daviesla Posted March 12, 2014 Report Share Posted March 12, 2014 I am really struggling trying to quilt with Aurifil on my George. I've been trying to use the 40wt on the 1000m cone. I got a large 5000m cone of 40wt when I purchased my machine and haven't had any trouble. It is just with the small cones. When I am quilting, especially when I am going slower to stitch in the ditch, it will skip a stitch here and there. Sometimes I get a single loopy stitch when I'm quilting pebbles. I'm not trying to be smart, but I don't think this problem has to do with the way I move the quilt. I've quilted successfully with Omni, So Fine, Sulky, and even small cones of Mettler with no trouble. I think the problem has to do with the way the thread pulls off the cone, but I can't figure out how to fix it. I've changed needles, experimented with tension both on the top and bottom. I've put a net around the cone. I've tried putting the cone in a glass (recommended to me by my local quilt shop), and I've even rigged up a horizontal thread holder. Nothing seems to work. Very frustrated! Help! Laura Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Busy Quilting Posted March 12, 2014 Report Share Posted March 12, 2014 I was going to suggest try a horizontal thread holder but you have done that. What about raising the thread on the pin so that the top of the spool is at the same height as the cone. Can you work out where it is actually breaking? don't pull thread when it breaks just follow along the thread path. I always had trouble using Aurifil on my domestic so gave up on it there. Haven't tried my cone samples on my longarm yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daviesla Posted March 12, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 12, 2014 Hm, I could try raising it up. It isn't actually breaking, just skipping a single stitch every few inches when stitching in the ditch, but not on pebbles. I might get a single loopy stitch every 5 minutes on the pebbles. Don't think I'll be using Aurifil again in my longarm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Busy Quilting Posted March 12, 2014 Report Share Posted March 12, 2014 Somewhere in the thread path it is possibly catching on something, the end of the spool, thread spindle itself. If the loop is on the top it sounds like the top thread could need to be a bit tighter. OR instead of wrapping the thread through the guide just above the tension down up down the thread. I find this is especially so with KingTut or cotton threads. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
srichardson Posted March 12, 2014 Report Share Posted March 12, 2014 Hi Laura, I see that you have tried changing your needle. Have you tried changing the size of your needle? I don't have a George but I know that is a cure I try on my DSM when it is skipping stitches. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LucyPrairie Posted March 13, 2014 Report Share Posted March 13, 2014 I could never get Aurifil figured out for my machine. I finally quit using it altogether. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daviesla Posted March 13, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 13, 2014 Thanks Busy Quilting, I have tried tightening the top tension until I see the bobbin thread coming through. Have also tried threading it through like you said. Still no luck. Going to change the needle again and raise the thread cone to see what happens. Fingers crossed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs.A Posted March 13, 2014 Report Share Posted March 13, 2014 Hi Laura: Our fingers are crossed for you too. It's difficult to figure out why you can run this thread successfully when it's on a larger cone but not when it is on a smaller cone. I'm just throwing out a few ideas here...Maybe it is catching on something at the top of the cone? Have you tried putting the cone on the machine upside down? I agree with Sue that you might try a larger size needle for skipped stitches. Do the loops on the pebbles always occur when you're sewing in the same direction? Or maybe it Is time to try dunking the thread spool in mineral oil? There has been some recent discussion about this on the forum. I've found it helpful with some threads. This has nothing to do with how to get this thread running in your George but when I read your post, the first thing that hit me was the fact that you are choosing a 40 weight thread for ditch stitching and pebbles. Since I normally use a very thin thread for both these purposes, I just wondering if you could share why you choose such a thick thread for these areas. It's always interesting to learn how others make their design decisions. Hope you can solve this issue, Laura. Please keep us posted. Nancy in Tucson Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daviesla Posted March 13, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 13, 2014 I switched to a 3.5 needle, but that made it worse. Did raise the cone and that seems to have helped a bit. Not so much looping, but still a few skipped stitches, but only on straight lines. Feather quilt perfectly. As to your question Mrs A, I like using 40wt. I never thought of using a lighter weight for stitch in the ditch, but it does make sense now that I think about it. Since, I work on a sitdown, I try to stitch in the ditch as I go, in between whatever filler I am using. I like it when the quilting stands out a bit better. Hopefully you can see in this pic, how I am 'ditching' as I quilt the other designs:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cegates Posted March 13, 2014 Report Share Posted March 13, 2014 Such pretty quilting!!! Carol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darlene Epp Posted March 13, 2014 Report Share Posted March 13, 2014 Try turning the spool of Aurifil over. It has a different twist than American or Japanese threads so feeds off the spool in the opposite direction. I LOVE Aurifil thread for its luxurious look. I've quilted fine textured backgrounds with the 50wt Aurifil with no problems. