cminor

I hate to even have to ask....I think I know the answer....but...

I love my machine. I got it on a great sale last year a Singer Quantum Stylist 9960. It is all I ever wanted it to be. This weekend I have decided to move on from piecing to Free Motion quilting - and I know I have to practice a lot - but my thread keeps getting caught somehow in the machine...its almost like the piece of thread is being stripped...and not getting down all the way to my needle. My bobbin thread is the same and seems to be working fine.

Could this be because I am using $1.00 Walmart thread? I buy it a lot and it works great for piecing... but I wonder if now I need to upgrade... I have rethreaded more times than I can count today.

Suggestions?

Nammie to 7

Sorry, my machine won't take that kind of thread -- I use Aurifil for piecing and King Tut for quilting.

ckcowl

are you using the right needle for the thread being used? if the needle is too small- wrong type; it can fray, stretch, break the thread. what weight thread is your walmart thread? I would think for quilting you might want a better quality of thread.

QuiltswithConvicts

Connecting Threads has great 100% long staple cotton thread in skads of colors. $2.49 for a 1200 yd. spool. Neutrals in 5,000 yd. cones for $9.99. Goes on sale often & also comes in sets for a reduced per spool price. Have you had your machine cleaned? If not, perhaps it's time & ask them to check the timing. If the needle isn't going down at the right time, it won't engage the bobbin thread or will break or your needle will break - often.

cminor

I can't tell what weight the thread is...even the Aerofil Madera does not say on the spool. How can I tell?

suern3

Wondering if it might have something to do with the set-up for free motion on your machine, such as lowering feed dogs, setting the presser foot at the right height, etc. Does your manual tell you how to set for free motion? I'm no expert but it seems like each machine needs it's own settings. If you've used this thread for piecing without any problem, I would check into other causes. By the way, I use and like Aurifil for piecing and free motion but have also used others just prefer that one.

suern3

Just wanted to add, when I began the free motion quilting my latest quilt on my Pfaff that I have been using for the last 5 years and on which I had just completed piecing the quilt top, I discovered after several thread breaks and rethreadings that I had placed the bobbin in the bobbin case backwards! UGH! How can that happen? Luckily, I decided to go back to square one and got the machine manual out and went step by step. Since that is one of the first steps it didn't take long for me to find the problem at that point. Good luck finding your solution!

cminor

That could be the problem. I don't really have any info on how to set my machine for free motion. I did lower the feed dogs and changed the stitch length to as low as I could at .8

To be honest I feel overwhelmed by the whole thing. I feel like not only do I not know what I am doing - I don't know how to set my machine or the thread...

Prism99

The thread may not be strong enough to handle free-motion. I personally would not use that thread in my Bernina simply because cheap thread tends to be linty, and I'd like to keep my machine as lint-free as possible. What exactly is on the thread spool in terms of information? I went to the Walmart site online, but they have many different threads there; I didn't see any that were $1/spool.

What size needle is in your machine? Typically you want to go up a size when FMQing, and using a topstitch needle in a larger size helps too. Sounds like your thread is shredding. Most people don't realize that any single portion of the top thread goes in and out of the needle quite a few times. This is how the thread starts shredding when the needle is too small and/or the thread is not strong enough.

MissM

I have the same machine and my dealer told me to never use the cheap threads because of the lint. When I did as he said all problems were solved.