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tension problems I think?


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Still having trouble getting my stitch to look like it should. Here are the problems and please bear with me as I am not sure of the correct terminology so will do my best to descrbe.

Getting bumps on the back. I don't know if you call these loops it kind of looks like the top thread dotting through and if you run your finger over it it is not smooth. In addition to that the top stitch looks pretty small and tight. Every once in awhile I will get skipped stiches. on top. Also the thread comes out of the needle sometimes too.

This is what I have tried. Cleaning the bobbin case, Loosened the bobbin tension to very loose, tightend the top tension, cleaned and oiled bobbin area, changed the needle. Using a 4.0. I am at a loss and sooooo frustrated. I purchased my machine used and the seller mentioned that she had an issue with the needle plate but had sanded it down. Could this be my problem. Now at one point (VERY SHORT PERIOD) I had beautiful stitches and I mean beautiful. Really would like to get back to that point but am at a loss!

Oh and I am using So Fine on top and bottom line on bottom.

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i run bottomline in bobbin where when holding the thread tail...the bobbin case drops like a spider on a web. not real fast...but 5-6 seconds maybe in a foot's distance. i like a 3.5 needle for so fine. sounds like your top tension needs to be tighter. but try setting bobbin first. also, try turning your needle a touch to the left, so that the eye face 6:35 on a clockface.

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We fought tension issues until we switched to magna glide bobbins. It sounds like railroad tracks on the back, but like Kristina told you...get the bottom tension adjusted and then tighten the top. We adjusted our tension the same way for bottom line. Hold it by it's tail and it should drop slowly. We have much better luck with 3.5 needles and we seem to do well with the stitch length set at 9. We have a TOWA gauge now and I like it a lot.

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I would check that needle plate again and make sure there are no burrs, run a cotton ball over it and see if anything catches...I would also change thread, and totally rethread your machine again just to be sure that something hasn't slipped out of where it should be....

then, I would make both the top and bottom really really loose and then gradually tighten until you get those stitches perfect.

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Thank you. I will try these suggestions. How do you set the stitch length and is tension glide the bobbin case or the actual bobbin and where do you get them? One more question, can someone please explain the result of tighter tension for top and bottom? I guess I am confused as I am thinking that if you tighten the top tension your stitches will be smaller. I obviously am a newby!

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which machine are you using???

i am assuming you have an apqs machine, millie, freedom or other mushroom head style handle grips...so here goes. to set stitch length, the right handle...press the black control switch and then the green button until the meter registers a line on the length you wish to use. if you go past the length you want...press the black control switch and then the red button to decrease the stitch length.

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I keep my tension like Kristina's. make sure your pigtail in in the right position, about 8 o'clock. When you pull on the thread coming through the needle your tension spring should move from about 10 oclock to 8 o'clock. That is a pretty good starting point. Stitch length when in SR mode is set using the stitch length guide. If you are stitching in manual mode then of course your stitch length is controlled my how quickly or slowly you move the machine. Find a speed that is comfortable and then get a rythm where you get consistent stitc length.

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Okay Ladies, my lack of response has not been because I have been happily quilting away.... actually quite the opposite. I worked on this machine and did everything possible. I did find a burr on the part down by where the bobbin goes and one on the needle plate. I used 400 grit sand paper and got those out. Now the thread keeps breaking and there are dots on the back. UGHHH. I am going to have to call someone to come over and take a look at it I think. I have had this machine since the end of December and sooo frustrated.

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I know there are lots of things to check. I went to a friends who had her machine set up and was having tension problems. One thing I noticed on her machine was that the leveller bar and the top take up roller were both very low and the quilt was kind of dragging on the machine. Maybe this is something that you can look at?

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Also, make sure the hopping foot isn't too high. ONE business card. Dawn told me the tighter, the better as long as it does not push the fabric/quilt top around.

Call Amy at APQS. She's a wonder. She figured out my tension problems by looking at a close up pic I sent her.

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  • 4 weeks later...

Don't give up Kathall! It just takes a little time to get things reset the way you want to work with a new machine or a used one. These machines DO work great. If you bought it used from an owner instead of a dealer its just that you have to go through and do adjustments and corrections instead of having one where it was already done when you received it. You probably got better savings. It will be great once when its set. You'll get all the help you need from everyone here and the staff at APQS

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I was quite frustrated with my tension issues, too, in the first few months. I finally loosened the bobbin tension to the point where the bobbin case drops to the floor steadily when I hold the thread tail. I don't have a Towa guage, so I can't give you a number. I switched to Magna Glide classis bobbins, and that also was a huge help. Bottom Line seems to be what my machine likes in the bobbin, and I have few tension issues when using it.

Try running your top thread a little looser. Although this seems counter-intuitive, I have found that too tight tension makes the thread hang up, then it suddenly moves, making the loops on the back.

My sympathy...I thought I'd never get it right, and the backs of my quilts would always be ugly. Then, suddenly, the correct combination just clicks.

I also found that my machine works best if the needle eye is placed straight forward, not tilted to either right or left. And, make sure your bobbin is inserted the right way in the case. My DSM is just opposite, and its easy to get the Millie's bobbin in backwards out of habit. I did that once, and its a wonder I got any stitches at all..but it did still sew.

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