Sewing the final seam on my first UQ and I got this happening underneath. I could tell from the sound that something wasn't quite right. Can someone explain this and provide some guidance on a solution?
Sewing the final seam on my first UQ and I got this happening underneath. I could tell from the sound that something wasn't quite right. Can someone explain this and provide some guidance on a solution?
That happens to me when my thread tension is too lowOriginally Posted by Knoxes
Check your machine. When this happens on mine, something is not threaded properly.
RON
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In addition to the above, clean out the are around you feed dogs, shuttle, and bobbin case. Just a little bit of lint and clutter in there can cause the thread to foul up.
OK, that kinda makes sense to me. So the tension is only adjustable on the needle thread, right? And if it's not tight enough, it's not pulling the bobbin thread through/tight?
Kinda sucks because I found that trying to rip seams out of the ripstop that it would tend to tear the fabric and leave long holes.
That is a classic symptom of low top thread tension. In all likelihood some thing slipped out of a threading loop. Each one of those little guides is important to maintain the proper tension. Make sure the spool is threaded correctly. In a case like this often the best step is to unthread the spool entirely and rethread it again. This is the equivalent of the computer reboot which "magically" clears up many problems. In addition to cleaning the bobbin area clean the spool thread path as well. Lint and fuzz, particularly from cheap thread, can play hob with top tensions. It doesn't take much.
I may be slow... But I sure am gimpy.
"Bless you child, when you set out to thread a needle don't hold the thread still and fetch the needle up to it; hold the needle still and poke the thread at it; that's the way a woman most always does, but a man always does t'other way."
Mrs. Loftus to Huck Finn
We Don't Sew... We Make Gear! video series
Important thread injector guidelines especially for Newbies
Bobbin Tension - A Personal Viewpoint
no.... the loops not pulled tight are the top threads. The thread is pushed down down under the machine bed where it is looped to the bobbin thread. Then the take up arm, that lever that goes up and down, pulls the top thread tight. If the tension is too low, the thread is stripped off the spool instead of the loop being pulled up.
The top tension is the easiest to adjust and generally speaking the only tension that needs to be adjusted. Do _not_ adjust the bobbin tension (there is a set screw on the case) unless you know _exactly_ what you are doing and _exactly_ why you are doing it. Otherwise you can mess things up even more. For more on bobbin tension you can check my sig. I have a link to my opinion there.
When ripping out thread lines cut the thread. Don't try to break the thread by pulling the fabric. They make seam rippers and tailors awls just for that purpose. That is keep your fabric from tearing.
I may be slow... But I sure am gimpy.
"Bless you child, when you set out to thread a needle don't hold the thread still and fetch the needle up to it; hold the needle still and poke the thread at it; that's the way a woman most always does, but a man always does t'other way."
Mrs. Loftus to Huck Finn
We Don't Sew... We Make Gear! video series
Important thread injector guidelines especially for Newbies
Bobbin Tension - A Personal Viewpoint
That just went "click" in my head. Up to this point, I've basically assumed that it was all some kind of black magic.
Thanks, everyone.
As others have said, re-thread the machine. The upper tension setting did not suddenly change itself in the middle of a project (unless you have young children that like to play with knobs). The thread came off a guide or more likely is not between the tension disks on the tension device. This is most likely to happen when the presser foot is up (releasing the tensioner) and you turn the handwheel or run the machine.
The other 'classic' way to get this (thread not in the tensioner properly) is to thread the machine with the presser foot 'down' (tensioner closed, so the thread can't enter between the discs/plates). I had a friend who did that a few times....
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