I am a slow learner......

[Dyan]

I am a slow learner, but eventually I get it! I have had my Lenni for 5 years this month and I am still learning and practicing things I have learned on this forum!  I mainly quilt for myself except for a handful of customers and have never been able to go to classes.  Thank goodness for the internet and this forum!

From the beginning I have used So Fine thread from Superior Threads. It is marvelous thread and I have never had a problem with it. But, along with  So Fine, I also bought Bottom Line. I wind my own bobbins and Bottom Line gave me nothing but trouble!

From this forum I read to purchase other bobbin cases and dedicate them to each type of thread you are using. I also have a Towa gauge.  Well, finally I did just that.  Loaded the bobbin with Bottom Line, used my gauge to set the right tension in the new bobbin case and it quilts on my Lenni fantastically!!!

Why did it take me sooo long?? I can really see the difference in my quilting with Bottom Line. I am using So Fine on top and Bottom Line in the bobbin. It gives the quilts much more definition.  I can quilt 5 rows per bobbin with the Bottom Line compared to 2 to 3 rows with So Fine in the bobbin. I am sold on it!!

[LibbyG]

Dyan,

 

Unfortunately, I do things like that all the time.  But I've been using that combination since I started quilting and have never had a problem.  When I bought some metro I started to have thread breakage and just last month realized I needed to use a size 18 needle with it.  Go figure.  Glad everything is working smoothly for you.

[IBQLTN2]

So fine and bottom line are my threads of choice as well. that is pretty much all I use in my Lenni as well and I always get perfect tension, I usually use the prewound bottomline bobbins though, don't like winding my own bobbins. especially with that little piece of plastic bobbin winder that comes with the Lenni, seriously!! why aren't bobbin winders built into the machines? would it really be that hard?

[jimerickson]

I use Bottom Line in my bobbins most of the time.  With my "M" bobbin I can wind over 200 yards of Bottom Line at a time.  A lot of times that will be enough to quilt an entire quilt.  My top thread of choice is YLI Longarm Professional.  Real strong, hardly ever breaks.

 

Jeanne:  Buy yourself an industrial bobbin winder.  I wind all my own bobbins, and never have a bobbin problem.  Quilt Tech offers them.  I think you can get one with an adjustable speed control for about $100.  Once you adjust it for the bobbin thread (Bottom Line in my case), you can wind bobbin after bobbin without any issues.  I keep mine threaded and tie on the new thread and pull it through, just like I do on my Ult2.  I even picked up a second winder at the quilt guild "garage sale", and use it for Tex 40 threads when I use that weight.  That way I don't have to readjust my winder if I change thread weights.  In my opinion the stand alone bobbin winders are the way to go.  I never wind bobbins on my Gammill with the built in bobbin winder.  The tension will varry depending on how fast of slow you stitch.  The tension is always the same off my industrial winders.  Jim

[GrandmaLKB]

I rarely wind my own bobbins.   I use the Fil Tec prewound  -  magnetic Classics or I use Superior prewounds.   

[CrazyAboutQuilting]

I wind my own bobbins too, but I wind them on my DSM, my Bernina 730, and it winds them beautifully every time.  My Lenni loves So Fine/Bottom Line too, but I can also use Lava, Rainbow, King Tut and Glide and don't have any issues either...............especially since I got my Towa gages from my DH for my b-day last year.