Quilting is a Puckered Mess
05-31-2015, 06:46 AM
#11
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Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: Tri-Cities, Washington
Posts: 757
Interesting thread to read as I cannot for the life of me quilt with monofilament on the top no matter the brand and I've tried it so many times. I didn't know about the winding element of the thread spool and how it sits so thank you feline fanatic for that! And taking the tension to 0, I would not have tried that, so I appreciate justflyingin's suggestion also. I just might try mine again. JENNR8R please let us know what ends up working for you ok? I'll be interested to see how you fixed that lovely quilt, and my condolences on all the ripping 
05-31-2015, 09:08 AM
#12
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Join Date: May 2011
Location: Pacific NW
Posts: 9,362
Originally Posted by feline fanatic
Is your YLI monofilament cross wound on the spool or stack wound? If it is stack wound and you are putting it on a vertical spindle it is causing the thread to really stretch when feeding through all the tension discs. Once it is sewn in the quilt all that stretch tension is off the thread and it is springing back to it's original size, as Tartan suggested.
Try FelineFanatic's suggestion first, then if you still have problems, loosen your top tension. Too much tension on monofiliment will stretch it.
05-31-2015, 10:55 AM
#13
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Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Manassas, VA
Posts: 1,979
Thanks everyone for your input. I've considered everything that I understood. Someone thought I was using blue bobbin thread. What you are seeing is the blue washable marker that I used as a guideline for my feather stem. There are no number adjustments on the HQ 16, and it is a sit-down model where I move the fabric. The quilt isn't on rollers.
I took the bobbin case to the HQ rep at the show this morning. She found that I must have dropped my bobbin case at some point, and it was slightly out of round. She bent it back and adjusted the tension. She thinks it will work now. Hopefully, this will solve the problem, but I've ordered another bobbin case. Since my carpel tunnel surgery my hands are more clumsy, and sometimes the case drops to the tile floor when I'm changing it.
She also recommended taking out the bobbin genie that I was using when using Superior So Fine thread. It is thicker than what I usually use in the bobbin. She said the bobbin genie's are good for thin threads, like Isacord or DMC embroidery thread, but not for thicker threads.
The HQ rep also thinks taking off the paper ends of the prewounds would work better in my bobbin case.
I only use YLI monofilament thread in the top. I've quilted many quilts with it, and I prefer the look. I also don't have to worry about buying yet another thread spool in just the right color if I use the clear thread. It makes life more simple. Up until this quilt I have used DMC embroidery thread in the bobbin at the recommendation of Harriet Hargrave. The only reason I tried the prewound bobbins is that I heard that they would save time, and they hold much more thread so there would be fewer bobbin changes... eyes rolling... best laid plans and all that.
I have one more block to rip out, and then I'll try the bobbin that the HQ representative adjusted. Crossing all of my fingers and toes that this will work.
Pray for me y'all...
I took the bobbin case to the HQ rep at the show this morning. She found that I must have dropped my bobbin case at some point, and it was slightly out of round. She bent it back and adjusted the tension. She thinks it will work now. Hopefully, this will solve the problem, but I've ordered another bobbin case. Since my carpel tunnel surgery my hands are more clumsy, and sometimes the case drops to the tile floor when I'm changing it.
She also recommended taking out the bobbin genie that I was using when using Superior So Fine thread. It is thicker than what I usually use in the bobbin. She said the bobbin genie's are good for thin threads, like Isacord or DMC embroidery thread, but not for thicker threads.
The HQ rep also thinks taking off the paper ends of the prewounds would work better in my bobbin case.
I only use YLI monofilament thread in the top. I've quilted many quilts with it, and I prefer the look. I also don't have to worry about buying yet another thread spool in just the right color if I use the clear thread. It makes life more simple. Up until this quilt I have used DMC embroidery thread in the bobbin at the recommendation of Harriet Hargrave. The only reason I tried the prewound bobbins is that I heard that they would save time, and they hold much more thread so there would be fewer bobbin changes... eyes rolling... best laid plans and all that.
I have one more block to rip out, and then I'll try the bobbin that the HQ representative adjusted. Crossing all of my fingers and toes that this will work.
Pray for me y'all...
05-31-2015, 04:19 PM
#16
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Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Manassas, VA
Posts: 1,979
Flat Again!!! :)
Lookie! It's flat again!!! 
I never could make the Superior So Fine prewound bobbins work. I got a flatter result with the bobbin that I wound myself, but the tension still wasn't good.
My final desperate thing to try was to switch back to the DMC embroidery thread that I have used successfully in the past. Miracles do happen. It's quilting flat again.
Alot of the original quilting that has bad tension will just have to stay. I'm not ripping any more! I probably could have finished quilting this over the weekend if I had stuck with what I knew worked for me. Lesson learned... if it ain't broke, don't fix it!
Thanks for all of your suggestions and empathy.
I never could make the Superior So Fine prewound bobbins work. I got a flatter result with the bobbin that I wound myself, but the tension still wasn't good.
My final desperate thing to try was to switch back to the DMC embroidery thread that I have used successfully in the past. Miracles do happen. It's quilting flat again.
Alot of the original quilting that has bad tension will just have to stay. I'm not ripping any more! I probably could have finished quilting this over the weekend if I had stuck with what I knew worked for me. Lesson learned... if it ain't broke, don't fix it!
Thanks for all of your suggestions and empathy.
06-01-2015, 04:39 AM
#18
Super Member
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: Illinois
Posts: 5,282
So glad everything finally worked. Combo problem of bent case and bobbin thread then? I have a Tiara II, so basically the same machine. I have used Superior So Fine in the bobbin (and top) but have wound my own, but I felt your pain. Your quilt and quilting is beautiful now.
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