Sewing Machines Logo

Related Topics:

A
Anonymous Posted on Jun 29, 2014

Why do the stitches on the underside of the fabric look like one straight line, not individual stitches as on the top of the fabric?

1 Answer

Chris Wetmore

Level 2:

An expert who has achieved level 2 by getting 100 points

MVP:

An expert that got 5 achievements.

Governor:

An expert whose answer got voted for 20 times.

New Friend:

An expert that has 1 follower.

  • Expert 190 Answers
  • Posted on Dec 04, 2014
Chris Wetmore
Expert
Level 2:

An expert who has achieved level 2 by getting 100 points

MVP:

An expert that got 5 achievements.

Governor:

An expert whose answer got voted for 20 times.

New Friend:

An expert that has 1 follower.

Joined: Feb 19, 2008
Answers
190
Questions
0
Helped
56264
Points
335

This is an indication that either the bottom tension is too tight or the top is too loose. try tightening the top tension 1 number at a time till it looks good.

5 Related Answers

night71

Lyle Siemens

  • 328 Answers
  • Posted on Nov 01, 2007

SOURCE: upside down stitching

Sounds like the needle alignment is out.
This website has some instructions on how to properly set it up and also has manuals too.
http://welcome.solutions.brother.com/bsc/public/us/ca/en/faq/faq_list.html?reg=us&c=ca&lang=en&prod=hf_cs8072eus&Cat=53

Ad
bargainbox

Hassy

  • 1388 Answers
  • Posted on Apr 25, 2008

SOURCE: My Janome my excel 23x

Ensure that all is clean and free of lint jams....now for tension troubleshooting .......

This solution is for tension problems...if you cannot form any sort of stitch, the issue is quite different, so please let me know if you need a different problem solved.....

It is quite long, but just work through each section in order.
The "knotting up" can reveal a lot. If you have loose threads on one side or the other, the tension on the opposite side will be the culprit.

QUICK SUMMARY FIRST:
Ensure sharp new needle,
Thread guides and Bobbin are Clean & Clear of lint
Set Top Tension to 4 ....then....
Balance Bobbin to suit.

TOP THREAD TENSION:
If the looping threads are on the underside as you sew, it is the top tension. Top tension ought to be between 4 & 6 (this variation to allow for the different weights of fabric in your
projects).

IS YOUR NEEDLE SHARP ?
If you are using a needle that has seen quite a deal of work, or you suspect it may be blunt, change it for a new one !

TOP TENSION & GUIDES:
Make sure that when you thread the machine the presser foot is up so the thread goes between the discs and not to one side, top tension between 4 and 6, and that you have threaded through all the guides, including the last one, usually on the needle arm, just above the needle clamp.

It may be there is lint trapped between the discs, this will keep them slightly apart and reduce the actual tension, sometimes dramatically.

If tensions appear correct, and the thread is definitely in the channel between the discs, but still too loose and looping, try raising presser foot and remove your thread.

Now, with a 2" (50mm) wide strip piece of fabric 8 - 10" (20 - 25cm) moistened with methylated or denatured spirit, gently insert the fabric strip and clean between the discs with
a see saw / to and fro action.

In the worst cases, gentle use of a needle to pick & remove the jam may be necessary, but be very gentle and make sure the tension is set at Zero and the presser foot is raised, (to
disengage tension plates).... do not gouge or score the plates, they need a polished surface to work correctly.

BOBBIN TENSION:
Far less common, but if the loose threads are on the top, it is bobbin tension that is loose, it too may have lint in the spring and be giving a "false" tension.

I would not recommend fiddling with bobbin tension without good reason, it may end up with missing small screws and spring pieces, however, you can take the needle plate off to clean
the hook race area (where bobbin case sits)

...this is just good housekeeping, my wife does this every time she replaces the bobbin....

just take it out and clean the bobbin case and the fixed metal hook race with a small brush to remove lint. If there is a significant amount of lint, use a vacuum and small brush to get the worst.

Then wipe all this area with a cloth or cotton bud (Q tip) moistened (not soaked) with methylated spirit, especially if there appears to be fine dirty deposits....oil and lint combine to conspire against you.

If it seems likely that you ......really ....do .....actually .....need .....to adjust the bobbin case, first check there is no lint trapped in the metal spring where the thread is tensioned.

TOP LOADER:
Drop-in Bobbin case will look similar to this image with the tension screw in the middle of the metalwork....

4c76dc1.jpg ...the other screw at one end is holding it all together, so beware....it is not a tragedy to undo the whole lot and clean it, but very gingerly and lay the bits out in sequence and orientation, or you risk tearing your hair out !

FRONT LOADER:
....this is a bobbin case from a front loading machine and works in a very similar fashion to the top loader with drop in bobbin, again, if you dismantle it, take care so you can put it all
back properly.
165ca5c.jpg FINISHING UP
GETTING THE BALANCE RIGHT:
When you are certain there's no trapped lint in top tension or bobbin, set the top tension to 4 and the bobbin tension to a point where you just begin to feel resistance.

