Tension problems. Please help!
 

My Singer Superb just came out of hiding for the last two years. She has been cleaned and oiled. I keep having issues with the tension resulting in a very messy bottom stitch. I have double checked that my threading is correct, and have adjusted the tension tighter and looser with not perfect results. I would post a picture but I am on the site on my phone and don't know how to. Any idea what I am doing wrong?

Okay, try a new bobbin. Sometimes the bobbin doesn't feed right. And check to make sure that there might be a piece of thread in the bobbin area around where it is fed. And try a different thread, some machines don't like some threads.
Best I can do.

Also double check that the needle is in correctly

Needle is in correct and I am using my go-to thread, which is Dual Duty all purpose thread. Never had an issue before with it. I will try a new bobbin and see if that helps.

Wound a new bobbin and now I'm right back where I started with a very messing bottom thread. This is so frustrating. I have a limited amount of time to work on 3 baby quilts and it figures that my machine is going to give me problems.

How do I add pictures while on the site on my phone?

Are you sure it is the bottom thread with the problem? If you have issues on the underneath, it is sometimes the top thread tension causing the problem. If you are sure it is really the bottom thread, have you checked the tension on the bobbin?

When I sew, the thread you see on the top of the fabric is nice and straight and doesn't pucker and is not loose. Then I flip the fabric over, the stitching is all over the place, wobbly and loose. If I turn the tension all the way up it straightens out a bit but I shouldn't have to turn the tension all the way to the highest setting.

I'm also not sure how to check the tension of the bottom thread. There are no instructions in my manual that talk about bobbin tension.

I know it's teaching your grandmother to suck eggs, but start at the beginning re thread new needle and check bobbin in properly. Hope it works out for you x

Clean your upper tension discs well. When you have wonky stitching on the bottom it is usually an upper thread tension problem. Fuzz or thread can get stuck in there and cause the upper thread not to fully engage into the discs.

I don't think you can add them from the phone - at least I haven't found a way yet. I hope you figure out your tension issue!!

It sounds to me like your upper thread tension is off. To verify, sew a bit on a test piece of fabric with different color thread in the top and bobbin. I am also thinking you might have something jammed in the tension discs. with the foot up, take a piece of strong thread and 'floss'. When you rethread your machine, your presser foot needs to be UP for the threading process, until you get to the needle. Give the thread a small tug to seat it in the discs, put the presser foot down. at this point you should not be able to draw the thread thru the machine. Then thread your needle.

I just took the machine apart, thouroughly cleaned every piece the thread touches and re-threaded the way you said to. My first ten lines of stitching came out great, then bam, all wonkey again!! I don't get it.

This is from my experience. Check the bobbin case thoroughly, it could have the tiniest bit of thread in there. I had to use a dental pick to retrieve from my bobbin case. And it has happened to both the top and side loading machines. My tiny bit of thread was between the tension wire on the bobbin case.

Have you tried resetting the bobbin tension? There is a little screw there that you turn. I put a tiny mark with a permanent marker on the side of the bobbin case to mark where the screw was originally set so I can go back to that setting. Remove the thread from the bobbin case before you set the tension.

Since the bobbin stitching was normal for just a little way and then got wonky, you may have to take it in for repair.

Is there a little adjustable screw around the bobbin casing? Tightening or loosening that screw is how I adjust the bobbin tension on my Juki. If you have checked everything else, changed needle and thread, it may be the machine timing is off somehow and you will need to take it in for servicing. That can be so frustrating.

Since you need to increase your top tension to the max, you need to increase your bobbin tension. If there are two screws on the outside of the bobbin case, the screw you need to turn is the larger of the two, and you need to turn it slightly clockwise. (Righty tighty, lefty loosy). Only tighten it in small increments, checking the stitches it makes at each adjustment. Once you get the bobbin tension corrected, you can adjust the top thread tension to match, and it won't need to be tightened all the way. It may even need to be loosened.

So sorry you are still having problems. It always happens in crunch time.
Did you use 2 colors of thread to verify we are dealing with the top thread or bottom thread? THat will really narrow down the issue.
One other thing. If it sewed OK for a bit, then started behaving badly, were you able to see if it was still threaded correctly? Did it stay in the tension discs? Did it jump out of the takeup lever?
When it messes up, it's a good thing to look over the threading before re-threading...
One other thing, did you try a different thread? I've found that some colors from the same manufacturer won't work in my machine. Usually it's a really dark color, and I think it makes the thread stiffer and more prone to jumping out of the take up lever.
I know lots of posters are saying to look at the bobbin, but I really think it's the takeup lever or the tension disks.

It could be something like a piece of thread caught in the uptake arm on top. Unthread the machine and try to thread all over. If it is tension on the bottom then the bobbin is OK. It is coming from the top.

Sounds like your upper thread is not in the tension disc or is out of the take up bar.

