple minutes.

Yesterday my machine decided it didn't want to play, at all. Tried a bunch of stuff. Then decided I'd play the game by it's rules, since it's been 3 yrs since service. I'll take in in Monday.

Try one size larger needle.

hmmm, mine skips too. think i'll try a larger needle

Also, if you are using a floating foot instead of a hopping foot you may need to lower your foot slightly.

Rob

It could be your fabric. My friend and I had a puzzle one day. No matter what we did, neither of our sewing machines would sew some batiks that she had bought. We tried all types of settings, changed needles, tensions, bobbin threads and both machines, Babylock and Brother, would only sew a few stitches at a time. And, we weren't free motion quilting which is harder on the machines. A thought....I have an older Singer Golden Touch and Sew that will only free motion quilt if the quilt is taut in an embroidery hoop. My long arm won't stitch properly unless I have the quilt tension just right. Good luck! Please let us know what worked to fix your problem.

It's possible that the needle is flexing slightly as you sew because it's being pulled by the fabric, making it impossible for it to form a stitch. Use a needle that's more rigid and be sure you're not moving the fabric too quickly.

Mine skipped when I tried to quilt a T shirt quilt. The only 'fix' for it was using a topstitching needle.

Re needle changes ... remember it's not just about putting in a new needle, but often times, it's a matter of changing the type of needle and the size.

My go-to FMQ needle is Embroidery 14 .... not that, that is always where I stay, but is where I start, and then branch out from there to other sizes or types, according to how things work out. (or not!) :)

Thanks everyone for the suggestions! I was up til 3am determined to find out what the problem was! I had tried various size needles.. Went back to the 90/ ballpoint seemed to work the best but still dreaded skipped stitches!! GRRR I finally turned the tension to 5 which was never used that high before, figured my thread would break but no, and it worked pretty good! Haven't been back to tackle it yet today, hoping I can finish it! I don't have any quilt shops or repair anywhere near me unfortunately or I would of taken it weeks ago! Ugh

Why are you using a ballpoint?? Those are designed for knit fabrics and are rounded so the tip pushes between threads. This might be contributing to the problem, especially if the tighter woven fabric is impeding the timing of the needle as it pushes through.

When I'm FMQ on my domestic, I use a 16 or 18 topstitch. A topstitch needle has a larger eye and a longer scarf. The scarf is an indentation in the needle that the thread tucks into, which protects the thread from the friction that occurs as the needle moves in and out of the fabric.

Peggi I don't know why I said ballpoint, just looked and it's a Schmitz microtex 90/14 that I put in and with increasing the tention it was doing better! I stitched but didn't finish but I will today if all goes well:/ I'm using aurifil thread and
In bobbin.

I suspect it is your needle......try a 90/14 topstitch. Sometimes, due to batting being thick and the movement of FMQ, the needle and bobbin thread don'the "lock"....if the needle hole is larger, the thread will go through better. Also, use 50 weight thread.....it is thinner and makes for smoother stitches.

UPDATE: it's doing better with the 90/14 needle and tension is on a 5! Never used it that high!! Much better but still
An occasional long skipped stitch and that is with me going a slow speed! I'm going to try other needles as suggested,
I have been using 50 weight thread... Maybe I should try a different thread as well.. Not giving up yet!!

Long shot but it worked for me. If you use a plastic bobbin, replace it with a metal bobbin. Nothing I did stopped all of a sudden skipped stitches on my Brother 420. A late night internet search found a machine tech that said use a metal bobbin not the plastic one. I changed to a metal one and no more skipped stitches no matter what thread or needle size I use now.

I didn't know you could use a metal bobbin on a brother machine! I have only seen plastic! I have several metal ones for my vintage machines... If I can find one the same size I will try! Thanks!

I have a Janome that was skipping stitches, so I bought the special Purple Tip needles which is made to stop that problem. I have not had skipping stiches since so I highly recommend them. However...someone told me that they don't work on a Brother so I did a bit of research and found these
https://allstitch.net/product/organ-...retch-1469.cfm
The little blurb says it's the same needle as the Janome Purple tip, so it could be worth a try.
Good luck! I know your frustration well.

Could be the fabric or the batting. I have had both give me fits from time to time. Try a quilt sandwich with a different batting. Batiks sometimes cause my machine to act up. Hope you find your glitch soon! Very frustrating...