How to tell if bobbin is stitching correctly when first starting

[Brenda Gagnon]

Is there a way to check if your bobbin stitches are good or not when you first start a quilt. Other than crawling under the longarm machine?  I usually can’t check them until I’m one or two paths into the quilt.  I check the tension of the bobbin every time I put a new one in machine. I rent the longarm and they seem to think that the stitches are fine but they aren’t and I end up taking the quilt home and picking it out. First pic shows stitching is fine. Yes you see a few pokes of the batting. But when I put in a new bobbin the second picture shows what happened.  

[RunningThreads]

When we were new we used to add a piece of fabric to the left or right of the quilt top and do a little test there.  Then you can turn the edge of the quilt sandwich and see the back and adjust if needed.  Also we were taught to pull on the bobbin tail every time you insert a bobbin to make sure it felt right.  If you are getting lint from the thread then clean out the lint under the bobbin tension finger with the corner of a business card. Superior So Fine became our most often used thread because it runs so clean and that change alone eliminated ninety percent of our tension issues.  
If you haven’t seen it before I recommend watching the Thread Therapy videos with Bob Purcell. We attended one of his seminars many years ago and not once did he promote his brand over another.  What you need to know is not on the label.  

Nigel
 

https://www.superiorthreads.com/videos/thread-therapy?utm_source=media&utm_medium=marketing&media=PPCGNBT&gclid=CjwKCAjwybyJBhBwEiwAvz4G74VVZ5Km1A2j0EcSHIvYiaXf34nOls_zifRS6x23IJYi20CIztyrRxoCmdoQAvD_BwE&utm_campaign=PPCGNBT

[SueD]

Bring a hand mirror to check underneath (flashlight on cell phone helps). 

You should also be able to run a fingernail along the stitching on the bottom - if your nail is catching on each stitch, there's a good chance the tension needs to be adjusted.    

[melissalevi]

Would be better if you use light yellow thread for outline.

[jimerickson]

I usually use my finger nail like Sue suggested.  It's pretty easy to feel loose stitches, or at least anything that feels unusual will alert you that something might not be right, then you can go to the trouble of actually looking at them.  I have a bobbin camera, but could never really tell if the stitches were good or not looking at it, so now I just feel with my finger.  Good luck.  Jim 

[Phil0110]

Swiftly pull up on the thread. The thread should unwind just slightly and the bobbin case should drop an inch or two. If the thread unwinds without resistance and the case slips to the floor, your bobbin tension is too loose. If the bobbin case doesn't budge, your bobbin tension is too tight.