Typically, nest on the bottom means the upper thread is the problem. I had my long arm doing what your machine is doing and finally, found out the thread on the top was catching on the notch that you use to keep the thread from unwinding after using it. It would sew okay a little bit, then mess up royally. I started watching the thread all the way through and sew it when it happened. I repositioned the thread spool and no more problems.

Another time it happened, it was a tiny bit of thread in the thread path up behind where I wasn't supposed to take my machine apart. The tech found it for $125. I know how to take that piece off now.

Another time, I tried using an L bobbin when I was supposed to be using a Class 15. The top thread kept catching on some metal surrounding the bobbin case. This time it was top and bottom. Changed the bobbin and everything was fine. I have marked several bobbins that are Class 15 to use for comparison. Now I wonder why the bobbins don't come with a notation as to what number/type bobbin they are? Now if I start having problems, I check bobbin height first. My L bobbins are about 1/32nd of an inch shorter than the Class 15's. Not much, but enough to cause problems. I am actually in the process of checking all my bobbin heights and moving the L's into a safe place. The thread on them is a very tiny polyester that I will use as a top thread to stitch around applique.

Another time, I didn't have the thread seated properly in the upper tension discs. It looked okay, but was just sitting in the discs....someone else had threaded the machine. They didn't tell me it was messing up on them. Re-threading stopped that problem.

With the long arm, I had some bobbins, that weren't wound properly. From the mess under the bottom, I thought it was my upper thread...nope. I looked at the bobbins carefully and realized they weren't wound evenly. I pulled off half the bobbin thread and tried again. Worked perfectly.

If somehow or other, your machine has jumped time, it will do the same thing. It's more likely to break needles and such, but if only out a tiny bit, it can make bird's nests. Now, that requires a professional for me.

Good luck!

Were you able to resolve it? I would love to know how you fixed it too.

So I walked away for a while. I just came back and changed both top and bottom threads to a thinner thread and this seems to have stopped the issue. I have never had any problems until now with the previous thread, so I am baffled.

Just a thought but could it have been the physical spool and the thread catching on that little notch? Glad to hear it is working now

When you thread your machine, make sure the pressure foot is UP. When then foot is down, the tension discs are closed. The thread lies along side them instead of inside them. Old saying I have heard since a child and recently heard in a class: " If the Problem on the top, the issue is on the bottom. If the problem is on the bottom, the issue is on the top."

That's good to hear, glad it is resolved. Another idea to keep in the back of my mind, change both top and bottom thread

Make sure your bobbin is in correctly. This happened to me very recently. I scratched my head over what the problem could be, did all that should be done to check tension problems, etc. Then I took the bobbin out and replaced it with a new one - that I put in the right way. Problem solved.

I bought a Bernina Activa 230. I used it for several years and started to have tension problems. I took it in to my dealer and they couldn't find anything wrong with it. She told me not to use Coats and Clark's anymore and use Sulky or some more expensive brand. That did the trick. Maybe try a more expensive thread.

I had a Singer with same problem. Had it to repair many times and finally hauled it to the landfill. Don't have time to deal with these problems.

Is your presser foot up when you thread?It sounds like your thread is not in the tension discs.It's easy to make that mistake and will give you the results you are having.

As a last resort take your machine into the repair place---when mine did that and I took it in and there was a piece of thread caught in the upper tension---no way could I have fixed it myself or even thought that it was the upper tension
They reminded me to cut the upper thread and not to pull it out from the spool of thread---hope this helps

Have you tried holding the bobbin thread between your fingers when you begin sewing, I have to do that with my machine.

Coats & Clark thread isn't made well any more. It used to be wonderful thread, I've been sewing for over 40 years and have seen the changes in thread over the years. I use Gutterman,Mettler and Aurifil threads, they are so much better and give far less tension issues. I sew with modern Pfaffs and antique treadle machines too. The cheap plastic machines just aren't up to snuff; get a better machine, the older machines from the 50-60s are made better and are much less fussy.(getting off the soap box now) :)
Sharon in Texas

Tension problem
 

my husband who is a former industrial sewing machine mechanic says to check the top tension and to make sure there is no lint in the tension disc for the top thread. Hope that helps

My husband who is a former industrial sewing machine mechanic said to check your top tension and the tension disc . Double check the way it threaded too. Hope this helps . He's my go to guy 😄

All my suggestions have been used, but I think the bobbin could be in the case wrong.

When I had this problem recently (loopy thread on the underside) I checked all I could think of. Then I decided to take off the needle plate (the removable plate under the presser foot) and found some lint and a little piece of thread under there. After cleaning it out, all was well then.

I'm not familiar with your model of Singer, but I have a Singer H74 that has the spool post on the horizontal--I find when I use the optional vertical spool post I get better tension. Also when my bottom thread on the Singer or my nice Elna, it's usually because the top thread has come out of the take up arm or the tensioner discs--maybe from "jumping" a thick seam intersection,etc.