aashley333

Who hasn't been stitching along for naught! It is particularly infuriating when intricacy involved lots of pinning. As for stitching with bobbin on top, I tried with metallic thread. I thought I needed it on top and bottom to stitch. Eww. big mistake, but still have fully wound bobbin of metallic thread that does not work as a top thread because it bunches. I set a personal goal of winding 3 bobbins at a time when in winding mode. I am impatient when sewing gets interrupted!

Onebyone

I use bobbins as spools as I posted for my FW because it has a vertical spool pin.

Crosswound thread the thread leaves the spool over the top, straight wound thread the thread leaves the spool sideways. Older machines have the straight up spool pin for straight wound thread. The newer machines have a horizontal spool pin or thread pole for crosswound thread. All spools can be used on a thread stand. Using left over bobbins from a LA to sew on a machine has been used for decades.
There is a years old device to have the bobbins become a spool called the Bobinator.

cashs_mom

I had that happen the other day when I was chain piecing some strips. So annoying. I use vintage machines too so I'm familiar with that happening.

I don't know anything about the thread coming off the wrong way, but I've used the bobbin thread on the top for years and never had a problem with it. The stitches look fine and hold well. Since I use lot of vintage machines and they don't mind it. Neither do my more contemporary Berninas. I haven't tried it on my Juki. I only do FMQ on that machine.

Onebyone

I wind my piecing bobbin with the regular thread I usually piece with when I'm using it as a spool.
For those interested, did you know you can now buy prewound bobbins for the FW? Yes!

QuiltMom2

I heave a huge sigh when lomgarming and I am nearly finished and yep! bobbin runs out when I've got maybe a foot or so of design left to quilt, Really, you couldn't have lasted for another minute or so?

LGJARN52

While quilting the latest quilt with a wavy grid pattern I wound 9 bobbins for the project. Ran out twice, once about a yard or more from the edge and the other about 4 inches from the edge. However I did win "chicken" about 5 times. Had to laugh at the process! It no longer bothers me to run out of thread, only takes a couple minute to change bobbins, and bury the thread if you have enough bobbins pre-wound.

peaceandjoy

I can usually tell by the sound that my bobbin is getting low, so start paying more attention That's easy enough when chain piecing. Last week, I was focused on joining 2 rows of blocks. At the end of the 90" seam, I found that I had only actually sewn about 2". Grrr...

Although I used to think a low bobbin warning would be nice, several people I know have them and when we sew together, I have realized that they actually start going off LONG before you are actually out of bobbin. So they end up either over-riding the warning, ignoring the warning, or turning it off!

Iceblossom

When I got my new primary machine, I knew I wanted a "top loading bobbin" because I use a table and it is a pain to take off the acrylic panel and lift the machine and on and on. I got one but what it is, is just an opening to a standard bobbin with the little bobbin case.

What I really wanted was a "drop in" bobbin with the little window where I could see my bobbin before starting those long rows.

Maybe next time!

Snooze2978

Just last week I ran out of bobbin thread on the quilt machine just inches away from the end of the pattern (block). Then ran out of thread on my Brother machine with nothing to pop up and tell me I'm running out of thread. I was stitching the binding on the same quilt but I've learned on that machine to keep looking at what you just stitched every few minutes so you can catch yourself before you go along the entire side with no bobbin thread. Hate when that happens.

Snooze2978

I'm happy to say yesterday while quilting, I ran out of bobbin thread right when I tied off by the machine. Now I call that pure luck and it happened twice in one day. Too bad I don't gamble or buy lottery tickets.