seakitten Posted May 24, 2008 Report Share Posted May 24, 2008 What causes this? More importantly, how can it be prevented? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barbm Posted May 24, 2008 Report Share Posted May 24, 2008 Catherine, Maybe my eyes aren\'t working properly, but I can\'t tell what you\'re referring to. Maybe a closer shot? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seakitten Posted May 24, 2008 Author Report Share Posted May 24, 2008 This is as close as my camera will focus. I am going along stitching (OK, really fast meandering -- I want to get this sucker finished!). Top looks fine, random checks of the back look fine, needle does not appear to be loose. Using King Tut in top, SoFine in bobbin (for the whole quilt, most of which is fine). Going to sew down the binding, I notice that there are loopies, like really wacky top tension, but not consistently. On the photos, those are the darker blue threads popping through. It will be fine for several inches, then an inch of two of bad, then back to fine again. This is mostly along the edges of the quilt, not sure anymore whether it was bottom or sides but pretty sure it was not the top. I did notice problems towards the very end of the quilting (last 6 inches or so), frogged those out a couple of times & cleaned out the lint from everywhere, went back & finished it and again, it looked fine everywhere I checked, but it was not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quiltsinmotion Posted May 25, 2008 Report Share Posted May 25, 2008 Catherine , I can tell you that I still after 2 yrs of quilting get bad stiching on the back , the only consistency seems to be the way my machine is moving , from my understanding its when it moves backwards . I have gotten tension to the point where its not as bad like big eyelashes , but its bad enough that it makes me stressed . Keep playing with tension is all I can say Good Luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NancyLT Posted May 25, 2008 Report Share Posted May 25, 2008 I actually signed in to see if anyone was having this issue!! SAME THING...King Tut top thread, so fine bobbin thread. After taking out stitches for about 4 hours....I was ready to pull my hair out...I adjusted everything over and over...checked my bobbin tension with my TOWA gauge...everything...then I decided to simply re-thread my machine...IT WORKED!!! I could not see any problems...but somewhere there was...and re-threading worked when everything else failed! Hope this will help you...Nancy L Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sams Mom Posted May 25, 2008 Report Share Posted May 25, 2008 King Tut is hard to use on some machines. I suggest that you loosen you bobbin tension (I can pull thread easily, drop test, drops easily) and then increase your upper tension until you like how it looks on the back. Don\'t be afraid to loosen that bobbin tension. I know that if my bobbin tension is too tight (or normal for others), I can\'t increase the top tension enough without breaking thread. Hope this helps. Donna Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hawaii Posted May 25, 2008 Report Share Posted May 25, 2008 Catherine, When I used the King Tut/Sew-Fine combination on my Freedom, I consistently had thread burps and tracks on the the my back - Frustrating! After getting some hands on tips from Myrna (on the way the tension should feel - top and bottom) and Cheryl B - who uses King Tut alot - top and bottom; I\'ve found my "sweet" spot on my machine. If you are ever on Oahu, drop in, and I will share what I\'ve learned. Also, I did order a TOWA gauge, on the recommendation of almost every instructor I had a class with at MQS. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juliagraves Posted May 26, 2008 Report Share Posted May 26, 2008 A few random thoughts - maybe one of them will help - Sometimes my bobbins don\'t wind consistently. I now use a thread net to help keep tension on the cone while the thread is winding. The machine likes to move from left to right (standing in front by the needle) - did you notice if there was a consistency regarding where it messes up? Is it mostly around curves or straight areas? If so, are you slowing down or speeding up when you get to the curves or the straight area? Check for lint in the bobbin case? Especially where the thread comes out of the little hole in the side - lift up the piece of metal and check under there. Good luck - Julia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seakitten Posted May 26, 2008 Author Report Share Posted May 26, 2008 Well, the machine is working fine again. I think it was a combination of things, the worst of which was that I was just going to fast. I cleaned out the bobbin area again, and there was some lint I\'d missed. I rethreaded the machine (I don\'t understand why, but it can have a magical effect), I used the Towa gauge (although I still doubt it helps much), pretty much everything you guys suggested, and it\'s fine. I just wish I had done it before I trimmed the quilt, but I can work with it. Thanks for all your input. Barbara, are you coming to Quilt Hawaii? I sent you a U2U Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarieBrewer Posted May 26, 2008 Report Share Posted May 26, 2008 Try sewer\'s aid on the King tut spool. I find that often times when I use cotton on the top there seems to be some fraying of the cotton until it finally breaks. Haven\'t figured out why, but cotton gives me more problems than any thread. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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