Jenni Bowley Posted November 23, 2009 Report Share Posted November 23, 2009 I need help! The bobbin tension on my Lenni is way too tight (thread runs flat on the back with lots of loops, but the front looks great). I have tried loosening the tension in the bobbin case, hand winding the bobbin, lots of different threads, changing the needle, tightening the top thread - nothing has made any difference. Any more suggestions? I am fairly new to the machine, but successfully quilted three large quilts before this problem arose. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uncquilter Posted November 23, 2009 Report Share Posted November 23, 2009 Jenni, Try rethreading everything and see if that helps. Carol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenni Bowley Posted November 23, 2009 Author Report Share Posted November 23, 2009 Thanks for the suggestion Carol - tried that but no improvement! Any other ideas? Jenni Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LadyLake Posted November 23, 2009 Report Share Posted November 23, 2009 What kind of thread are you running on the top and bottom? They may not match well, in terms of tension. You said you have loosened the tension, but do you have a TOWA gauge to check it? Another thought, I often have tension problems when I first start a new full bobbin, especially if it is not a pre-wound. Try starting with a bobbin that is 4/5ths full. Also, check the area underneath the metal spring and the bobbin case (held together with tension screw that you are adjusting). Is there any lint in there? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uncquilter Posted November 23, 2009 Report Share Posted November 23, 2009 Did you check to make sure your bobbin is unwinding clockwise? Carol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uncquilter Posted November 23, 2009 Report Share Posted November 23, 2009 Also, read the "Is it really possible" post by Butterfly. Lots of advice for tension there. Carol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenni Bowley Posted November 23, 2009 Author Report Share Posted November 23, 2009 Thank you both for taking the time and trouble to respond - I have now also read several other posting threads on tension issues and am feeling slightly better knowing that I am not alone in experiencing this problem! I don't (yet) have a TOWA gauge - that may well have to be my next purchase as I think I've now tried everything else! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quilting Heidi Posted November 23, 2009 Report Share Posted November 23, 2009 I would also suggest changing bobbin cases. THe first bobbin case I had was just a dud and I labored for hours trying to get my tension right. I got a new bobbin case and walla problem resolved! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparkle Posted November 23, 2009 Report Share Posted November 23, 2009 It would be helpful to know what threads you are using. Are you trying to adjust the same bobbin over and over again to get things to work? Try winding an entirely different bobbin, and don't wind it right to the very edge of the bobbin. Have you dropped your bobbin or bobbin case onto a hard surface? This could have bent something so that the bobbin case no longer adjusts well, or the bobbin is bent. If you have not invested in a TOWA bobbin tension gauge, I really suggest you do. It is going to save a lot of frustration at moments like this. Have you cleaned and oiled your bobbin area well. My "Rosie" 1999 Ultimate II hated having any lint build up in or around the bobbin case area. I cleaned each bobbin change, and would take the needle plate off before every new quilting project and clean and oiled "behind" the bobbin assembly. She just purred when I did that! Please let us know what the solution is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quiltmonkey Posted November 23, 2009 Report Share Posted November 23, 2009 Getting the tension correct =====This is generally a "learning curve" for everyone. It's not a machine problem, it's the human just learning the ropes. I like Angie's advice to also check to make sure your bobbin is wound properly (should be would tight, not spongy). Also try everything starting from zero again. Rewind a new bobbin, use a different bobbin, bobbin case? New needle? Needle installed the right direction? Try a driferent thread on top. Make sure your bobbin area is nice and clean. Has the bobbin area been cleaned with air, WD40 and oiled lately? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenni Bowley Posted November 24, 2009 Author Report Share Posted November 24, 2009 Quilters really are wonderful people - I really appreciate you all taking the time to share your suggestions. I haven't solved the problem yet, but I feel better just having heard from you all! I have tried 3 different bobbin cases, I have wound bobbins on the Sidewinder, my Bernina sewing machine and by hand, I have used part-full bobbins, I have changed the needle a few times and I have tried lots of different threads (using same thread top and bottom). Next step - to thoroughly clean all parts of the machine (maybe there's a little bit of invisible lint somewhere in there!) I shall also order a TOWA gauge. Oh, and I haven't used pre-wound bobbins. Many thanks! Jenni Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brenni Posted November 24, 2009 Report Share Posted November 24, 2009 I had a similar issue and quilted a whole panto row before realizing I had an issue because the top looked fine. I found out my top thread was not in the tension disks. It looked like it was but was not