sporadic railroad stitches on back

[Grace]

My machine (Mille) causes 'railroad tracks' on the back of my quilts, but it is very irregular in occurance. It will go along well, then out of the blue , with no changes in anything, it will have a short run of 'tracks', then return to good stitches again.

Any suggestions on what causes this to happen?

I use the TOWA for bobbin tension, but I'm wondering if my bobbins don't wind consistantly. The gauge fluctuates as I pull the thread for a tension reading. I wind the bobbins on my Mille. Is there a better way to wind them? Some other gadget for me to purchase?

Thanks.

Grace

Good Gracious Quilting

Coburg, Or

[smorris]

Railroad tracks are usually seen when the bobbin tension is too tight.

When you first start stitching each day or when you change thread type or weight always do a small tension test piece. Do curves mainly, as they

will show up tension problems best.

Sue in Australia

[connie hurst]

Hi All,

Guess what? "Great News" We have a new bobbin winder (hot off the press) It is made out of aluminum just like what the machine is made out of.. it is Awesome!!!

It sells for $129.95 and worth every penny..

Let us know if you need one!

[Guest LA]

Hey Connie~

You are so right!

Chris & I did a set up on Sunday, & we were pleasantly surprised to find the new winder!

It was very user friendly, & the tension on the bobbins were *PERFECT*!

I am calling in my order today!

[lisae]

Will this work better than the on board winder on my new Millennium? If so I'll have to order one!

On a similar subject, someone mentioned that the Towa gauge ordered from APQS has the settings printed on the box. Since I ordered mine from another source I don't have the numbers. Can anyone tell me what the recommended bobbin tension is for the Millennium?

I have had my machine for about a month and I am having so much fun with it! Thanks APQS for producing such a wonderful machine!

[The Crafty Unicorn]

Grace, I was having a similar problem. I was using pre-wound bobbins and the cardboard sides were causing the tension changes (and my "tension headache") I took the cardboard aff andthe problem stopped :D.

I've seen people talk about this TOWA tension thing... where does it come from? what is it? how do I get one?

[LindaB]

Lisa E.:

The setting for the Toyo gauge are as follows:

Prewounds = 25

Metal bobbins = 20

Now keep in mind that each of our machines are different in their likes and dislikes. So these settings are a starting point for you. I.E. If I'm using the plastic sided Superior Bottom Line prewound, my setting needs to be looser, around 18-20. Experiment and find what setting looks the best for your machine.

Might I suggest taking an address label and write your settings on it and put it underneath your tension gauge, that way you've always got it.

Good luck and have fun.

Linda B.

Oregon

APQS Millennium

[CherylUribe]

I always have a baby quilt size muslin quilt ready to use for test/warm up. I can quickly attach it to the leaders with quilt clips. Quilters Rule I know has them. You can make your own out of PVC. Sue Schmeiden has one (practice quilt) with zippers always ready to zip on with her leader zippers. Sometimes she uses the card board batting roll cut in 1' pieces cut down the middle to attach the practice quilt to fit over the leaders.

Cheryl