self adjusting tension

[chickenscratch]

Does anybody know if there is a machine out there that has self adjusting tension, or consistent tension. The one thing that really bugs me about my machine is I will get the tension set perfectly at the beginning of the quilt, not change a thing, and end up ripping out further down the quilt because the tension gets wonky. I spent all night last night ripping out the bottom 1/3 of a quilt.

[DawnCavanaugh]

Teresa,

When someone comes up with that device, it will revolutionize the industry, won't it!!

Here are a couple of things to try to make sure your tension stays as consistent as possible throughout a quilt:

1. Check the bobbin case each time you insert a new bobbin for lint build-up. Use canned or compressed air to get rid of the lint inside the case and under the backlash spring.

2. Make sure you check under the tension finger on the outside of the case as well, especially if you are using cotton thread (but even pre-wounds can leave lint and residue behind). I take a very fine pin and slide it parallel to the bobbin case under the tension finger, working my way toward the hole where the thread exits the case. You'd be amazed at how quickly a tiny ball of lint will build up under that finger and change my tension part way through a quilt!

3. Separate the tension disks for the top thread and blow air between them to dislodge lint.

4. Occasionally check the thread path to make sure the top thread hasn't accidentally escaped from under the check spring or slipped out of a thread guide. Make sure it is pulled firmly between the tension disks. (Sometimes a small tuft of batting inserted into the first thread guide above the spool, or a commercial thread net over the spool, will help apply some "pre-tension" to the thread and prevent it from popping out of the tension disks or thread guides. You'll have to slightly adjust the top tension if you use one of these methods.)

5. Lint can build up in the raceway of the hook area, and may not be completely removed with a basic cleaning. This problem is common "part way through a quilt". In addition to diligently blowing out/wiping out the lint with each bobbin change, here's how to really get the lint out:

a. after wiping and blowing out the lint from the bobbin area (remove the bobbin case first), rotate the fly wheel on the machine until the needle is in the "down" position. This changes the position of the raceway and exposes the bobbin thread path so that you can eliminate any remaining lint.

b. use a can of compressed air, and insert its straw into the small hole you'll see on the right side of the hook area. You'll be amazed at how much lint (that you didn't know was in there) will come flying out! I do this several times during a quilt, especially when using cotton thread. [/list=1]

If I get the wonky tension you describe after partially completing the quilt, one of these solutions has always remedied the situation. Of course, you will want to test your tension frequently (use the excess batting and backing of the client and place a small square of muslin in that area and do a little stitching to check tension occasionally.

The photos that I'm "attempting" to attach will help show the areas I'm talking about. If they don't attach correctly, I'll try again (I'm a bit technologically challenged . Hope this helps, Teresa!

Dawn Cavanaugh

National Director of Education

APQS

[LynnQuilts]

Thank you, Dawn, for the detailed instructions! I've learned a bunch new places to clean!! Thanks!

[catsigler]

I'm quilting my first, an ebay quilt with a very "interesting" topography. I expected to have all kinds of tucks and pleats and unwanted texture because of this, but surprisingly, that has not happened (yet). The problem is the tension, and from what I'm reading here, it sounds as though this will be an ongoing problem.

I have never learned to deal with tension problems because I have never had any on my Bernina or Pfaff DSMs. My question: If DSM manufacturers can build machines with automatic tension adjustment, why can't longarm manufacturers do this? Are all longarm machines prone to tension problems?

Cathey :mad:

P.S. My Goodness!!! We are having a frog strangler here in Cottonwood, AZ!

[DawnCavanaugh]

Hi Cathey,

I understand how the change from a DSM to a longarm and dealing with the tension can be frustrating. Let me attempt to explain the mechanical reasons why one encounters tension issues. (Be sure to review some of the past posts regarding the tension, and review the manual for hints on using different types of thread and making adjustments.)

The big differences between the DSM and a longarm are the feed dogs and needle flex. We can move a longarm sewing head much faster than we could ever push fabric under a DSM needle. This rapid movement increases the needle's flex, which is why we must use such thick needles. Very fine needles would flex, bend and break under the stress of entering and exiting the fabric so quickly. A flexing needle also meets the hook at the wrong place, which impacts tension in a negative way. By keeping our movements fluid and consistent, we can reduce the impact a flexing needle has on tension.

On a DSM, the feed dogs help compress and feed the fabric consistently so that needle flex is reduced as the needle penetrates the fabric. A longarm machine's hopping foot serves a similar purpose as the feed dogs, but the speed at which we move reduces its effectiveness.

"Automatic tension" on a DSM is really only effective for regular sewing and seaming, when the feed dogs are engaged. Once a person begins free motion quilting, you'll have the same needle flex issues that a long arm quilter does. However, since we can't move the fabric as fast as we can move the long arm, it seems as if the impact isn't as great. When I free motion quilt on a DSM, I will still see tension changes if I make a large loop or move the fabric too quickly.

I hope this sheds some light as to the "why" and longarm tension.

Good luck with your ebay quilt! Don't be afraid to adjust both the top and bobbin tension until you get a nice stitch. Unlike domestic sewing machines, it's okay to adjust bobbin tension. Let me know if you have any more problems!

Dawn

[ramona-quilter]

Is it just me or does EVERYBODY love that Dawn C. is answering questions on this forum? And such detail with that lint in the bobbin race. I usually just hit it with air as I bend over and peer inside (while standing at the belly roller). I'm going to put my face in that bobbin area and finally r-e-a-l-l-y clean it up.

