What am I doing wrong?
05-09-2011, 09:15 AM
#1
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Canada
Posts: 90
I get so frustrated with machine quilting.
At the moment I am "trying" to machine quilt a twin sized quilt for my son. I have three more UFOs that are all stalled because of the machine quilting.
The one I am working on at the moment is a blue and white eight point star alternating with a red and white nine patch for a nautical themed room. The backing is a dark to medium blue bumpy minke. I sew with a Husquevarna 425 Fresia so there is no bobbin tension for me to adjust. It was very recently sent to get cleaned and adjusted and hasn't really been sewn with since I have been doing hand applique latey.
The biggest problem (if you have gotten through all that) that I am currently having is getting "nests" of the top thread on the back. I am quilting staight lines currently so am using the walking foot. I get a similar problem when free motion quilting but suspect that in that case I am just moving the quilt too fast. Also, I seem to get the problem almost exclusively in the last third of the bobbin.
Any thoughts on what I am doing wrong? I don't like to waste a third of a bobbin every time.
TIA
Tara
At the moment I am "trying" to machine quilt a twin sized quilt for my son. I have three more UFOs that are all stalled because of the machine quilting.
The one I am working on at the moment is a blue and white eight point star alternating with a red and white nine patch for a nautical themed room. The backing is a dark to medium blue bumpy minke. I sew with a Husquevarna 425 Fresia so there is no bobbin tension for me to adjust. It was very recently sent to get cleaned and adjusted and hasn't really been sewn with since I have been doing hand applique latey.
The biggest problem (if you have gotten through all that) that I am currently having is getting "nests" of the top thread on the back. I am quilting staight lines currently so am using the walking foot. I get a similar problem when free motion quilting but suspect that in that case I am just moving the quilt too fast. Also, I seem to get the problem almost exclusively in the last third of the bobbin.
Any thoughts on what I am doing wrong? I don't like to waste a third of a bobbin every time.
TIA
Tara
05-09-2011, 09:21 AM
#3
Banned
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Houston, TX
Posts: 7,286
Been there, done that. I long ago decided that life was too short waste wrestling a big quilt through the throat of a small machine. AND that it was absolutely NOT fun, that quilting was a hobby, and the day it stopped being fun, I was done with it. So now I make my tops and quilt by check. (ie, send them to a long-armer). Makes things MUCH happier!
But if you truly do decide you have a masochistic streak, good luck. Oh, you won't have the nests if you pull your bobbin thread to the top at the beginning, and hold both ends of the thread as you start.
Another cause might be that the bobbin is not threaded correctly, or the thread has slipped out of place, or that the top thread is not threaded correctly. Also, replace your needle regularly.
But if you truly do decide you have a masochistic streak, good luck. Oh, you won't have the nests if you pull your bobbin thread to the top at the beginning, and hold both ends of the thread as you start.
Another cause might be that the bobbin is not threaded correctly, or the thread has slipped out of place, or that the top thread is not threaded correctly. Also, replace your needle regularly.
05-09-2011, 09:21 AM
#4
Super Member
Join Date: May 2007
Location: NE Pa.
Posts: 1,738
If at the present you are only doing straight line quilting unthread the machine and rethread it. Some times the thread is not in the tension discs correctly. I have had that happen to me Also have you changed the needle lately
05-09-2011, 09:40 AM
#6
Power Poster
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: home again, after 27 yrs!
Posts: 19,388
are you doing Free motion quilting or regular quilting??
if FMQ you need to lower your feed dogs but dont' forget when you start sewing to make sure your needle shaft/foot lever is in the down position. it's easy to forget and that will definitely cause a mess underneath.
Ah, re-read your post. I would rethread the top and remove the bobbin and clean your machine well. then reinsert your bobbin and try again. sometimes it's just as simple as fuzz that needs to be removed.
if FMQ you need to lower your feed dogs but dont' forget when you start sewing to make sure your needle shaft/foot lever is in the down position. it's easy to forget and that will definitely cause a mess underneath.
Ah, re-read your post. I would rethread the top and remove the bobbin and clean your machine well. then reinsert your bobbin and try again. sometimes it's just as simple as fuzz that needs to be removed.
05-09-2011, 10:12 AM
#8
Super Member
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Illinois
Posts: 9,312
It sounds like you may have static building up in the bobbin. A couple of things contribute to this... Long periods of time operating... the constant spinning of the bobbin can have static build up. The second contibutor is poly or poly cotton thread in the bobbin. The spinning coupled with the poly will can have a signifcant amount of static.
I would try , test a bobbin with just 100 percent cotton thread and then the bobbin washer to see if it continues.
This may be the issue , not having seen the issue first hand this is worth a try to trouble shoot.
I would try , test a bobbin with just 100 percent cotton thread and then the bobbin washer to see if it continues.
This may be the issue , not having seen the issue first hand this is worth a try to trouble shoot.
05-09-2011, 10:34 AM
#9
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Canada
Posts: 90
I'm going to try to answer all of these.
What is a bobbin washer? My bobbins are plastic if that makes a difference.
The needle was replaced just before the last bobbin fill. I just got a tangle so I completely rethreaded the entire machine as per suggested. It has also just sat for 40 minutes because of this combined with putting my three year old down for her nap. We'll see if sitting has helped shortly. While rethreading I also made sure to brush away any fuzz that I could see.
The only thread that I use is Guttermann (sp??)100% cotton.
As for the longarmer, the quilt that I am currently doing by hand applique is going to be going to one if I can find one. My thinking up to now was that I wanted to do the whole quilt by myself but I am getting UFOs stacking up since I am not really enjoying the quilting portion while loving the rest of the process. But I was also told that longarmers won't take trimmed quilts and the UFOs I have are trimmed down to the correct finished size.
The next time I get a "good" nest I will take a picture and post it. It shows up really well since my top thread is white and the bottom thread is dark blue for the dark blue minke on the back.
Tara
What is a bobbin washer? My bobbins are plastic if that makes a difference.
The needle was replaced just before the last bobbin fill. I just got a tangle so I completely rethreaded the entire machine as per suggested. It has also just sat for 40 minutes because of this combined with putting my three year old down for her nap. We'll see if sitting has helped shortly. While rethreading I also made sure to brush away any fuzz that I could see.
The only thread that I use is Guttermann (sp??)100% cotton.
As for the longarmer, the quilt that I am currently doing by hand applique is going to be going to one if I can find one. My thinking up to now was that I wanted to do the whole quilt by myself but I am getting UFOs stacking up since I am not really enjoying the quilting portion while loving the rest of the process. But I was also told that longarmers won't take trimmed quilts and the UFOs I have are trimmed down to the correct finished size.
The next time I get a "good" nest I will take a picture and post it. It shows up really well since my top thread is white and the bottom thread is dark blue for the dark blue minke on the back.
Tara
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