Terri C. Posted December 15, 2009 Report Share Posted December 15, 2009 I'm at my witts end here. I'm getting skipped stitches and can not figure out why. I didn't hit a ruler or a heavy seam to throw off the timing. I've changed the needle 2 times, cleaned the bobbin area 2 times with WD40, air hose, and then applied oil, the hopping foot is set in the lowest position to fit 3 business cards under or at .030 using a gauge, the needle turned to the right slightly, timing seems to be right where it should be, and my sandwich is not tight. Please I need help on this one. My machine is the Millennium. Terri Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CindyT Posted December 15, 2009 Report Share Posted December 15, 2009 Are you using the stitch regulator and if so is there any thread wrapped there (like the wheels)? Have you tried re-threading from cone to needle? Just a few things I've come across. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terri C. Posted December 16, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 16, 2009 I am using the stitch regulator and there is no thread on or around the wheels. I have re-threaded a few times and also blew out the tension disk in case that was a problem. Oh ya, it doesn't matter what direction I'm going either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RunningThreads Posted December 16, 2009 Report Share Posted December 16, 2009 Terri; Cindy may be on to something. Take a close look to see if you really have skipped stitches (can you see a needle hole where the stitch should be) or are they just long stitches. Long stitches are an encoder or regulator problem. Have you raised your hopping foot recently because my manual says it should be about 1/64 of an inch which is .0156 If you always had it that high and no tension problems leave it. Make sure you let us know the solution when you get it figured out. Nigel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RunningThreads Posted December 16, 2009 Report Share Posted December 16, 2009 One more thought. Is the needle in correctly scarf to the back, I know you are not new but I remember my instructor at the sewing machine repair class telling us that was one of the most common problems when machine came in for repair. Nigel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susanne.Hughes Posted December 16, 2009 Report Share Posted December 16, 2009 Hi Terri, I am the last person you should take advice from but here goes................ Try a needle from a completely new pack. I know that you have changed needles, but like thread, I think you can get batches of bad needles. Also try different size, maybe you need to go up a size (I think it has to do with the denseness if the fabric... needle has to work to get through the quilt, then the batting and then the backing.... lots of stuff happening before it even gets to the bobbin thread) Do a test run on different practice fabric (to the side). I found that cheap fabric or too dense can cause problems as well. I had a test piece and the tension was ever so sweet but when I got onto the quilt, I too had skipped stitches. As we would say in our vernacular.. "Buggar!!!" (or at 2.30am a few, stronger expressions were used) Maybe your machine just doesn't like the thread......... stranger things have happened. I would have thought that three business cards is far too high for a normal loft batting. It should be one, maybe two business card/s. Try lowering the hopping foot (unless you have a ver high loft or very dense seams.) If all else fails, maybe the timing is out (you don't need to hit a ruler for this to happen) and I would re-time my machine. Have done it on my very own and am not afraid to do it again. At least a few things to try. Hope that some of the more expert quilters jump on and help!! (Shana, Dawn, Heidi where are you?!!!) Regards and all the best of luck!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quiltmonkey Posted December 16, 2009 Report Share Posted December 16, 2009 Originally posted by Terri C ......, the needle turned to the right slightly Actually, I turn my needle to the "LEFT" so the eye is slightly past the 6:30 position; some where around 6:35. Try that. Have you tried quilting without SR mode? Does it still skip stitches? Try different things to eliminate and narrow down/isolate the problem. Have you tried a new bobbin? New different thread? New bobbin case? Have you blown out your bobbin case? The bobbin case spring prongs could have thread fluff stuck underneath, or the prongs need to be sprung out a little more. Is the needle in backwards? Different fabrics and batting? It could be a number of things. Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yankiequilter Posted December 16, 2009 Report Share Posted December 16, 2009 I'm not an expert but I thought when the hopping foot was at it's lowest position the height should be one business card above the quilt. No other ideas that haven't already been mentioned. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Judi Posted December 16, 2009 Report Share Posted December 16, 2009 All great ideas and suggestions... just checking in to see you found a solution - or fix for the problem. New hook needed maybe?? Keep us posted when you find out please.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terri C. Posted December 16, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 16, 2009 First I would like to say thank you for the fast responses I've gotten tonight. I know a few have questioned the height of the hopping foot, but I've had it there forever. I ALWAYS use the SR so I'll have to try it without and see what happens. I've tried a different bobbin, different thread, the needle is in the correct way, and there are holes from the needle so I do believe it's skipped stitches. Tomorrow I'll take the quilt off and put on a new piece of fabric to play with. I'll try a new bobbin case, lowering the hopping foot, some other thread. A little at a time to see what happens. Wish me luck because this is discouraging when nothing has really happened to make me say "oh, thats why it's doing this". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Busy Quilting Posted December 16, 2009 Report Share Posted December 16, 2009 Can you put a practice piece of fabric beside the quilt rather that take it off. I use a cut down batting tube to hold my practise piece on the bars beside the quilt top. Saves the hassle of unpinning and repinning. Do yu have a piece of batting in the thread guide above the spool. Is the thread feeding smoothly from the spool. Dawn C in a post recently said a thread can get whiplash before getting to the tension discs and cause skipped stiches. Lyn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smorris Posted December 16, 2009 Report Share Posted December 16, 2009 Hi Terri It might not be skipping stitches you are seeing but slipped stitches. There are a few ways to work out whether they are skipped or slipped. If you were to quilt on paper and could see that the needle holes in the paper are NOT an even distance apart, then you have slipped stitches and the black encoder wheel needs to be adjusted. Turn the stitch regulator on and quilt a straight horizontal line for 30cm or more - if it created long stitches then your black encoder wheel on