Top thread bunching on underside of quilt..
 

I am machine quilting using my Pfaff tiptronic 1171 with a meander, leaf & loop pattern, using the darning foot and feed dogs down. Top of the quilt is quilting quality cotton, Warm & Natural batting and the back of the quilt is flannel.

About half way through the quilt, when I replace a bobbin and resume my quilting, the top threads start bunching on the underside. I then put in another bobbin and off I go as I am once again quilting.

Next bobbin replaced and bunching again. Go for another bobbin and bunches. Pull all of the thread from one of the bobbins and rethread it. I am then able to quilt again.

Next bobbin changed and bunches. Throughout all of this I am rethreading the top thread, taking off the top plate and making sure that is clean, brush out any stray threads in the bobbin holder and moving the tension higher.

Out of frustration I walked away from the quilt a couple of weeks ago, but today I am back at it as all that needs to be quilted is two of the four outside borders and then I can bind it. I am so ready to go back to straight sewing and already have two sets of pillow cases pinned just to do that but I refuse to sew anything else before this quilt is finished.

Today I was able to get through outside border number three and then when I hit border 4 and changed a bobbin the bunching started again. Worked my way through it but the next bobbin I was not able to work my way back to quilting. I am starting to think it is time to go to the shop for a tune up of the sewing machine but do not want to as that was done about 5 months ago.

About this time I am starting to think I would not have this issue if I was straight sewing. So, I put my quilting foot on, raised my feed dogs and did a practice run using the same bobbin & top thread which had been bunching previously and all was as it should be. I then put the darning foot on and was able to quilt til the bobbin was empty.

Next bobbin bunched, so I did a practice run with the feed dogs up, all was good and then put them down and I was able to quilt through that bobbin. At least I have figured out a way to get through this which does not include pulling good thread from a just wound bobbin. Looking forward to getting the quilt finished and wrapping up in it in the evening while watching TV.

Does anyone here on the Quilting Board have an idea what has been causing the bunching so I can prevent it from happening?

Don't know an answer to your problem, but, if you are just pulling the thread off the bobbin and throwing it away, just rewind it. Put the full bobbin where you would put the spool of thread and rewind it onto a new bobbin.

Thanks Tartan.. I have not been pulling the bobbin thread to the top of the sandwich - I do hold the top thread though. I have never pulled the bobbin thread to the top of the item being stitched. Will pull out my manual to read up on that.

The machine has always seemed to wind the bobbins well. I have put a drop of oil in the last month in the bobbin case.

Thanks pattypurple. Yes, out of frustration I have been tossing the thread. Will do as you suggest and rewind it onto another bobbin, as I have plenty of those.

if you're getting the "nest" only when you start, then pulling the threads to the top should take care of it. If the bunching occurs throughout your quilting have you made sure you've lowered the free motion foot? I occasionally forget to do this and have the tension problems you describe - if the nest is on the bottom, it's almost always the top thread that's the problem, not the bobbin thread.

Make sure you lower the presser foot before stitching. Also, the problem could be the top tension.

I sympathize with you. I have this machine and I call mine "Mrs. Fussy Pfaff". That should tell you something. Normally, with most machines, I would say this is a top tension problem or you are not holding thread tails or taking small stitches to start quilting. But this machine is temperamental. When everything is set up just so, it does great and I prefer it, especially for binding. When it's bad, it is beyond aggravating.

Are you making a bobbin by threading as usual, then taking the thread, still in the needle, up to the bobbin making area and winding somewhat slowly? That's a biggie with this machine. Another thing, as you probably know, is that if there is any lint or even a small, almost invisible bit of thread, the machine balks - although usually it will make a nasty noise when doing so. I had one such bit of thread once and it took hours to get it out; finally, I turned the machine upside down and wiggled the hand wheel and it came out.

Is the bobbin setting in the bobbin casing as it shows in the manual?

I have found this machine will handle many threads my other machines will not, so I'm not suggesting a thread issue. I use either the top spool pin or a cone thread holder. However, what thread are you using? The lower quality threads tend to shred in this machine, especially Coats and Clark.

A topstitch needle might help.

Try changing your needle.

This machine is the fussiest machine to set up of any machine I've ever used, but nice when it's happy. Go through one thing at a time, test one thing at a time, and return to the previous setting if that wasn't it. Knowing this machine as I do, it will be something very small and you will probably need the manual to figure it out. Because I've had so much experience on this machine, my guess is that it is the machine and not what you are doing. (However, you do need to bring your thread tails up - both of them - and hold them for the first four stitches.) It just needs exactly what it needs. Very fussy critter, this Pfaff! It's very unforgiving. If it weren't for that great feed system and the attached walking foot, it would have been long gone from my sewing room.

Cricket

Pulling the top thread through the top and holding it will definitely help. I've also found that if my bobbin is too full, it knocks something off (don't know enough to say exactly what, lol). The guide looks to be in the proper place and I've never adjusted the screw. I never fill my bobbins completely and that seems to work better. This only happens with my Pfaff........

Cricket, Thank you for sharing your experiences with this same machine. My machine is one passed down to me when my Mom upgraded to a newer Pfaff.

Thank you everyone for sharing on this. .

More that once I have wished that I had kept my basic Kenmore Sewing Machine which I bought in 1980 for this kind of quilting.

The thread I am using is on this quilt is Gutermann. I had in the past used Coats & Clark and when I had the machine serviced this year they said there were some broken threads in there giving me the problems I was having. I have Metzler thread for my next top ready to be quilted.

I feed the bobbin through the needle, as that seems to work better than directly from the spool. I will start winding the bobbin more slowly as I have not always been slow with that.

I have changed needles, but not with topstitch needle. Put on a quilting needle thinking that would help.

The common theme here is that I need to hold both tails of the thread and that would be the best fix for all of this.

How do I pull the bobbin thread up through the quilt top in the middle of a quilt to begin the quilting holding both tails for the first 4 stitches? It is easy when sewing along the edge as both tails are right there. I am looking at the manual but not seeing it.. I will search it some more.

Again, thanks much.