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs.A Posted March 13, 2014 Report Share Posted March 13, 2014 Love your quilting, Laura! Your feathers are beautiful, the slightly curved crosshatching, the parallel lines in the triangles & rectangles. What a great job! I understand what you're saying about doing the ditching as you do the fills. I quilt on a George too but I usually ditch the whole quilt (patchwork & appliqué) before going back in to do the feathers & fills. I tend to change threads a lot so that works for me. It also lets me remove the pins or the thread basting before I get to the really dense stuff. When you switched to the 3.5 needle, was that a smaller needle or a bigger needle than what you first tried? I'm just thinking that if needle flex is the issue, a larger needle might help with that. In any case, I hope the thread starts behaving…you are doing beautiful work on that quilt! Nancy in Tucson Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daviesla Posted March 13, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 13, 2014 Thanks for the compliments:) I tried turning the cone upside down, but it kept catching on the edge of the spool. Funny how the problem is sorting itself out toward the end of the day. It seems much better, but I haven't really changed much. I started with a 4.0 needle yesterday. Moved down to a 3.5, but the skipping was much worse. Now I'm back up to a new 4.0. I get the occasional skipped stitch, usually right on a seam when I'm 'ditching', but not nearly as bad. Seems like it has gotten better as I've used up more of the cone. Bearable at least to finish this quilt. Think I'm going to stick to Omni from now on. Thanks for all the advice! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K. Szymaszek Posted March 14, 2014 Report Share Posted March 14, 2014 No advice, just wanted to say your quilting is beautiful. K Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RitaR Posted March 14, 2014 Report Share Posted March 14, 2014 Maybe it's the spool thread that didn't wind evenly.. possible. Rita Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daviesla Posted March 14, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 14, 2014 Thanks! Just got some larger spools in. Going to give them a try and see if it help. BTW, this George is for sale. I'm upgrading to a Millie, if anyone knows someone who might be interested. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daviesla Posted March 15, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 15, 2014 Amazing difference. The large spools are much much better. I might still get a skipped stitch if I go slowly through a seam intersection, but it feels like a new thread. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peggy (SewAsylum) Posted April 25, 2014 Report Share Posted April 25, 2014 Just wanted to say that that quilt is just gorgeous. LOVE your stitching. Is that applique hand done, needle turn applique? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimerickson Posted April 25, 2014 Report Share Posted April 25, 2014 Check and see if the thread is wrapped in the same direction for the small cone and the large cone. I've noticed some threads wrapped oposite to the usual direction (unwrap clockwise) don't work as well. Glide unwraps counter clockwise, so doesn't work as well for me. Maybe that what you've run into. Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beckwoman Posted May 9, 2014 Report Share Posted May 9, 2014 Would you send me details about the George? Cost being the biggy here. If it's still for sale of course. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daviesla Posted May 9, 2014 Author Report Share Posted May 9, 2014 George has been sold. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cmkeindl1 Posted May 9, 2014 Report Share Posted May 9, 2014 LOVE your quilting! What did you use for the border of squares on point? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daviesla Posted May 9, 2014 Author Report Share Posted May 9, 2014 Thanks! You can see the whole quilt finished at my blog if you want. Here's the link http://tanderwenquilts.blogspot.com/2014/03/carries-applique-quilt.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cmkeindl1 Posted May 9, 2014 Report Share Posted May 9, 2014 WOW - I more than LOVE it when you see the rest of the photos!!! How did you do the squares through the yellow centered blocks - ruler, panto? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daviesla Posted May 9, 2014 Author Report Share Posted May 9, 2014 Thanks so much! I used a ruler, but I also marked a little registration mark with a blue marker so I'd know where to stop. No pantos. I did this one on George Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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