Thread breaking while FMQ on a fleece backed quilt
 

Help! I'm having a devil of a time FMQ on a fleece backed quilt. My thread is shedding then breaking and skipping stitches after seconds of quilting. I've successfully FMQ other quilts before, but this is my second one that is causing so much grief. I've changed thread, needles and yes, even machines, but the same keeps happening. I began by doing some outline quilting which went fine, no thread breakage, but the minute I switched to FMQ all went wrong. The quilt is a simple cotton pieced top with a fleece backing, no batting. The quilt was spray basted. Both the "offending" quilts were assembled in the same manner; fleece back and spray basted. So no I am thinking that the fleece/spray baste combo might be the lethal combination. Has anyone else experienced this before? Any advice would be MUCH appreciated!

Many others FMQ successfully ... fleece backing with pieced top.
Myself included .... including using spray baste.

You'll get many suggestions from others as to what may be causing your problems, but this is where I would start ............... My first suggestion would be for you to create a sample sandwich of regular cotton front and back as a check-test for FMQing. It may have worked fine before, but check that it is working OK right now. If it is not good, then make the changes to get it to work.

Once all is good, then switch to a trial sandwich with your fleece backing.
Same thing ... work with this until you are happy with your FMQ results.


If all is not good, then stick with your trial fleece sandwich and change something.
Just make one switch at a time, as if you make many changes,
you won't know what is working, or what is not.
Likewise, if you are making adjustments in the beginning on the cotton sandwich.


Good Luck!

You didn't mention what kind of thread you're using. I'd use a poly thread with a Topstitch needle.

Here's a good step-by-step troubleshooting guide:
http://www.generations-quilt-pattern...en-breaks.html

also can be the needle hole a bit small. try larger one.

tension???? I don't know if that will help, but that is what I would try

i find when mine does that i am moving my machine too fast

I just wanted to say Welcome to the board!

I agree with Nativetexan....maybe a larger needle.

Thank you all for your suggestions. I have tried many types of thread; cotton, poly & a blend, all with the same results. I went out & purchased different needles & sizes. So far the universals cause the same problem as well as jeans and topstitch 90/14. The strange thing is on all my quilt sandwiches come out fine. Today I am trying to wash the quilt then try to FMQ to see if my spray baste/fleece combo is the culprit. I'll update hopefully when I've been successful!

your foot pedal speed will always be faster than you move the quilt. too slow you get tiny stitches. too fast, longer ones. just a good speed that looks like what you want and doesn't pull the fabric against the needle when it is down position. good luck, keep trying.

If you have a Janome, there is a purple tip needle that helps with thread breaking and skipping stitches.
https://janomelife.wordpress.com/201...e-tip-needles/

Suggestion .... before you wash your quilt (if I am not too lage) and go any further

........ make a sandwich with your fleece and cotton, but flip it over and FMQ onto the fleece.
It could be that the fleece is not sliding freely enough. The extra weight of the whole quilt creates drag. With the fleece it can create even more drag.

You may want to read more about my fleece FMQ experience ....
http://www.quiltingboard.com/picture...g-t239508.html

I would suggest a stretch needle. Had the same problem with Minky and the stretch needle helped. I had to do what QUILTE suggests...turning the cotton side down so there is free movement.

I would use an embroidery machine needle. It will say Embroidery on the package. I've found these cause me less problems than other needles.

Thanks MLT150 .... good to know that it is just not me! :)



A hint for anyone, when your quilt will not slip-slide the way you want,
.... spray the machine and table surface with silicone spray, to help get some glide-ability!

BE CAREFUL ... DO NOT spray the floor,
.... or you will discover how slick it is and slip-slide-away yourself!

Well, the saga continued all day yesterday while I went through every possible needle-thread-tension combo. I even kept a chart of my results. Still the with same thread shred & break results, so frustrating. I gave up and thought I would give my old Viking Rose a shot at it. She performed beautifully with a topstich needle 90/14 and Gutterman 100% poly. Still, I was miffed (and slightly heart broken) at my Baby Lock Quilters Pro that I just purchased used in the fall was not up to this seemingly simple task. I bought it specifically for FMQ and thought I may have made a huge mistake. My husband suggested typing in the name of the machine along with the problem and voila...this post popped up: https://www.quiltinaday.com/communit...=10899&forum=7. Same machine, same problem she was quilting with a flannel back, mine with fleece. As the post suggests, try a 90/14 embroidery needle as they are tempered to resist bending and the eye is very smooth. So off to another trip to Joanns (50% coupon in hand) for embroidery needles. Back home I decided to rip out some FMQ stitches on (that darn) quilt so I could accurately assess if the new needles were working on the same quilt. FINALLY, SUCCESS!

So the right combination for me on this machine (Baby Lock Quilters Pro) was a Schemtz Embroidery needle 90/14 with Gutterman 100% poly and tension set to about 3.75.

I hope this helps anyone else out there with a similar problem!

"The only way to kill disappointment is to keep trying" - Kim Robinson Stanley, The Shaman

I just saw your post...though I came across the embroidery needle suggestion on another board before seeing yours, you were exactly right! I tried it our today and finally had success. Thank you so much!:o