View Full Version : Help...sewing problems!
Alright everyone...I went to my friend's place last night to sew loops onto the ends of my webbing to make straps.
I bought the 1" webbing from Ed Speer and bought Guterman's heavy duty 100% polyester thread.
We screwed around w/the tension setting on her little Singer sewing machine from high-mid-low (it's about 15 years old and a very basic model) but no matter what we tried, my top stitch (the one you can see while sewing) looked great, but when you stopped and flipped it over, the bottom stitch (from the bobbin side) was a huge clumpy mess of knotted thread.
I can post a pic late tonight when I get home if it will help, but from this description, does anyone know what is wrong?
We tried using normal thread in a scrap piece of fabric and it worked fine. We tried the heavy duty thread in the same piece of scrap fabric and it clumped. So, I think it's the thread. Can I use lighter weight thread?
Thanks!
Arkwater
11-15-2006, 13:37
My singer does the same thing when 1. I load the bobbin backwards- 2. When the bobbin tension is too loose. Hope that helps:confused:
My singer does the same thing when 1. I load the bobbin backwards- 2. When the bobbin tension is too loose. Hope that helps:confused:
Does your sewing machine (or do sewing machines in general) have more than 1 tension adjusting knob? Meaning, 1 for the top thread tension and one for the bobbin thread tension.?
The bobbin drops down under the metal plate under the needle, is there a way to tell if your bobbin is upside down?
Johnny Swank
11-15-2006, 14:10
If this is a one-off deal, you could always take it to a cobbler or luggage shop and have the sew the bartacks on for about $5.
headchange4u
11-15-2006, 14:48
You will have a top tension and bottom (bobbin) tension. The bobbin tension is adjusted by a small screw on the bobbin spool thingy, at least on my machine.
Arkwater
11-15-2006, 14:58
Here (http://sewing.about.com/library/sewnews/qa/aaqa0703a.htm) is some reading on tension. Here (http://www.gpbwebworks.com/fwinfo/tension.shtml) is some more.
headchange4u
11-15-2006, 15:12
Here's another site (http://www.geocities.com/gengvall/sew/sew.html) for improving basic sewing skillz.
Perkolady
11-15-2006, 15:38
Hi
(This is my first post here)
I had the exact same thing happen on my Singer.
I put on a brand new needle, and a wider foot- which really took care of the problem.
You may also want to try playing with the stitch length, which may need to be a little longer, since the webbing is so thick.
Good luck, I hope you can get it straightened out !
Perkolady
Just Jeff
11-15-2006, 15:42
Welcome, Perkolady!
Yep - make sure the top tension and the bottom tension are matched up, and make sure your stitch length isn't too short. I bet that'll take care of the problem. Oh - and make sure your needle is the right size for your thread...if you're using a small needle with heavy thread it can cause problems on the bottom side, too.
Try it on a regular piece of cotton first. If you can not get that to work, then I wouldn't try the straps. When I start my stitch if I do not hold onto the thread coiming out of the machine, sometimes it works its way back in and gets tangled up. But like everyone said, it is most likely the bobbin. Tighten the screw a little and see what happens. On my machine things get really tangled up and I can't sew more than a few inches if the bobbin is in wrong.
One more thing to check. Make sure the spool is in the bobbin holder thingy correctly. If it is in that backwards you will also get issues.
blackbishop351
11-15-2006, 19:03
When I've had my bobbin in backwards, it's just jammed and broken the thread. No weird stitches. But that's just me.
I adjusted the needle tension when I made my slapstraps. Apparently the thickness of the material, the looseness of the weave, or the width of the stitch (or some combination of the three) requires a lower tension. I was getting a lot of tangling, but as soon as I lowered the tension the problem stopped.
I've never adjusted the bobbin tension. In fact, most of the DIY sewing sites I've looked at said not to - it's apparently not necessary for almost any application.
Michele,
Exactly the problem I had with my old Singer model 348, except, when I added tension, the thread broke. I needed more top tension.
I switched to #50 machine quilting thread, increased the top tension and every thing worked correctly.
It's interesting that lighter thread worked. I'll be watching for any explanations on why that happened.
Anyway, to get the job done, switch thread.
Tom
By the way, we're waiting for a reporton the weekend campout. Still!!
Every time I have a problem with my thread injector, its something I do wrong-----dull needle, machine not threaded properly etc. Also, with my machine, its not happy sewing through webbing, so I slowly help it along ----I usually take a long break, calm down , rethread the machine with a new needle etc--------and it almost always works!-------good luck!:)
I think this maybe the longest resurrection to date!
gargoyle
12-09-2010, 15:00
I think this maybe the longest resurrection to date!
You are correct!
:rolleyes::lol::lol:
Hopefully the OP got it fixed by now. ;)
angrysparrow
12-09-2010, 15:02
Wow! Thread necromancy...
http://www.hammockforums.net/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=16464&d=1291924959
Love the pic sparrow, tempted to save it for some of the other forums I use. Yeah 4yrs old and revived... WOW
KerMegan
12-09-2010, 15:15
probably looking thru the DIY archives...