the carriage isn't contacting consistently inside the carriage wheel. If the problem is with the rubber wheel on the machine head, you will have trouble getting consistent stitches when quilting front to back. To move the encoder wheel closer in to the carriage wheel you need to loosen the gold bolt that goes through the carriage wheel and chrome plate on the encoder box a little, then push the encoder box so that the black wheel gets in a little closer. Sometimes you might also have to adjust the height of the rubber wheel by loosening the allan key screw that is on the collar which is on the shaft that the black rubber wheel is on. If you are getting even needle holes then it is more likely to be the height of the needle. Remove the needle and put it back in making sure it is as high up in the shaft as possible and tighten in place. At its lowest position you should be able to see the whole eye of the needle when you look into the hook assembly, with the bobbin case out. Always check the height of the needle before adjusting the timing. My bet is that its the rubber encoder wheel. Good luck sue in australia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quiltmonkey Posted December 16, 2009 Report Share Posted December 16, 2009 Good advice, Sue. Another though I had: Perhaps there is thread or dirt inside the curves of the wheels. Sometimes thread or dust or specks of batting get stuck inside the wheel curve area that might cause a problem with wheels not moving smoothly. I use a Qtip dabbed with rubbing alcohol and roll the carriage along to get inside those areas. Then I wipe down my rails on both sides with a dry piece of batting scrap or cloth to remove any black streaks from the wheels. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terri C. Posted December 16, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 16, 2009 Here is where I'm at now. I was using King Tut seen where it is sometimes hard to work with so I switched over to So Fine But was still getting skipped stitches. When I started this morning with the SR on, the up and down movement of the needle seemed to jerky not a smooth rythem to it so I started with the encoder wheel. I did the paper test, seemed good both ways (always felt my stitch length was off that gave me the answer-stitches set at 9 and I'm getting 12 to the inch-deal with this matter later) the black encoder wheel on the carriage didn't seem to be as close as the one on the mach. head is, I tried to move it closer but it was in as far as it would go so I adjusted the height instead. This seemed to have helped a lot. Now here is one I don't understand. I went back to the King Tut to see if I could get it to work now. I have the bobbin loose, it seemed to be doing fine then a skipped stitch, tried it without the SR still skipped stitches, here is the odd thing to me--skipped stitches going from left to right, but going from right to left the stitches are perfect this is with king tut and SR on. Using So Fine all seems to be good. So about the only thing I did at this time was adjust the encoder wheel and went to So Fine thread. Sorry this is so long. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quilting Heidi Posted December 16, 2009 Report Share Posted December 16, 2009 Terri, You may have a combinational problem. It sounds to me now your problem is related to needle flex, especially since your stitches are fine with SoFine. Kingtut really pulls so I would try loosening upper tension a little more and you might have to loosen the bobbin tension too. Dawn C. would probably be able to answer this question. I would email her and see what she has to say. Mine is just a guess. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smorris Posted December 16, 2009 Report Share Posted December 16, 2009 Hi Terri It sounds like your technical problem has been solved since it works with So Fine but that you now need to adjust the tension for the thicker thread. Lyn's advice about using batting in the first thread guide is a good idea to tame the thread. It sounds like you might need to tighten your bobbin tension a little. Do the fingernail test - if you can move the stitches with your fingernail then tighten the tension a little bit at a time. Are you using an MR4 needle? Good luck sue in australia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Judi Posted December 16, 2009 Report Share Posted December 16, 2009 Terri - You can keep this as long as you need too! We all can learn something here - as for me - I just stay away from King tut thread, yes it is pretty - but I don't want to mess with it. Glad to hear that you are able to get it working right.... ( The Taurus in me just does NOT have the patience!! ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terri C. Posted December 16, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 16, 2009 Well I have So Fine in the top and bobbin. I did one row of Baptist Fan and I can see a few skipped stitches, nothing like I was getting (I have to look for them) so that is a good thing. I'm off to our guild meeting tonight, tomorrow I'm going to lower the hopping foot to see if that will put a stop to the hit and miss skipped stitches I'm still getting. If I remember correctly that screw is threw the hole by the tension knob. Thanks again ladies, your support is just what I needed to help me find an answer to this issue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LinneaMarie Posted December 16, 2009 Report Share Posted December 16, 2009 Yes, that's where the screw is. I called Amy and she walked me through it. I took my needle and thread out. Then lowered the hopping foot so I could slide one business card under the foot. Tighten the screw and you're all set. Mine was too high and my stitches were awful. I was blaming the stitch regulator, but lowering that foot solved my problems!:P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cmoore1223 Posted December 17, 2009 Report Share Posted December 17, 2009 Just a thought.....sometimes when I have my sandwich too tight I get skipped stitches. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smorris Posted December 17, 2009 Report Share Posted December 17, 2009 If the skipped stitches are happening when you are stitching close to the levelling bar, maybe you need to lower it. It should be about 1/2 inch above the bed of the machine. the lower the better so the quilt doesn't flap around and the needle can go right down through the quilt sandwich and pick up the bobbin thread easily. sue Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terri C. Posted December 18, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 18, 2009 Follow up. I did lower my hopping foot, down to one business card and have been quilting away. For the life of me I can not see one skipped stitch ;). Hoping it stays this way. I really think adjusting the black rubber wheel on the encoder was the main fix, the other things were icing on the cake. Once again "thank you" for all the help and advice given here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smorris Posted December 18, 2009 Report Share Posted December 18, 2009 Hi Terri Glad to hear you are a happy quilter again. sue in australia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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