Wednesday, February 18, 2009

HELP!!!

Small quilt top (40"x50")...

machine quilt thread, new bobbin, new needle, machine cleaned 5 days ago, sewed another quilt top 3 days ago without incident

30 thread breaks today!!! This is more frustrating than a 4 year old (and this is my daily relief from said 4 year old)

What's a girl to do??

...any pointers from the gallery?

8 comments:

Millie said...

It could be tension or it could be the particular kind of thread or the way the thread is wound on the spool. I have one kind of thread that gives me trouble all the time.

Something is obviously different, and you have to isolate what it is.

Good luck

Kristin said...

You aren't, by chance, using a white-on-white fabric anywhere in the project, are you? It can cling to the throatplate and mess up the "moveability" of fabric, which could impact tension. Are feed dogs down? Also - is it the same kind of needle that you've used with that thread in the past? I've had problems with 70/10 needles -- the eye is too small and it "saws" away at the thread. It could also have to do with how the thread is unwinding. I had big problems with breakage and, like you, couldn't figure out where it began. I solved it by buying a cone thread holder, which gave the thread a little more "space" between the spool and the machine to unwind/loosen, and it helped a tremendous amount. (See the photo at http://sewing.about.com/od/sewingmachineparts/p/smspoolholder.htm). Hope that helps - good luck!

~Michelle~ said...

Tension...or your fabric. I had the same issue when I tried to use a thrifted sheet as backing - couldn't get it quilted at all. So I gave up, and pulled the quilt sandwich apart. The top is put away at the moment :-/

teresa said...

I agree with KF, Tension is the number culprit of thread breakage along with white on white backing, the cone thread holder work great besides saving you money, another trick is when you are threading your needle make sure the presser foot is in the UP position, the thread will lay nicer between the tension disks! Keep trying okay? always, Teresa

floribunda said...

when this kind of thing happens to me I pull all the thread out of the machine and re-thread and re-load the bobbin. If that doesn't work, change the needle again and/or make sure it's inserted correctly. (even a new needle can have flaws!) Then have a cup of tea and a piece of chocolate!

Paula, the quilter said...

Or you could even get a bad brand new needle. Change it again.

Emma said...

Maybe try reversing the direction of the reel. And a freshly-wound bobbin can help. Or another day!

Anya said...

Are you sewing on batiks? That could be the problem. I've heard that some people swear by using Sullivan's Silicone Spray on quilt tops or on their thread when they have a lot of breakage.