Try using good quality thread of contrasting colours so you can more easily spot the changes.

Set your zigzag to one width less than maximum (eg. 5 of 6 ...or... 4 of 5 etc) and sew a sample for a few inches and check the result.... adjust the bobbin tension screw very little at
a time, perhaps 1/16 of a turn.

You may find you are playing with this balance for some little while and if you are putting the needleplate on and off each time begin to think it cannot be correct to do this.....BUT....it is,
and eventually, you do get a "feel" for the correct tension and then it happens quite quickly.....as a user you won't be doing it very often unless there is lint built up (or are there small hands at work around the house !?!?!)

OTHER ISSUES:
If you live near the ocean as we do, salt air can play havoc with metalwork inside and out, so to help minimise this, keep a few small packets of dessicant (silica gel) in your machine
case....no case ? then make some sort of cover !

Same applies in any damp or humid environment, keep your machine dry and dust free.

Budget for a proper full service every couple of years (more often if heavily used) and if you don't use your machine for a few years, be aware that old oil will dry out and combining with
dust and form a "clag" like glue (another reason for some sort of cover, even a teatowel !)

FINALLY, A WORD ON THREAD:
If it is worth spending the time, energy and money on making something that you would like to give lasting enjoyment......use quality thread, .......it may seem to cost a little more at the
time, but the results, ease of use and added longevity will be worth the extra, and as a bonus, your tension troubles may be fewer and further between, because there is a more consistent diameter with good thread, and less compensating to be done by your tension plates and less thread breaks !

If you want any more help with this, just post back here, or, drop a line through the "Contact Us" page at www.bargainbox.com.au

Anonymous

  • 46 Answers
  • Posted on Oct 30, 2008

SOURCE: Bobbin continues to pose problem - knotting thread underside of fabric,

In 99% of all problems with "bird's nesting" or "knotting" it is an issue of the thread coming out of the take up lever (at threading guide #3) (from the spool; through the first thread guide at #1 down to #2 and up to # 3) when the thread comes out of the take up lever, the machine can not regulate the thread and it floods the machien with thread and wraps itself around the bobbin case. OR! Your tension is too loose. Raise it. Your machine should preform perfect at tension #4 unless you are using speciality threads or fabrics.

ALWAYS be in the habit of threading your machine with presser foot up so that while threading between paths 1 and 2 you are certain to have the thread pass throught the tension disks.

This will happen on a $50.00 machine or a $5,000 machine. The thread needs to be regulated.

USE GOOD THREAD!

Thanks,

Bonnie

Anonymous

  • 18 Answers
  • Posted on Jul 22, 2010

SOURCE: singer 5525 sewing machine knots

You can go here, search 5525, and download or purchase an instruction manual for your machine, if you have misplaced the one that came with it. It looks like there are some available as downloadable pdfs for free and some physical ones for $15. https://www.singerco.com/accessories/manuals.html

Also, Singer has just installed new Q&A features on their website. You can go here: http://new.singerco.com/products and look for your particular model or machine category. At the bottom of the product page, you can post Questions for singer experts and other community members to answer!

Good luck!

Anonymous

  • 1 Answer
  • Posted on Aug 11, 2012

SOURCE: bernina 1130 feed dogs won't feed fabric

On a Bernina 1130 the power on-off knob and the feed dog raise and lower knob look similar and are next to each other on the end of the machine, making it easy to lower the dog assembly entirely, without realizing it. Make sure you didn't accidentally lower the entire feed dog assembly by turning the feed dog knob: you can tell as you turn it if the dogs are up or down. On the Bernina 1130 the knob, like the power should be in the horizontal position to be working both feed and power.

Ad

Add Your Answer

×

Uploading: 0%

my-video-file.mp4

Complete. Click "Add" to insert your video. Add

×

Loading...
Loading...

Related Questions:

0helpful
1answer

The zig zag stitch on my Janome MC 3000 skips stitches all other stitches work fine. Any solutions?

Be sure stitch is in between the two fabrics when straight stitch. Adjust tension until stitch is between top and bottom fabric. Use different color top thread to make it easier to see. Once tension is correct sewing straight, switch to zigzag.

