Re: Yikes! Help with SM

Ed, you're a gold mine of technical info! Thanks so much.

Where in AZ are you? I'm in Tucson.

--
Carolyn in The Old Pueblo

If it ain't broke, you're not trying. --Red Green
If it ain't broke, it ain't mine. --Carolyn McCarty

If at first you don't succeed, switch to power tools. --Red Green
If at first you don't succeed, get a bigger hammer. --Carolyn McCarty

"Ed from AZ" <prof_ofwhat@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:56f587d9-8cbe-46b3-a54a-77aae7f213e7@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
The stich is formed after then needle gets all the way to the bottom
of its stroke.

As the needle begins to come back up, the hook on the bottom shuttle
moves into the flat or concave portion of the needle to catch the
thread. The friction of the thread against the fabric causes a small
loop to form, and it's this loop that is caught by the hook. The loop
of thread is pulled all the way around the shuttle, capturing the
bobbin thread. The needle must be inserted right, and the hook and
needle timed correctly, and the loop formed well, or you have a bad
stich.

Check the two plates of your upper tensioner. If they are gummy, they
will catch the thread and hold it up just slightly. If there's a
piece of lint caught in between, they won't close properly and keep a
good tension on the thread.

Also check the presser foot tension. The material may be moving up
and down with the needle (called "flagging", if I remember right). If
so, then there's no friction to make a loop.

A pile of thread on the bottom usually means the loop of the upper
thread is being pulled too far out and is not being taken up when the
needle goes back up. Generally, the upper tension is too loose, your
thread is not properly threaded, or your tensin plates are held open
by lint.

You should also check the shuttle on bottom. Because the thread loop
gets pulled all the way around the shuttle, if there's lint collecting
in the oil, it can grab the thread and prevent the loop from being
pulled back up and tightened.

Rough spots on the needle point or the shuttle can also grab the
thread and hold it. Even just the barest fraction of a second can
mean an extra inch of thread in every loop!

Ed



On Jul 23, 6:32 am, "Carolyn McCarty" <cxm7...@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
The thread is Maxi-Lock Swirls; I bought a cone of it at TSWLTH, not
realizing it was meant for sergers. I thought it would work anyway, and
the
color was perfect. Ah, well.........as they say, it was a learning
experience.

I did notice when I unwound the bobbin that the bobbin (it is one that
came
with my 301, and I hadn't used that particular bobbin before) is slightly
distorted. The edges sort of curve inwards ever so slightly. That may have
had something to do with it, too. I tossed the bobbin, just to be on the
safe side. I'll try the thread again on a scrap with a different bobbin
just to see.

Amazing how many variables are involved with the simple act of sewing!
Thread and needle and relative to the fabric, the cleanliness of the
sewing
machine, the condition of the bobbin, the phase of the moon........<grin>

--
Carolyn in The Old Pueblo

If it ain't broke, you're not trying. --Red Green
If it ain't broke, it ain't mine. --Carolyn McCarty

If at first you don't succeed, switch to power tools. --Red Green
If at first you don't succeed, get a bigger hammer. --Carolyn McCarty

"Roberta" <Roberta@Home> wrote in message

news:lbvd84pubbk2ogeoosmkqnco8ptqu93q52@xxxxxxxxxx



So what brand was it, so we can avoid it? (Did it say "stretchy" on it
anywhere?)
Roberta in D, wondering why they thought any quilter would want
stretchy thread

On Tue, 22 Jul 2008 17:57:24 -0700, "Carolyn McCarty"
<cxm7...@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

Thanks, all of you! The culprit turned out to be the thread I am (was)
using. It is actually rather stretchy, and wound unevenly on the
bobbin--in
some places so tightly that the bobbin thread would not unwind. The
upper
thread, being the same thing, just doesn't behave properly.

Naturally, another cleaning didn't help. But it did make the machine run
like new. <grin>

Back to my faithful Aurofil!

And what a shame, this variegated blue would have been perfect for the
quilt
in progress. Moral of the story, don't buy an unknown thread on sale for
a
specific project.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -


.

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