threads hanging

[Bonnie in Ok]

I am wondering if I am not ending my stitching correctly because when I end my stitching I back track a few stitches and then pull the mille head away from the stop point a few inches and then come back to where the last stitch was made drop the needle and come back up and pull the thread up to the top and then cut my threads. The question I have is when I go to the back of the quilt there are all these single threads hanging from where I ended my stitches about two inches long that I have to go back and trim. Is this normal or am I doing something wrong?

[Primitive1]

If you are pulling your bobbin thread up with the top thread when you stop there shouldn't be any threads on the back.  However, if you have a broken thread then you end up with a bobbin thread end on the back...

[Tamarack]

You might not be pulling the bobbin thread all the way to the top before you trim. That happens to me too!

[Bonnie in Ok]

Humm I am pulling the bobbin thread to the top  so there is a loop of it on side is loose comming from the bobbin and the other side of the loop is connected to where I just stictchedI cut both threads of the loop. Not sure  of the above explainations.

[Neher-in-law5]

Would it be any different if you came to the stopping point, backtracked like normal, then pulled the bobbin thread up and then moved the head away for a few inches?  I am wondering if your hanging threads aren't the trailing bobbin thread that doesn't come up with your stitch to pull up on the return.

[Bonnie in Ok]

How do I pull the bobbin thread up without moving the head some to hold the top thread to pull the bobbin thread up?

[lmeimann]

I have this problem all the time too.  I've been wondering what I've been doing wrong.  It doesn't always happen, but I think it does much of the time.

[DawnCavanaugh]

Bonnie,

 

When you use this method to secure your thread, you have to tug on that bobbin thread loop pretty firmly to make sure you get ALL of the bobbin thread up to the quilt top. When you pull the bobbin thread up, you'll notice that one side of the bobbin thread loop keeps peeling out thread (this is the side still attached to the bobbin in the bobbin case) and the other side of the loop will feel tight (this is the side of the loop that's attached to your last stitch). Be sure you pull THAT side of the loop up until it is taut and you can't pull any more. Then cut that side of the bobbin thread loop RIGHT NEXT to the quilt. The other side of the thread loop is still attached to your bobbin, so as you move the machine to a new location, you'll see that loose thread pull back through the quilt because it's attached to the machine.

 

I don't use the "pull the machine away" method to bring up my bobbin thread. First I end the stitching line with teeny tiny, close stitches to secure the thread. To do that you either need to either:

 

1) turn off the regulator (and use your needle up/down button to place them very close--think 12-15 stitches in about 1/4-inch--the kind that are nearly impossible to get out with a seam ripper if you happen to "accidentally" stitch too close together), or

 

2) briefly put the machine in manual sewing mode and simply move the machine slowly for about 1/4-inch, allowing the manual mode to place lots of teeny stitches next to each other.

 

After the teeny stitches are in place (which lock the threads), I STAY IN THE SAME NEEDLE HOLE with the machine and place 4-5 stitches right on top of each other. This forms a small knot on the back of the quilt. NOW I move the machine away, and tug on the top thread next to the quilt. This "pops the knot" up to the surface of the quilt. (The knot is formed by bobbin thread that wraps around the top thread.) I cut BELOW the knot, right next to the quilt. When you do that, you're also trimming the bobbin thread flush with the back of the quilt. You don't need to do the double movement with the machine.

 

It's OK to cut the knot off...it's not what secured the threads. The teeny stitches did that. I prefer the tiny stitches to backstitching because it doesn't pile up extra thread that can be noticeable in different fabrics or areas, and it's much faster than knotting and burying the tails with a needle and thread the old fashioned way.

[Bonnie in Ok]

Thanks Dawn for the great explainantion and now I know I have been doing things that is not a good thing and will help me do a better job of hiding the  backtracking. Thankyou!!!!! I knew I didn't know what I was doing.

[Bonnie in Ok]

one more question do you do the same procedure to start the sewing  if so how do you make the knot disappear in the sandwich? do you just pull up on the threads you pulled up to beging with?

[Marsha Nichols]

Thank you Dawn for the explanation. I was unsure if the knots could be trimmed so I was trying to avoid a knot buildup but now I understand that I can whack away the knots.

[DawnCavanaugh]

Hi Bonnie,

 

At the beginning of a line of stitches, you won't need the knot. Move the machine to the location where you wish to begin stitching. Use the needle up/down button to bring your bobbin thread up to the top of the quilt.

 

1. Take 2-3 teeny stitches (not in the same hole...move the machine ever so slightly). Now tug on the top and bobbin thread tails to make sure you don't have excess slack on the back of the quilt. (Have you ever forgotten to hold on to the thread tails when you first start piecing two patches of fabric together and ended up with an ugly knottty mess? You want to pull on the top and bobbin thread tails after those first couple of stitches to eliminate any slack on the back of the quilt).

 

2. After tugging on the thread tails to remove slack, now continue with the itsy bitsy stitches. Put about 12-14 stitches in the span of 1/4-inch or so, traveling down the line you intend to stitch. Either use your needle up/down feature to place the stitches, or turn on the machine in manual mode and move slowly for that 1/4-inch or so.

 

Here's an easy way to check if your threads are truly locked...after doing the teeny, tiny, close stitches, stop with the needle in the UP position. Now separate your thread tails and tug on each thread tail independently. If your threads aren't locked, you'll be able to pull one or the other thread and it will "slip". Add more stitches or put them closer together. NOTE: This can happen even when you've done many teeny locking stitches with slippery thread like Bottom Line, Rainbows, etc. For those threads, start with Step 1 above. When you're ready to add more teeny stitches, take one or two more stitches forward, and then take only ONE stitch back and another forward. It's a strategic single, small backstitch that allows the thread to "bite" so that you can continue adding additional locking stitches.

 

3. After the teeny stitches, activate your regulator and take off quilting. You can pause at any time and trim the beginning thread tails right next to the quilt since your teeny stitches locked them in place. The only time you need to stitch in the same hole and "pop the knot" as I earlier described is when you want to cut your bobbin thread after you've stitched and you want to move to a new place.

 

Hope that helps!

[Bonnie in Ok]

Thanks Dawn think I have got it. Makes life easier when you know the tricks to the trade

[fineseams]

Thanks, Dawn!  Much tidier way to start and stop.  

[oireachtas]

Thanks Dawn for breaking this down into such detailed steps.

Claire

[anniemueller]

Great detailed explanations Dawn.  Thank you!