all the way in. I rethreaded the top and all was good. Mary Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mountainquilter Posted November 24, 2009 Report Share Posted November 24, 2009 Jenni, I also have problems with the tension on my Lenni. Seems like the only thread my Lenni likes is King Tut and I can't use different colors on bottom and top. They have to match or they show. Good luck, I have been fighting mine for months now. Every time I start a new project I have to spend 1-2 hrs. messing with tension. Not worth it to me for the money we have put out. I feel it should sew fantastic every time without messing with the tension. Maybe you are going to fast. Mountain quilter Diana Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ffq-lar Posted November 25, 2009 Report Share Posted November 25, 2009 Start from scratch. Make sure the thread path is clean--wipe in between the discs with a tissue and check guides and pigtails for placement and debris. Use the manual to thread correctly--the 3-hole guides need to be in the proper position--first one straight down and the one above the tensioner at about 8 o'clock. Thread following the manual. Seat the thread between the discs. Thread the needle. Tighten the upper tension knob until the thread is captured by the discs and will not move at all. Loosen a half turn and pull on the thread. What you eventually want is for the tension spring (the U-shaped wire in front of the tensioner) to deflect only slightly. Pull, stop, adjust looser, pull again until the deflection changes the position of the spring from at rest 11 o'clock (looking straight on at the tension knob) down to 9 o'clock. If your spring rests at 10 o'clock, deflect to 8 o'clock. With this deflection, any thread should be pulling easily through the needle. This is a sweet spot which will allow you to tweek the bobbin more easily. I think you have loosely wound bobbins (the Sidewinder is useless, hand-wound won't work, but the Bernina should wind a good bobbin.) A good bobbin is firm, not soft or squeezable. Do the drop test until you can get a Towa Gauge. Remember the tug-of-war between the threads. Bring up the bobbin thread through the needle plate and pull it gently. Then use the same force to pull on the top thread running through the needle. If the two feel the same, you are close to perfect tension. If one requires a lot more force to pull, loosen that one until they feel the same. With my top thread deflecting the spring correctly and my bobbins set at 17 (or 170) on the Towa, things work well for me. Good luck and I hope you are happily quilting soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quiltmonkey Posted November 25, 2009 Report Share Posted November 25, 2009 Originally posted by mountainquilter Jenni, I also have problems with the tension on my Lenni. Seems like the only thread my Lenni likes is King Tut and I can't use different colors on bottom and top. They have to match or they show. Good luck, I have been fighting mine for months now. Every time I start a new project I have to spend 1-2 hrs. messing with tension. Not worth it to me for the money we have put out. I feel it should sew fantastic every time without messing with the tension. Maybe you are going to fast. Mountain quilter Diana Diana, I can't believe you are still having problems. Please contact the APQS headquarters and have them assist you with your problem. Your machine should have perfect tension. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carolinequilts Posted November 26, 2009 Report Share Posted November 26, 2009 I just had a bath. Okay, okay - too much information - but that is where I like to read my magazines! I was reading Unlimited Possibilities - Nov '08 issue (last year) and the techy guy Steve had an article in there about the hopping foot height and if it is set too low or too high you can have tension problems - thread lies flat or has loopies. This sounds like what you are having. Maybe you need to adjust your hopping foot height? If you are using a thinner or thicker batting than your first 3 quilts this might explain it. If you are using a thinner batting set it a bit lower and if you are using a thicker batting set it a bit higher. My Millie was preset for a thin batting (one business card) and when I set it just a bit higher many of my tension problems went away. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenni Bowley Posted November 30, 2009 Author Report Share Posted November 30, 2009 Wow - so much information. I confess to not having touched the machine for the last few days, just too frustrating! Linda, I plan to try your advice once I have thoroughly cleaned my Lenni. I will also throw away the sidewinder as, having read a number of the other thread postings, there doesn't seem to be anyone out there who likes it! But - and I am going to have to confess to real ignorance here - what exactly is the "drop test"? I am a little reluctant to touch the hopping foot until absolutely everything else has been exhausted, especially as I am using the same type of wadding as before (Warm & Natural) - but thanks for the advice, Caroline - stored away for the future! Meanwhile, there are one or two unfinished quilt tops that should be keeping me occupied! Many thanks for everyone's suggestions, Jenni Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bonnie Posted November 30, 2009 Report Share Posted November 30, 2009 Originally posted by Jenni Bowley But - and I am going to have to confess to real ignorance here - what exactly is the "drop test"? Jenni....a "DROP TEST" is just that....you hold the bobbin in your off hand (the one you don't write with) and leave a tail of thread about 8 inches long, and with your good hand you start to pick the bobbin up by the thread....if the thread is pulling to fast and doesn't move the bobbin off your hand its WAY to loose. In the manual that you got with your machine you should find the exact settings that APQS has set it for, but that is just a guide line. WE each have a different way of how we or our machine want the bobbin set. With the aluminum bobbins I'm using right now I have it come up off my hand, but when I wiggle the thread that its hanging from it drops about 3-4 inches...some may feel that too tight and others may feel its too loose so its a game you play with yourself and your machine to get it just right for you. When you set your bobbin you may also need to play with the top tension...as they work hand in hand...and if you have a too loose bobbin you might need to tighted or even loose your top tension. With playing you will get a happy medium that the two of you can live with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quiltmonkey Posted November 30, 2009 Report Share Posted November 30, 2009 Adding to Bonnie's good advice about the drop test...I wanted to say be sure to do this over a table top or over your quilt on the frame. That way if you drop the bobbin it doesn't hit the floor. Dropping bobbins and bobbin cases on the floor is a very bad thing (messes them up). Try to avoid that. I do the drop test on all of my bobbins (and I wind my own). If the thread unwinds slowly and steadily like a spider drops down on a web then that's perfect! Then adjust (tighten) your top thread until you get a nice stitch on top. Keep playing, tweaking, experimenting. This, too...shall pass.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenni Bowley Posted December 7, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 7, 2009 Success! With my thanks to all of you and to John and Angela from Patchwork Norfolk. Linda's advice on how to reset the top tension from scratch is excellent - and much needed since I had messed around with everything so much! I think that I may also have had problems with the bobbin tension when winding the thread on - I hadn't been keeping the larger spools fixed when winding the bobbin on my Bernina (so the spool was turning round, rather than the thread being pulled off the spool). And finally - this may help you Diana - my machine didn't read the manual and prefers to be threaded through 2 holes of both the 3-hole guides! Happy quilting! Jenni Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shea Posted February 3, 2010 Report Share Posted February 3, 2010 hi there, just took my first quilt off my lenni!!!! so much fun. i did a panto and i did a pretty good job. while i checked the tension top and bottom frequently, the bottom has some loops and areas of just crazy looking stuff, the top looks great. tension about tension here!! guess i'll go back and secure those areas by hand. the bobbin winding is an issue as well. the machine that came with it doesn't work, so i have been winding bobbin on my bernina, which still looks a little spongy. so i need to read through this very helpful forum to get some advice on how to get my bobbins wound. thanks for any info on this. going to put back on some practice material till i feel better about a real quilt top again. loving the process!!!!! piece--- shea Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janette Posted February 3, 2010 Report Share Posted February 3, 2010 Hi Shea, Glad you enjoyed quilting your first quilt !! When I did my first quilt I had the a few loops and nests underneath in a couple of places. It wasn't until I received some prewound bobbins with magnets that I realised that I had been putting the bobbin into the bobbin case the wrong way around, you might want to check this too in the manual there is a picture of how to thread the bobbin, I assumed it was the same as my DSM but it wasn't, and I know what you mean about the bobbin winder, it fills the top of the bobbin more than the bottom and not at all good !! I am also winding them on my Bernina, but now have some lovely prewounds from Filtec (bobbincentral.com) you might want to check them out it saves loads of time and the tension is great !! They sent me some free samples to try before I ordered from them. I am still learning too only getting Lenni in December, but this definitely helps the learning curve move along nicely !! Have fun Janette Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Busy Quilting Posted February 4, 2010 Report Share Posted February 4, 2010 Also make sure when you are putting the bobbin case back in your machine that you DO NOT hole open the latch, as you would in older Singer machines. I know my Millenium had horrible tension when I did this when I first started. Lyn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shea Posted February 6, 2010 Report Share Posted February 6, 2010 thanks for the bobbin tension help. i hope to get into my studio today and work on some donation quilts and try some of the tips! thanks janette for the bobbincentral site. i am waiting on my sample kit and plan on ordering soon. yea for rainy days and laundry caught up, and crock pots and being able to have uinterrupted quilting time : ) : ) peice, shea Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandra Darlington Posted February 6, 2010 Report Share Posted February 6, 2010 I use the turbo winder from APQS to wind all my bobbins. It is worth the money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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