Why is my Babylock struggling going over thick seams?
 

I am sewing rows together of a hexegon quilt so at the intersection, there is quite a bit of fabric (I did press the seams open when piecing the triangles but it still results in essentially double the amount of fabric at a regular intersection).

My Babylock Espire all but came to a jammed stop at the thickest part of the seam intersection. This happened over and over again on the first two rows I was sewing. I would have to raise and lower the presser foot a few times and essentially </SPAN></SPAN>pull the fabric through to get past the intersection. I was really, really dreading if I would have to rip out any seams as there were probably over 20 stitches per inch over the intersection areas.

Afterwards, I took off my needle plate and vacuumed the feed dog and lower area. There was a fair amount of link and fuzz down there. However, it didn't really help the performance. Should I be changing the presser foot pressure (I think it is on the normal setting of 4) or making other adjustments?

This seems like a real performance failure as I'm only using very moderate weight cotton fabric and like I said, I did press the seams open.

I'm not sure, my espire never had that problem when I had her. Maybe contact your dealer to seen if they can offer any suggestions on something you can do at home. The espire is a workhorse and should be able to handle thick seams so it might be something specific to your machine.

There was a tip on the board about getting one of those hammers that were either rubber or plastic coated. I use it to pound thick seams and it seems to work.

Do you have a micro sharp, denim, or embroidery needle in the machine? Maybe the point is not sharp enough, or an older needle. I had problems one time with a certain fabric. I thought it might be the sizing on it (I didn't prewash). Changing the needle to a sharper point helped.

Try a 90/100 Topstitch titanium machine needle. I've sewn through denim seams with no problem.

I checked my needle package and I am using a Microtex (sharp) 80/12. I just changed it a few weeks ago so it should still be good.

I don't know for sure what the problem is because I have a baby lock ellure and have never had that problem. I do know that one of the attachments is a foot that has a spring so that is can adapt to thicker fabric. I don't know if you have one of these but if you do, try it. Good luck.

I found with my featherweight that it was the thickness of the seam hanging up under the walking foot that was the problem, not the machine itself. Also changing to a fresh needle did help too.

One of these can help. Can be used with any machine. The other name is Jean-a-ma-jig. I've had to use it with a Pfaff with IDT!

http://www.sewforless.com/item/The_Hump_Jumper/5367/c43

Dramarote is right on! Please read the manual in regards to the spring pressure foot. I can't remember the letter on the foot. It is made to sew over thick seams but it can be a little tricky to follow the steps. The manual will explain it well. Your quilt is a true piece of art! Good luck!