Thank you Dawn. It is so much easier to remember how to do something when the "why" of it is explained.

[Sams Mom]

Teresa,

I used to have the worst problem with tension and I too had the same problem with things going whacky in the middle of the quilt. I have a separate bobbin winder and when I wind bobbins I sit there and use my fingers to keep the tension even as the thread goes on the bobbin. I just let the thread run through my fingers as it winds. That is enough to ensure that there isn't a variation as the bobbins change. Now when I get the tension set at the beginning of the quilt, I know it will be good all the way through (knock on wood as I start my quilting day).

Hope that works for others too.

Donna

[Ferret]

It's good to hear my obsessive cleaning is a step in the right direction with sorting out tension. I had been doing OK but the last couple of quilts have been really suffering with this tension drift. The only bit of the cleaning I don't seem to be doing is poking the straw in the hole on the right hand side. If we could get a picture of this I think it would help me.

Thanks

Ferret

[chickenscratch]

Donna, I don't think bobbin winding is the biggest problem. I use prewounds 90 % of the time. When I need to use some that I wind I will use the tip you and others have shared. Thanks.

[DawnCavanaugh]

Ferret,

Here's a photo of the spot where you would insert the straw from a can of compressed air:

BE SURE to first rotate the fly wheel by hand so that the silver, outermost portion of the hook is in a different position from where it normally rests.

In an earlier post I think I said to put the needle in the "down" position; however, if you use your yellow "needle up/needle down" button to do this, the hook's position won't change. (Since the hook makes two revolutions for every ONE time the needle goes down and up, the hook will revolve to the same resting place regardless of whether the needle's up or down.)

Remove the bobbin case, remove the thread from the needle, and look inside the bobbin area to see where the outer silver part is "resting." Now, use the fly wheel and rotate the wheel until the needle is about half way down, and the silver hook is in a different position from the one you first observed.

Next, insert the compressed air straw into the opening on the right and blow air through it. Rotating the hook slightly exposes most of the raceway, where lint can lurk undetected.

Let me know if more photos and/or explanations are needed--when you do something long enough it makes perfect sense until you have to explain it to someone else!

Dawn

[clq-jill]

Dawn-

I just want to echo Linda -- I really appreciate your in depth reply to this question. I learned a lot!

Thanks!

Jill

[smorris]

Great explanations Dawn - I'm going to share this with every quilter I know.

Sue in Australia

[CucumberQuilting]

Dawn! That is great teaching, thanks so much.

~~ Eva H.

[ramona-quilter]

OMG - I just did that straw blow that Dawn talked about earlier. Now, my machine was clean....well, I thought it was. I blew out that hole on the right and this is what was there. Can you say disgusting? And I thought it was clean.

Thanks again, Dawn.

[Mary Beth]

ick! Guess I know what I will be doing when I get home.

[quiltjunkie]

I must say I have had this irregular tension problems during a quilt only when I'm using cotton bobbins...well if you are using cotton thread in the top and the bobbin I would think you would probably need to do this routine with every bobbin change for sure. I had sworn off cotton bobbins but may give them another try and clean, clean, clean with each bobbin change..at least until I use up my stock and then only use Bottom Line after that.

P.S. Linda thanks for showing us your lint stash, very informative of what's lurking in there.

[SandraC]

Wow, Linda, that's pretty gross....I'll have to try it, too...am afraid to see what comes out!!!

[Guest Linda S]

I've enjoyed reading this too. Very interesting. I have found that tension really varies with how clean the bobbin area is (including the inside of the bobbin case). And, YES, it is great that Dawn is answering questions here. If you ever have a chance, take a class from her. I took three classes from Dawn a few months after I got my machine -- she probably remembers that I was so excited about everything (to the point of distraction, most likely;) ). In those days, you got your machine, set it up, and went for it on your own, so everything I learned from her, which was a lot, was a revelation to me. She has many tips and tricks to help you quilt your best.

Linda

[Mary Beth]

Don't you just love Dawn. She is like the McGyver (spelling) of quilting!! She has some of the coolest ideas and tricks and she makes everything look so simple.

[SandraC]

Well....tried blowing out the bobbin as suggested above...there must have been something in there because it flew out and thwacked me in the cheek then fell to the floor!!! I'll have to remember this tip once in a while!

Thanks for the advice!

[moogiequilter]

oh thank you so much for the details here!!! I always want to quilt quilt quilt not clean clean clean, but I'm finding that with cotton thread (especially some brands) and cotton bobbins and cotton batting, I clean every pass across the quilt and that's just what it takes to get good results.

I especially liked the details on the bobbin race (I think I got that right) and how to clean it - I can't wait to see what I get out of there because I did not know to do that.

Thanks everybody!

Martha

[lizziesgirl]

Sounds and looks like we need to help our machines blow their nose.

I'm with everyone else here on sending a huge THANK YOU to Dawn for her explainations so we can understand. I had the honor of Dawn giving a maintance class after a Marilyn Badger class in Des Moines. What a great class from a cool lady, and vice versa.

[Myrna Ficken]

Dawns instructions are fantastic asn usual. It is great that she is here giving us all lots of help.

Teresa one more thing to be aware of is the thension on your quilt as you advance.

Myrna