pflum1

I have a feather weight that sews beautiful for about 4 to 5 inches, then it will loosen the stitches for the next 2 to 3 inches, then go back and sew beautiful. I have cleaned it, but can't figure out what is causing it. The tension is O K for most of the time, tell it loosen up.

Mrs. SewNSew

It sounds like you need to take apart the tension and really clean it, change for a new needle, make sure you are threaded correctly and clean and re-check the bobbin area and bobbin case.--not necessarily in that order, but I like to be thorough!

*Shoot! I thought you had the same problem as me...a skipped stitch now and again with paper piecing, but this sounds different!

miriam

I really found this helpful. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kzFX...AyBQ2l-Mzkw7ew

sdhaevrsi

Yes, the videos that ArchaicArcane made on the tension are really good. I am in the middle of doing this, myself.

MFord

I wonder if your thread is catching on something as it moves along the thread path. You might check for burrs and nicks. Also, get really deep and use a good light when you're cleaning the bobbin area. Look for threads and lint. Or it could be a tension problem as others have noted.

ArchaicArcane

My question would be is it skipping stitches like in the title or is the tension changing like in the post? They're two different problems with two different solutions.

cricket_iscute

I'm suspecting a weak spring in the tension assembly. If not, then gunk in that same area. Try flossing it with unwaxed floss before taking it apart; that might take care of it. And take pictures as you take it apart. Ask me how I know.

My Featherweight likes to get the thread caught around the spool pin and cause problems. Is that happening with yours?

You didn't, by chance, put more than one drop of oil in the bobbin area, did you? I did that once and got the same problem. That was not on a Featherweight, though.

miriam

Cricket, thread wrapping around the spool is a problem for one of my machines but it doesn't skip stitches it puckers up and breaks the thread. I had another machine that was puckering as it sewed - I took the foot off the machine and compared to an original. The made in China replacement was thicker on the bottom by a couple hairs. I don't know if the original foot was just worn or if the new foot was out of spec. Maybe use floss on a new machine but these old ones seem to collect some serious junk and taking them apart is the best way to clean them up. If you can find a diagram of how the tension goes you can blow it up at the printers and it helps to get it back together. Remember the parts go in a certain order and some of them direction is important, too. Tammi has a info about putting the tension in. Dig around her web pages http://www.archaicarcane.com/fragile...ess/#more-1669 there is very well written and great video info on tensions!!!

Wunder-Mar

Coincidentally, I just took a four hour class last weekend about cleaning and maintenance of featherweights. Our instructor refurbishes and repairs of sewing machines and re-sells them; he specializes in featherweights. Rather than taking apart your tension disks, he suggests flossing them with waxeddental floss. Skipping stitches heattributes often to either the needle’s being dull OR its being incorrectly installedwith the hole facing front – the flat part of the needle should be on the leftwhen you insert it, and you thread from the right to the left. If, after doing these two things, he suggestsre-threading the bobbin in the bobbin case before adjusting the tension.

ArchaicArcane

I sometimes wonder if I talk too much about tension on my blog. I guess there's a lot of stress in my life! I used to recommend flossing but stopped that when a friend did it and it shoved the broken thread further in and compounded the problem. I rebuild every vintage tensioner that hits my bench these days. It's just not worth fighting with them until you know that it's not a grunge problem.

Wunder-Mar - he suggested waxed floss? Not unwaxed specifically? The reason we don't use hand quilting thread on our machines is the wax that helps it through the layers messes our machines up. Same reason we wouldn't try to resolve a problem using a similar product...

I just learned something! I had no idea you could insert the needle with the flat to the back in a featherweight. I've never tried before! I know you can't do this with a 301 for sure! Backwards - ie. flat to the right - is very common though and will cause skipped stitches guaranteed.