sgorbe Posted July 9, 2011 Report Share Posted July 9, 2011 Tried rainbow thread today and what an experience! Thread constantly breaking not to mention got caught in my fly wheel UGH!!! No matter what I did, eyelashes on top, ( Idid do the spider drop on my bobbin..thanks again Shana). so...... here's what I did... changed my needle and put it in the 6 o'clock position as apposed to slightly to the left....loosened my top tension quite a bit.....and soaked the thread with sewer's aid.... Not really sure which one worked or if it was a combination but now I have nice stitches ... top and bottom. Just thought I would share this in case some one else has the same problem. This group is a wonderful bunch of very knowledgeable ladies ( and men) and most willing to share. Thank you all so much. Getting less afraid of my Lenni... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Linda S Posted July 9, 2011 Report Share Posted July 9, 2011 Never be afraid to adjust your tension. That's what the knob is there for! That's also what the little screw on the bobbin case is for. I have been quilting for nearly seven years, and I've never ever had to use sewer's aid of anything of the sort. I don't have to turn my needle a certain way, and I don't have to hold my tongue in a certain position between my teeth. I simply adjust my tension and I can run any thread there is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Primitive1 Posted July 9, 2011 Report Share Posted July 9, 2011 I have had issues with it sometimes and I found that I had a bad spool...tried another spool and with a little looser tension it worked just fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sgorbe Posted July 9, 2011 Author Report Share Posted July 9, 2011 Linda, I really like your theory...although I had to hold my tongue for other reasons.. Vicki, I will try another spool. Tension problems seem to hang over my head like a black cloud. I had never had the thread sucked into my fly wheel either until I put on this spool of rainbows...very interesting...I am now looking for a fly wheel cover but can't seem to find it on the apes web site under parts..would you or any one else know where I might find one for the lenni? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Primitive1 Posted July 9, 2011 Report Share Posted July 9, 2011 I would just call APQS for the cover... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
srichardson Posted July 9, 2011 Report Share Posted July 9, 2011 Sandy, This old thread might help you with a makeshift flywheel cover! http://www.apqs.com/quiltboard/viewthread.php?tid=13067&page=1#pid133310 Sue Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quiltmonkey Posted July 9, 2011 Report Share Posted July 9, 2011 Ohhh so sorry this happened! But....... please don't give up on Rainbows! Keep trying. You will succeed. And when you do you will be so glad you were tenacious because..... Rainbows.....Is.....So....BEAUTIFUL!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sgorbe Posted July 9, 2011 Author Report Share Posted July 9, 2011 Wow! you guys are just the greatest....Thanks to all who took the time to reply to my never ending thread/tension problems. Thanks for the link to the make shift fly wheel cover...how great was that that I just opened a new package of fray check and didn't throw the packaging away... Shana, I didn't give up...I stuck with it until I was pleased with the stitch, then I called it a night...I will keep trudging on...with the help of the beautiful people on this forum and the help from APQS and Dawn Cavanaough I just might be able to lick this:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnCavanaugh Posted July 9, 2011 Report Share Posted July 9, 2011 Sandy, We are all in this together! Glad the crew of APQS family can help. You can get a fly wheel from us...it is $14.95. Just give us a call on Monday and we will get you fixed up. Regarding the rainbow thread, it can be a bit persnickety because it tends to build up static more than other thread as it runs through the thread path. That causes it to start clinging to the side of the machine where the air draft created by the motion of the fly wheel sucks it inside. The Sewers Aid lubricated the thread and helped reduce that effect. As for the breakage, rainbows has a tendency to be more fragile and sensitive to friction and pressure. Sometimes I loosen my tension so much when using certain cones that the disks no longer touch each other! As Linda says, don't be afraid to adjust the top tension, bobbin tension, or both to get things to work. Contrary to popular opinion, there is no one "right" tension setting or bobbin drop. The correct tension setting for each project will vary and is the one that gives you correctly formed stitches, whether that means your bobbin case crawls down the bobbin thread or it slams to the floor. Or whether your top tension disks flop around or you need two hands to pull the top thread through them:) Be confident that you have permission to make whatever changes you need to do to get the stitches you want, whether you turn the needle or change the thread path or even check the horoscopes to see if it is a good day for quilting:) . (Some days, one just has to take a break and start fresh the next morning...I know that is true for me anyway!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeri Posted July 9, 2011 Report Share Posted July 9, 2011 Rainbows and other light weight slick threads sometimes tend to fly around a bit through the thread path with the result being broken thread. If I'm having problems I will try threading it through all 3 holes in the first 3 hole guide and then straight through the 2'nd one rather than wrapped like it usually is. Definately don't be afraid to adjust your tension. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sgorbe Posted July 9, 2011 Author Report Share Posted July 9, 2011 Thank you Dawn and Jeri. I know it takes a bit of adjusting to get things where they need to be and that no one setting is going to work on all projects at all times ( but why not) With a lot more patience and less fear Lenni and i will be very good friends. I will be ordering one of the covers because I really don't want to give up on rainbow thread. I guess my biggest disappointment if you want to call it that is that I have had my machine over a year and this is the first time I seem to be having all these problems. Actually, it seemed to all start when my thread tension guide had gone wonky ...Dawn, I spent a whole day with you on the phone off and on with that problem about a month ago....Thanks again for walking me through that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandra Darlington Posted July 10, 2011 Report Share Posted July 10, 2011 What worked for me was to 1) use a thread net, 2) use the first & third holes in the 3-hole tensioner; 3) run with the top thread a bit looser than the way I run So Fine. Every situation/ machine is different. Keep trying though, as Rainbows is a nice thread. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeri Posted July 10, 2011 Report Share Posted July 10, 2011 Sandy , you might also try a bit of batting stuck at the bottom of the first thread guide right above the thread. It will help keep the thread from whipping around at the start and help prevent twists that may occur. Many swear by the thread nets, I've never used one--someone suggested to using a a piece of panty hose/knee high as a substitute--noo experiece with that. It's definately worth a try and no $$ invested. Rainbows is a nice thread. It is so nice that our machines can (sometimes with a bit of tweaking) use most any thread. Bob at Superior told me a couple of years ago that he loves our machine because of that. Some of the other not run some of their threads. From what he said Gammil has problems with Rainbows and they don't recommend Masterpiece. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sgorbe Posted July 10, 2011 Author Report Share Posted July 10, 2011 I'm not sure what all i did to get rainbows to work but it is working...at least for now:P I do have a piece of batting at the first thread guide. Good to know about the thread net/panty hose...I will keep that in mind for the future Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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