Skipping
 

I have A dsm on a frame and am quilting a small quilt. On the back I am seeing where the stitches are fine then every once in awhile there is one long stitch from 1/4 to 1/2 in long. Can anyone tell me possible causes? I have new needle, machine has been cleaned and oiled, tried retreading. TIA.

Machine speed might be set too low. Also, if you are FMQ'ing, a Quilting needle can help with this if it's mainly happening as you go around curves.

It could also be that your tension in the frame is too loose. Here's a helpful article I found about quilting on a DSM frame:
http://www.generations-quilt-pattern...you-nuts1.html

That happens to me when I go too fast especially on curves. It also happens if my quilt sandwich has some fullness that I'm trying to work in and I'm going too fast.

Try one size needle larger.

Skipped stitches are usually caused when the needle is being deflected, making it impossible for the thread to form a stitch. The deflection can be caused by going too quickly, so the needle is pulled to the side by the fabric. Using a larger needle means less deflection, as does slowing down.

It can also happen if the foot of the machine isn't tight enough to the quilt sandwich - what I mean is it has to compress the sandwich too much so it doesn't fully form the stitch. If you are able to lower the foot even the slightest little bit, it might be enough.

My friend has a new expensive Janome machine and when this started happening she became very upset thinking this should not happen. She was at a class last week and mentioned her issue to the teacher who told her how to solve her problem. Janome has a purple band needle that specifically deals with this issue. She says that although it's a bit more expensive it really has solved the skipping. I haven't tried them yet but you might try them. Hope this helps.

I always learn something new here. Thanks so much.