Thread Question-Very Confused
 

I have a Juki TL98Q which is a workhorse of a machine and makes a perfect stitch no matter what thread I use. Because I have stitched for many years, I had a huge collection of every type of thread imagineable from new to rather old. My machine has never complained about Gutermann, Coats and Clark, Signature, serger thread, very old Drima or anything else. Other quilters were always talking about "better thread" so I decided to treat my machine and bought Wonderfil Invisafil Wt 100 in a lovely silvery shade ($12.00 for a large spool) that would blend so well with my fabric. My machine will absolutely not stitch with it. It starts, sews five or six stitches and promptly breaks. Should this thread only be used in the bobbin and not in both the top and bobbin? I have changed the needle and bobbin, cleaned the machine and adjusted the tension and re-threaded it several times. It seems that this thread expensive or not is giving my machine serious indigestion! Any thoughts?

I would try it just in the bobbin and see how that works. Good luck.

Did you switch back to one of your other threads to make sure the machine is still stitching correctly with them?

100wt is a very fine thread, so my first question would be what size and type of needle are you using? Also, since it is a cone, are you using a thread net over the cone? Without a thread net, the thread may be puddling around the cone or catching on something before it even gets to the tension mechanism of your machine.

To set tension, it helps to set the bobbin tension first then adjust the top tension to match. This video by Jamie Wallen applies to domestic machines as well as longarms:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q1mRhcquZTM

One last thing. It could be all about how the bobbin is wound. If you did not use a thread net while winding the bobbin, your bobbin thread could be wound unevenly. A problem with how the bobbin is wound will produce the kind of problem you have described.

Don't wrap it through the three hole thread guide. Only use the hole closest to the needle and see if that makes a difference.

Prism has spoken well.

As she said, 100 wt thread is fine. Very, very fine. My first thought was that it's getting caught on something. My second thought is that the friction of the thread going in and out of the fabric is causing the thread to fray.

If, after implementing all these suggestions, you still can't get the thread to work well, reserve it for hand applique. It would work beautifully.

I am a huge fan of Invisifil for quilting. I run it through my longarm no problems and they operate much faster and put much more strain on thread than a domestic. I'm not sure I would use it for piecing. It is much better suited to applique work and quilting where you only want texture to show and not the thread. When I use invisifil I usually am running a prewound magnaglide in the bobbin but my friend has used it in both with no issues.

I would go to the website www.wonderfil.net and tell them the problem See what their answer is. It has been my experience that they are very helpful.

Different thread, same issue. I ended up trying different sized needles and that is what fixed my problem after adjusting the bobbin and all sorts of other things. Hope you figure it out. I know it's very frustrating!

I have in almost 30 years of quilt used that fine of a thread before. What were you using in the bobbin?? I am not sure this is really good choice for quilting thread. Sorry.

The lighter weight the thread, the lighter "pull" on the top tension....try loosening that one. I NEVER loosen or tighten my bobbin thread on my longarm. Once it was set, I've left it alone (on advice from professional). I also agree with using only one of the three holes for threading - -- no matter what the books says. :) :) good luck!

that link was just so helpful, thank you

I have the Brother 1500 with the 3 hole bar. I only use the first hole as a guide, not for tension. A Brother tech told me he had no idea why that bar was there, it caused too many problems. It is suppose to be to add stability to specialty thread and he had no idea what type of thread that would be. It will, if all three holes are used, put a lot of tension on the thread cutter causing it to unthread the needle.

Thank you for all of these responses. I now think that 100 wt thread is just too fine to use on the top of my machine. When I bought it, I wasn't thinking about the weight, just the great colour and good brand name. I tried using it for hand appliquing a butterfly and it was perfect (thanks for the suggestion Peckish). My next thing will be to only use it in the bobbin. I now know quite a bit more about thread and appreciate all of your thoughts.

100 wt thread is usually a bobbin thread. You will need a much smaller needle (nothing larger than a 14)..and loosen the upper tension at least one full turn. You would have to adjust the bobbin to work with the looser upper tension (loosen the bobbin 1/12 of a turn). For quilting...I'd not use anything thinner than a 60 wt thread. I think invasifill comes in several weights. Remember the larger the number, the thinner the thread.