rineps Posted June 7, 2014 Report Share Posted June 7, 2014 I can just never seem to get it right.........it drives me absolutely out of my mind........and it doesn't take much these days to do that!!! (lol) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat C Posted June 7, 2014 Report Share Posted June 7, 2014 Oh Patrice, I'm sorry! What exactly is your tension problem? I too find tension the most challenging, but I use all kinds of different threads, battings, etc. so each combination seems to take special "tweaking". Slow but sure I'm learning these little tricks and it's not so difficult any more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LisaC Posted June 7, 2014 Report Share Posted June 7, 2014 Patrice, how old is your machine? I have a 2005 Mille and found (after fighting quite a long time) that really I needed to replace the rocker assembly; or you may need a new tension assembly. I understand tension fully so when I couldn't get it right it drove me nuts, too. I finally sent a pic of my stitches and problems into APQS and talked with them on the phone. EASY fixes, too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LindaSteller Posted June 7, 2014 Report Share Posted June 7, 2014 MAGNA GLIDE BOBBINS - best. thread. tension. EVER!! I know they cost a little more, but what they save you in fiddling with the tension time and ripping out bad sections will more than make up for it. I tried my first Magna Glide in 2008. I have not wound a bobbin since. Not one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zora Posted June 7, 2014 Report Share Posted June 7, 2014 I agree with Linda. Since using magna glide bobbins, I have no more issues. Give them a try. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Busy Quilting Posted June 7, 2014 Report Share Posted June 7, 2014 Lets start at the very beginning... Model and Year of machine. If APQS.....look at the screw on the inside of the tension assembly. The end was almost level with the outside of the assembly when the machine was new. If its out or in now then "screw it" until it is level. Where is the tension check spring in relation to the tension assembly. At rest the bottom of the loop should be at 11 O'clock, I mark this spot on my machine so I can always see if it is getting "lazy". I also mark the outer rim in one spot so I can see how far I am turning the dial. When you thread the machine and pull on the thread it should be pulled down to about 9 O'clock, this is where you then turn the tension dial to tighter or looser so that the spring moves to 9 o'clock. These are not tiny turns, 15 minute increments if you imagine it is a clock. Once thread is not being pulled the check spring should return to its resting place. If it doesn't then it may be time for a new tension check spring. Bobbin tension, I LOVE my Towa Gauge and use it for every bobbin, prewound or self wound, they all vary. The bobbin thread needs to pull out of the bobbin case as easily as possible. If you put the bobbin in the machine and pull on both the bobbin and the top thread at the same time( in two different hands!) then you should have the same amount of resistance from both threads. If not loosen/ the bobbin so that the top thread does not pull the tension check spring tighter than the 9 o'clock position. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Primitive1 Posted June 8, 2014 Report Share Posted June 8, 2014 Patrice, look back and there are alot of threads on tension, and Dawn Cavanaugh did an article on the APQS website. Are you getting railroad tracks on one side? Basically, your bobbin should drop slowly like a spider when you hold it up by the thread. Once that is set, then back off your top tension until it is very very loose, then just tighten it up a turn at at time until your stitches start to look better. If this is a thread that you use often then I'd mark where the dial is for the good tension with a marker on the side of your machine so that you have a good place to start each time you use a differant thread and then go back to that one...(I use alot of Superior So Fine most of the time) I also use the monopoly alot too with applique and have to loosen up the tension about a whole turn with that and rethread so it only goes through two holes but when I go back to so fine then I turn the tension back to the mark and rethread back through all 3 holes. I also use those fil-tec magnetic bobbins and I usually have great tension. If you are still having problems then I'd try cleaning your machine really well, check the height of your hopping foot (only 1 business card should fit under it when it is down), and then of course you may have a timing problem, but that is usually a last resort...don't hesitate to call APQS and they will be happy to go through everything you can check while you are on the phone with them...don't forget that tension will change each time your machine changes direction so it will not look exactly the same all the time, but I usually find that when I take a quilt off the frame and it has a chance to relax then the stitches usually look better. It can be frustrating, sometimes I just walk away and take a break or go back the next day and it is easier to figure out but you can do it! Let us know how it goes.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dkj17033 Posted June 8, 2014 Report Share Posted June 8, 2014 What do you do when your bobbin tension is uneven? It seems like the bobbin winder is winding bobbin uneven. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickenscratch Posted June 8, 2014 Report Share Posted June 8, 2014 I use prewounds or wind them on my DSM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corey Posted June 8, 2014 Report Share Posted June 8, 2014 Great input from everyone. I was so frustrated & wanted to get rid of my Millie 6 months after buying it because of the same issues you have. Then one day I read a post (Shana from Alaska) Everyday, before warming up Millie, I would remove bobbin case, blow air to remove all lints inside the bobbin area, spray WD 40, run for more than 10 mins, wipe clean & blow air again then squirt oil, run the Millie for a few, then wipe clean. Clean bobbin case, blow air and clean & check all lints that are hiding there. Like they say, tension assembly area could need readjusting sometimes. Now, I do this routine everyday or every time I load a new quilt , I use a small air compressor, yes the noisy thing but in the long run cheaper than can aerosol. I am partial to Filtec thread & bobbins, solves a lot of tension issues. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RitaR Posted June 9, 2014 Report Share Posted June 9, 2014 dkj, if you are using the little inexpensive bobbin winder, it probably won't wind evenly. I had no luck at all, and neither did friends who had tried them, in getting an even tension. I can't think of the name off hand.. If you are using that one, pitch it out, and buy a good one, like the Turbo Winder. It is well worth the price. As the gals said, prewound bobbins are great. I find it hard to get a color I need without having to buy a dozen and have 11 left over. Often it would be a color I seldom use. Maybe the name is Side Winder.. Good luck. Rita Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LindaSteller Posted June 9, 2014 Report Share Posted June 9, 2014 Superior also has great tension information on their website. Go to www.superiorthreads.com and look under the 'Education' tab. The 'Tug of War' article is particularly good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustSewSimple Posted June 9, 2014 Report Share Posted June 9, 2014 My Freedom has been a perfect little stitcher for months now. I have been winding my own bobbins and various threads on top. Then I turned her off one dark night and put her to sleep. I read books for a day or two and decided to quilt one of my quilt. Same thread, same tension, same batting, nothing difference - she would not sew! She would make perfect stitches for about a foot and then I'd get one loop on top and then she'd get perfect again. I talked to her like a dog and left her to her lonely life for a couple of more days and then, zing! She played well with me again. Makes you scratch your head! That is when in your head you hear this little voice saying, "Keep her, throw her back?" over and over in my tiny little brain! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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