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help-any idea why this happens?


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so, i'm quilting along and WHAM! these little loops happen...like once or twice a whole quilt...

i've checked all the 'usual' suspects: tension, thread path, burrs, etc. i'm pretty positive that that's all good. like i said it only happens once or twice a whole quilt.

i've changed out my needle and changed sizes, bobbin case, tightened my check spring, rethreaded the machine numerous times, played with the tension of the quilt sandwich, changed my needle screw...i'm stumped

is this 'just the nature of the beast'? i've just been taking a pin and working the loops into the stitching before and after them...

it also seems to happen more on some quilts than others...like batiks...

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Is this happening on the bottom or the top?

Most times when this happens to me it's either I just don't have my tension tight enough (top) or the other thought is as it's spooling off every once in a while the thread spools off in a weird way and this is the result. Maybe try tightening up just a smidge more.

What I do to fix this is I cut a 3" piece of thread and loop it through, tie it in a square knot and bury the tail and you never see the loopy thingy ever again. buh bye loopie! :cool:

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Shannon,

This has happened to me since I have started longarming. And it has happened with any brand of thread I have used (mostly 3-ply threads). My explanation is that the thread gets untwisted occasionally on its way from the spool to the needle (due to speed, humidity, mood to act up, what have you) and sort of over-twists to form a knot that prevents the thread to form this one occasional stitch correctly....

I used to use the same trick Shana uses (take a length of thread, pull it through the loopy stitch and bury it). These days I use a self-threading needle... Works like a charm and is completely invisible.

Birgit

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sharon- i keep a wad of batting soaked with Sewer's Aid in that hook...i've not used a thread net before...i'll look into getting some and giving that a go...

okay *knock on wood* this is what i think i did to 'fix' it....

first- i'm quilting my Sister's Choice block swap quilt- so it's batiks with a LQS quality batik backing and hobbs black batting...i think it's the batting causing the issue...i've always quilted batiks with a 3.5 needle and a looser than normal quilt sandwich in the frame...ssoooo, i changed to a bigger needle (4.0) and tigthened my top tension....so far, so good and my tension looks good (maxilock varigated on top, maxilock solid teal in bobbin)

tension is a LAer's constant PITA companion :)

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Originally posted by quiltmonkey

What I do to fix this is I cut a 3" piece of thread and loop it through, tie it in a square knot and bury the tail and you never see the loopy thingy ever again. buh bye loopie! :cool:

i'll give this a try....i also have that itty bitty crochet hook, i'll give that a try also...

thank you banana-shana!

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I think Dawn addressed this in either her thread talk or the daily emails. I think she said it was the tighter woven fabrics...... make the needle skip or something? Guess I should look at that thread........again! Pun intended :P:P:P

It happens to me, and Amy said one thing that will cause it is going to fast. It doesn't seem to matter what fabric I have in there, it happens.

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Shannon,

I really don't think it's a tension issue - you checked out all of the usual suspects and you are such a champ at setting tension. Since you only have this problem on some batiks, I'm thinking it is some combination of batik fabric (high thread count) and batting that is causing you the grief. Good luck.

To the others with suggestions on how to bury the loopies - thanks!

Lynn

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well, after talking to other quilters (*wave*) the general consensus is that the tighter weave of the batiks cause the needle to flex more than 'normal' thus causing the loopies. this was proven by me switching to a 3.0 needle and quilting a pass- i got tons more loopies...it's cause and effect...so to solve this, i have slowed down how fast i move the machine, i still get a loopy or two per pass, but it's better than what i was getting. also i have rubbed the batiks with a fresh dryer sheet to help 'lube' up the batiks to make them 'softer. that seemed to help as well....this quilt (queen sized) has a kona cotton black background that i am pebbling and i didn't get one single loopy the entire background which also lead 'us' to believe it was needle flex in the batiks...

that's my theory and i'm sticking to it :) thanks to all who listened to my thread tail of woe, or would that be thread loop of woe :P

also, thanks again ShanaBanana, your tip of how to bury them was very helpful...

bonnie- i would of never thought to use silicone spary on the batiks themselves...i'll pick up a couple cans for the next one

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