DonnaPBradshaw

I am wondering if most of you pull up the bottom thread before you start to fmq? I've seen demonstrations both ways: some pull it up and some don't. Just wondering which way is the best to do to prevent thread breaking? I work on a domestic sewing machine; a Janome 6500.

quiltsRfun

Yes, I always pull up the bobbin thread on both my domestic and my Sweet Sixteen. You can get some serious thread nests if you don't.

BluegrassGurl

I do.... always. It prevents "nesting" on the back.

dunster

Same as quiltsRfun. It's not to prevent breakage - it's to prevent a thread mess under the quilt.

DonnaPBradshaw

You guys are the best! thanks for responding so fast!! I will remember to bring up the bobbin thread when I am fmq'ing!

quilting cat

My Bernina usually is happy with me not pulling up the bobbin thread -- it's the starting end of the top thread that is more likely to tangle.

nativetexan

sometimes if you do not pull it up, you either get a mess underneath or accidentally sew over it and can't get it out later.

Bree123

I always pull mine up. If you don't pull them up, you need to either start your quilting near an edge or take care of your thread tails almost immediately (if you do microstitches, by clipping the tails; or, if you bury your knots, then by knotting off & burying your knot before you return back in the direction of the tails).

As far as the breaking goes, there are generally a few things that help:
1) Use quality mercerized, long staple or extra long staple cotton.
2) Try a thread conditioner like Sewer's Aid before you start sewing.
3) Size up your needle. If you're at a 70/10, go to 80/12. If you're at 80/12, go to 90/14.
4) Switch to a Top Stitch needle; it has a larger eye. Or a Metallic since the eye is Teflon coated.
5) Slow down when changing directions. If you hesitate for a beat before turning a sharp corner, it gives the machine time to add a bit of slack into the thread run so the thread doesn't snap.
6) Use extra caution when stitching over thread. This is the case whether you are creating thread build-up for your design or are stitching over buried knots.

I used to always bury all my knots right away. I've actually found that I have fewer problems if I just pull my thread to the top both when I start and end a stitching line. This is especially true if I have a complicated design that requires breaking thread several times in one area (say 1 sqft --.3sq m), but sometimes I catch my buried threads inside the sandwich & that causes either my top or bobbin thread to snap. By leaving my threads on the top until I completely finish quilting a section (with all the colors & weights of thread that I planned to use to quilt it), the only thread that can catch is from my piecing. I never used to trim my piecing threads. I just didn't think it mattered unless I was using thin white fabric. But now I trim it down to no more than 2" (5cm) so it is less likely to get caught while quilting. It's not a constant problem, but when I quilt at 1/2" (1cm), it happens maybe a half dozen times over a 65x65" quilt. I made samples to verify if that was the problem & it seemed to be true. It reduced the number of times I had issues from 18-20 per 65" square quilt to 6 and those all occur when I don't bother to apply Sewer's Aid and take a sharp corner too fast.

Hope that helps & that you find something that works for you. I know how frustrating it is to have to unpick, tie off & restart a new thread line (btw - I do bury those knots instantly since I need to see exactly where my line is going to end. But then I make sure to bury it either perpendicular or in the direction from which I just came so I don't get those threads caught by my needle).

Blackberry

I always pull mine up. I just want to make sure the bobbin thread won't get tangled up in the stitching.

ManiacQuilter2

If you don't pull it up and hold onto to it before your first stitch, sometime you will get a nest with grease from your machine. It is just something you have to start doing.