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JennGM
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| Posted: May 18 2011 at 10:27am | IP Logged
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I know there are some good seamstresses on this forum.
I have this continuing problem -- it seems the sewing machines I use have bobbin tension problems. I thought the main problem was the old machine I had from my mother, so I'm now using the second old machine from my mother (which is newer). Same problem. The bobbin is inconsistent in tension.
The joke is my mother can come right behind me and have no problems with the bobbin tension. So she is convinced it is me.
Can a user cause this problem? Is there a technique to stopping and starting and not going fast to keep the tension better?
Just grasping at straws. I can see I'll have to tune-up this machine.
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Jennifer G. Miller
Wife to  & ds1  '03 & ds2  '07
Family in Feast and Feria
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JodieLyn
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| Posted: May 18 2011 at 10:51am | IP Logged
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use good thread.. I think there was a post about that.
if you're starting and stopping abruptly that might cause jerking that could give you a bit of loose thread that would tighten up quickly when you got to the normal tension.
be sure your thread is winding onto the bobbin smoothly and not too tightly or unevenly too.
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Jodie, wife to Dave
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JennGM
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| Posted: May 18 2011 at 10:53am | IP Logged
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Yep, used the good thread. I thought the bobbin was wound correctly. I think it might be the starting and stopping, though.
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JodieLyn
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| Posted: May 18 2011 at 10:56am | IP Logged
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well just in case.. I found the thread on thread
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Jodie, wife to Dave
G-18, B-17, G-15, G-14, B-13, B-11, G-9, B-7, B-5, B-4
All men who have turned out worth anything have had the chief hand in their own education.
-Sir Walter Scott
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MichelleW
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| Posted: May 18 2011 at 10:57am | IP Logged
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Jenn,
Do you have your bobbin in upside down? The thread should flow clockwise through the bobbin case.
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Michelle
Mom to 3 (dd 14, ds 15, and ds 16)
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MichelleW
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| Posted: May 18 2011 at 10:59am | IP Logged
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Also, why do you think it is the bobbintension? What specifically are you seeing or experiencing? If the threads on the bottom are wonky it is often the top tension that is off and vice versa.
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Michelle
Mom to 3 (dd 14, ds 15, and ds 16)
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JennGM
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| Posted: May 18 2011 at 11:08am | IP Logged
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Oh, then it's the thread tension, because the problem is showing up in the underside of the seam, not the top.
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Jennifer G. Miller
Wife to & ds1 '03 & ds2 '07
Family in Feast and Feria
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hylabrook1
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| Posted: May 18 2011 at 11:18am | IP Logged
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Play with the thread tension setting and do some trial runs on scrap fabric. That way if it's not right you don't have to rip out as you would if this happened on your actual sewing project.
Are you pushing or pulling the fabric through the throat plate? It's very easy to do this, even slightly. You should just guide the fabric with a very light touch and let the feed dog pull the fabric through. If you push or pull your fabric,you confuse the machine about the relationship between the rate at which the fabric is moving under/past the needle and the rate at which the needle is going in and out of the fabric (up and down). This can result in some pretty messes with the sewing.
Peace,
Nancy
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JennGM
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| Posted: May 18 2011 at 11:22am | IP Logged
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This machine doesn't have much "play" in tension...most is automatic settings.
I'm not pulling the fabric that I'm aware of, as I understand i'm just guiding, not pulling.. I have been sewing for years...just have this little problem that seems to show up only with me.
But thanks...I'll reexaminine my habits.
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Jennifer G. Miller
Wife to & ds1 '03 & ds2 '07
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SeaStar
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| Posted: May 18 2011 at 11:29am | IP Logged
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It always help me when I have snags like that to completely rethread the top and bottom... similar to rebooting a computer.
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Melinda, mom to ds ('02) and dd ('04)
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hylabrook1
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| Posted: May 18 2011 at 12:01pm | IP Logged
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Melinda's advice is a good idea. Jenn - you say the machine is mostly automatic settings. I just got a new machine (Christmas) that is all about automatic settings and a couple of times it has done things with tension that I didn't expect it to. This is where the rebooting comes in. Turning the whole thing off does just that - it reboots when you turn it back on (according to my children, at least) and that has been most helpful, as has a rethreading job. With my older, less sophisticated machine(s) over the years, the pulling habit has from time to time been an issue, especially with young daughters learning to sew. But you are well beyond that stage! 
I hope it behaves - sewing is such a pleasure when the equipment does what it's supposed to; otherwise, not so much.
Peace,
Nancy
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4Real Forums : Our Lady's Loom, Larder, and Laundry
Topic: Sewing Help
