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Occasional Loops on Back


Robin M

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I've had this problem before, but now I seem to have it with almost every quilt - a small area where the tension is off and then things are fine again.  I can hear it in the stitching, but I'm doing nothing different in that area than any place else.

 

This quilt is about 50" by 60", quilted with a loose meander.  Bottom thread is Glide (not pre-wound); top is Superior variegated.  4.0 needle used only for a 20" by 24" wall hanging before this.

 

I have done all the things I know about - checking for debris, watching the thread path when I stitch (which I can't do when I'm actually quilting), cleaning everything I can imagine.  Adjusting the tension doesn't seem to make sense because it's fine everywhere else on this quilt.  The thread/bobbin thread/needle combo must not the be the problem because it works on the rest (99%) of the quilt.

 

What can it be?

 

Any advice welcome.  

 

Robin

 

P.S.  I hope you can see the photo.  Let me know if it's not clear...

post-9349-0-00805400-1413665441_thumb.jpg

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Hi....I have had this problem on occasion too....and I don't really know why....the first time I had this happen....I was getting the bobbin lying on the back of the quilt with the top thread making loops...it was pretty constant...but not completely...there were areas were it was just fine....but when rechecking the thread path one more time...the top thread had came out of the thread guide that is just after the tension spring in the tension dial...once I put it back in...it did just fine....this last time the thread path was correct and it still seemed to be happening about every other pass and I was going in both from right to left and from left to right...didn't want to mess much with the tension as the one direction was fine...and also sometimes there several passes that were fine....I was using a new cone of OMNI thread that was package in a loose bag rather than the shrink wrap the other cones came in so maybe it was older stock?....anyway, although I had changed the needle when I started the quilt....I changed it again...and I also took out my manual and looked at the diagrams for the thread path and ended up adjusting the guide right above the spool as the manual said " make sure this guide is directly above the center of the cone" and mine was a little forward....I also adjusted the angle of the three holed thread guide right before the tension guide...that one that you put the thread through all the holes making sure it was "pointing at 8 o'clock" on the tension dial....at least I think I got it point there although it was hard to tell....I also cleaned out the bobbin area again....all of these changes seemed to help and the looping stopped....but I am not sure what did the trick or if it will last....I also noticed that the cone of thread seemed a bit smoother after the first layers had spooled off the cone so I was wondering if the thread itself was dried out some....hope this helps..hopefully someone else will chime in here too...Oh...I was using OMNI in both the bobbin and top and Hobbs polydown as the batting....Lin

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I have had issues on the back mostly with pantos. i think all is fine, but when i look, there are areas where the thread is laying on the quilt. One thing that did help is making sure the hopping foot is level. I will be doing a panto next and i must admit, i am a bit anxious. Hopefully all will be well.

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Try increasing your top tension to make sure thee are no issues on the back.  You'll notice issues on the top (well maybe not so much on pantos as stitching from the front) as you quilt, and can deal with them immediately. Keep your bobbin full so you don't have to change during any single pass.  Clean your bobbin case before you start, and clean the lint out from the hook each time you change the bobbin.  Good luck.  Jim

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I'm sorry, I directed my comments to K. Szymaszek.  What I said applies to some extent to the other issues raised.  The occasional loops on the top suggest to me that the bobbin case tension spring isn't doing it's job all the time.  Check to make sure there isn't lint under it.  Make sure you have the bobbin thread properly routed under the tension spring.  Also check the bobbin case tension.  If you have a TOWA gauge, I'd set a least 150 on it.  If you don't have a TOWA, spider drop test to be sure there is adequate tension.  Make sure your bobbin case backlash spring is working properly too.  Jim

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