Thread issues?
 

I am in the middle of a piano topper and all of a sudden the bottom tension (doing FMQ) is a mess! I was quilting along and doing fine, and now the thread keeps bunching up and even coming out of the needle as well (how does it do that?) I have done nothing to the tension at top or bottom. I am using an old kenmore (34 yrs old) and it has been great. I changed the needle, put another bobbin of thread in, cleaned out the bobbin section and top plate, my feed dogs are down, what the heck? It seems to work fine of a swatch of just fabric but not with the quilt out of the blue. Any ideas?

I had this happen using my Bernina ... What I did was oil the bobbin ...

This has happened to me also. The first thing I have learned to do (after blood sweat and tears) is to take the threat out and retread the machine. Then sew on a scrap to check the stitching. Good luck.

Yep, I've had this happen with thread before -- spendy stuff, too. If you clean up and rethread the machine and it's still happening, change the thread and see if it's still a problem. If not, bingo.

How do you tell? it is just a regular spool of coats and clark 100% all purpose cotton thread. It stands up on a pin. I guess what I am saying is that I am not sure what stacked or cross threaded means. I feel silly lol

I will try the oiling of the bobbin and now that I think of it, it was when I changed thread I had to buy at Wal Mart because I ran out and the fabric shop is not nearby. Wouldn't Coats and Clark be the same no matter where I bought it? I wonder if they do different qualities depending on where it is sold and at what price point? Thanks for all the advice. I will try it all and see if I can figure out what is happening. I will also try to rethread the top thread and see if indeed there is something impeding it from feeding properly into the machine. Weird that this would happen half way through. Well not even small quilts are without their issues I guess. I sure am learning alot though as a semi-new quilter. Thanks everyone!

Usually I have a build up of lint in bobbin area...

Try putting the pressure foot down. That is ALWAYS what I forget to do when I go from the sample to the real deal. Always went through all the steps, rethread, clean, change needle, etc with growing frustration.....

Where is the thread bunching - are you getting nests under your fabric? If this is the problem, your issue is NOT with your bobbin thread, it is with your top thread. Take ALL the thread completely off your machine and re-thread. Make sure there are no little threads stuck in your tension disks. Make sure your thread isn't getting caught on something. Sometimes my upper thread gets hung up on the handle.

Wouldn't hurt to re-thread your bobbin also, check under the spring in your bobbin to make sure there's no thread stuck there, either.

What size needle are you using? You might consider going up a size, especially if you're doing FMQ.

Regarding the thread - "stacked" means it comes off the spool evenly, from top to bottom. "Cross threaded" means it crosses up and down the spool as it's wound. If you're using C&C, it's stacked.

WalMart buys products from name brands but requires them to reduce the prices to the point that sometimes they create a lower quality to do that. I would get a better thread from a quilt shop or online store. Personally, my favorite is Aurifil, but there are others available too. Also, companies are bought out by others that also lower the quality or change the manufacturing process to cut costs. Hope you can find a solution.

I find with fm, if the bottom thread is messing up, it is usually your top machine thread causing this. I rethread and it usually fixes the problem. If the top thread is messed up, it is usually the bobbin thread. They sometimes come out of the tension.
Mary in TX

I had a tech. tell me some time ago that if the underneath side of the fabric is the one showing the messed up thread , your problem is usually with the top thread and that if the thread on the upper fabric is the one going amuck the bobbin thread is usually at fault. I have found that to be true on several occasions

Mona
I haven't looked at the replies...but sounds like you need to clean out the bobbin area, and around the feed dogs (even if you aren't using them). When lint/dust builds up, and it only takes a tiny bit on a home machine (or longarm for that matter)..then you will have this kind of issue.

Also check the top area for lint buildup, or for thread that has gotten caught in the tension assembly. Oil the machine, including putting a drop on the bottom front edge of the bobbin hook area (where the bobbin fits in).

The "rule" that if there is loops on the underside, it's a top tension issue, and loops on the top is a bobbin issue, is only partly true. It holds true if you are certain the bobbin tension is correct to start...then you adjust the upper tension to match the bobbin.

If you have a drop in bobbin...take the face plate off and pull the case out...or if it's not removable...clean all around it and add a drop of oil to the center of the case...then put the bobbin back in.

Thread on a spool from Coats is usually identical when you buy from Walmart, than when you buy for Joann's...there is no difference. This from experience...Coats has no "low end" threads...it's all the same.

I'm thinking you may want to look at how the thread feeds off the spool..it should feed off the back of the spool on the pin (spool spins counter clockwise)...it's easy to get it on feeding clockwise.

I still think it's a matter of keeping the bobbin area clean...probably getting batting fuzz in there...check the tensions...rethread both top and bobbin.
And for freemotiong (darning foot attached)...make sure to lower the hopping/presser foot....I've forgotten more times than I care to count!