Judi F. Posted August 13, 2009 Report Share Posted August 13, 2009 The stitches on the top of the quilt look great. The stitches on the bottom look great in one direction only. Here's what is happening; When I'm moving forward on the panto side at the back of the machine from left to right, the stitches on the bottom and top look great but when I move the machine in the other direction, from right to left, the bobbin stitches are flat (top looks good). We have tried everything we can think of to adjust, from repositioning the needle, the hopping foot, replacing the needle and adjusting the tension on both the bobbin and top until we're blue. I start to get it looking a little better by tighting the top tension, but then the thread breaks. UGH!!! Is it possible to get perfect tension in all directions? Please help. Thanks so much!!! Judi & Roz, QuiltMates Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quilting Heidi Posted August 13, 2009 Report Share Posted August 13, 2009 Judi, I've had this problem. I have since loosened my bobbin a lot. Loose enough so that I can put the bobbin case in the palm of my hand and when I pull on the thead tail the bobbin case stands up but I can't pick it up. Then I adjust the top. If I still get the flat side I loosen the tension in the bobbin even more and then adjust the top. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnCavanaugh Posted August 14, 2009 Report Share Posted August 14, 2009 Judy, Heidi is right about loosening your bobbin even more. The issue you are experiencing is caused by needle flex. When you quilt L-R on the panto side, the needle flexes ahead of the hook and gets to the timing spot too soon to pull the bobbin thread completely into the quilt layers. In addition to loosening the bobbin tension even more, try these things: [*] go up a needle size to a 4.5 [*] be sure to move consistently but not too rapidly in that reverse direction [*] keep the quilt sandwich smooth but not too tight [*] set your stitch length to 10-12 instead of lower than that, so the needle takes smaller bites of fabric (thereby reducing the flex) Let us know how it's going! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quilting Heidi Posted August 14, 2009 Report Share Posted August 14, 2009 Originally posted by DawnCavanaugh Judy, Heidi is right about loosening your bobbin even more. It only took me 1 1/2 years to figure out what I was doing wrong! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Judi F. Posted August 14, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 14, 2009 Thanks so much Heidi and Dawn! We will give those suggestions a try. Judi & Roz QuiltMates Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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