Remove hook race and bobbin. Clean area with vacuum.
Replace needle.
Try different thread and fabric.
0helpful
1answer

How do I use the stitch in the ditch foot

The stitch in the ditch foot is used for stitching directly in the seam line of 2 fabrics, most often for quilting lines. It is also used to sew two fabrics together. For the Stitch in the ditch sewing (quilting) place the needle in the center position, straight stitching and align the protruding blade on the stitch in the ditch presser foot directly on the seam line. Sew straight in the seamline using blade as the guide. To bind 2 fabrics, place the finished edges of the fabrics together, side by side touching. Place the foot with the blade between the two fabrics.Guide the fabric to touch the blade as you sew.
Set the stitching to zig zag stitch. Sew zig zag, keeping the fabrics touching the protruding guide on the presser foot. Hope this helps!
1helpful
1answer

How do I check the tension for lower stitching

Is the bobbin thread showing on the top of the fabric when you stitch? Loosen the top tension and see if that helps. Is the top thread showing on the underside of the fabric when you stitch? If so, tighten the top tension.
0helpful
3answers

I have a brother PR1000 and on the test stitch there is too much bobbin thread showing underneath. do I adjust the tension in the top thread or the bobbin tension?

Yes Adjust to more tight see what it'll do.
Bottom bobby is too tight or upper thread control is too lose.

Good luck

Mai
0helpful
1answer

My stitch does not sew on right side of fabric. I sew & see the underside of the stitch. I remove the fabric & the stitch is on the underside.... Never known sewing machine to do this. Help!!

Hi. first thing is to remove the threads from the machine, top thread and the bobbin, and replace to manufactures instructions. If still the same the problem sounds as if there is no tension on the bobbin [under] thread, adjust to a light tension. Then adjust top thread tension until the knot is in the middle of the cloth. Most times people keep tightening the top tension..
0helpful
1answer

How to do gathered stitches on j3-20 series

Gathering stitches is same on most makes and models, you just set up for a straight stitch but turn stitch length up to 4 and loosen off the top tension by one number, ie turn it down a little. Then sew two straight stitch seams where you want to gather, one at 10mm from raw edge and one at 20mm from raw edge, leaving long thread tails on both. Then draw up the bobbin (underside) thread to gather the fabric.
0helpful
1answer

When i do gathers on my machine i use the largest sticth,but the gathers r hard to pull. y/

Stitch length of 4, loosen your top tension by half a number and always pull up the bobbin threads.

If you need to gather yards of fabric then get a gathering foot. Janome make one - it looks like this
10_24_2011_6_57_47_am.jpg

This foot is for creating soft gathers in lightweight fabrics. The underside of the foot is raised behind the needle and has a thick bar in front of the needle to gather the fabric. This works great to create the gathers as you sew. You can also gather and attach a ruffle onto a flat piece of fabric simultaneously, run the flat fabric through the top groove of the foot and the underneath fabric is gathered and stitched to the top piece, you need to keep the bottom piece feeding smoothly though so it takes practice to guide it evenly. Once mastered it is great to ruffle on valances and cushion frills.

Other option is use a ruffler foot, these will make a little ruffle every 12, 6 or 1 stitch so give a set result, and to obtain a more dramatic gather. They look like this.
10_24_2011_7_04_39_am.jpg

The arm of the foot with a C'shape sits over the needle bar of the machine so it is moved up and down to activate the device. The little blade at the front moves backwards at regular intervals forcing a "tuck" of fabric into the feed to be stitched. Again you can ruffle and stitch to straight fabric at once but it is an art to master.

The weight of the fabric you are gathering is obviously the key variable, ginghams and poplins are lightweight so gather easily but if you need to gather something heavy like cordoroy it is going to be a battle and threads may break. If so, stitch two lines of gathers and don't try to do long runs, you'll just break a thread and have to start over.

Another good way is to zig zag over a length of perle cotton, taking care not to actually stitch the pearle at all. You can then gather up the fabric along it, this works well for heavier weights.
1helpful
1answer

When buying a sewing machine that has blind hemming feature .what does this mean./

it means there is a foot included that will straight-stitch a certain number of stitches then do a zigzag stitch to the left that will catch the fold of the fabric at intervals. The fold is made at the width of the hem you want. When you finish and straighten the hem out, the hem stitches will barely be visible on the top side unlike straight-stitching across the top of the fabric. There will be a "hem stitch" option on the machine and the foot will possibly have a movable guide that runs along the fold of the fabric to where your zigzag "catching the folded fabric" stitch is consistent.
0helpful
1answer

Can't get a neat straight and stretch stitch underneath

Sounds like a bottom tension problem, to be sure I would have to have a look, I would suggest you have it looked at. Not sure about the materials you are sewing and have serious doubts as to whether the machine you are using is up for the job and will give you a satisfactory finish. It is possible a "walking foot" machine is what you need.
Not finding what you are looking for?

78 views

Ask a Question

Usually answered in minutes!

Top Janome Sewing Machines Experts

ZJ Limited
ZJ Limited

Level 3 Expert

17989 Answers

Cindy Wells

Level 3 Expert

6688 Answers

Kolbrun...

Level 3 Expert

1228 Answers

Are you a Janome Sewing Machine Expert? Answer questions, earn points and help others

Answer questions

Manuals & User Guides

Loading...