Date: 2/26/10 1:14 PM

I don't have pictures, so I don't know how much help people can give me.

I am sewing a UFO. The fabric is a charmeuse with brushed cotton on back. The thread is Coats & Clark (what I had bought to make this a couple of years ago and wound several bobbins in readiness). I have a Viking Platinum 770 machine (yes, I know European machines don't like Coats & Clark thread very much and I try to stay away from it now, but this was a UFO and I didn't want to go back to the store).

The problem I am having is that sometimes the machine is making lots and lots of little loops on the bobbin side (looks like bottom halves of flowers going all the way down the stitching. When I pick them out, it looks like some are formed with a broken thread every once in awhile. The problem is exacerbated depending on the stitch (basting stitch is a problem) or the number of fabric layers (single layer stitching is a problem).

I figure it could be any of these or some combination:

1) thread
2) machine tension (dial fiddling helps the problem, but only a little)
3) machine needs to go in for a tune up again (last tune up was last spring, and I was trying to hold out till this summer as I don't have another backup machine and I suffer withdrawal when I can't sew)

I'm hoping its just the thread. Can anyone share their wisdom with me and let me know what could be causing this?

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Total Stash, beginning of year -- 637.57 yards
2010 Stash In -- 11.875 yards
2010 Stash Sewn -- 4.875 yards
Remaining Stash -- 642.57 yards
Items Sewn, 2010 - 5

Date: 2/26/10 1:19 PM

If it were my Platinum, (775) it would necessitate changing the needle and completely clearing out the top and bottom threads before going on.

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Goals for July:
Finish 1 dress, 1 blouse, 1jacket, 1 skirt, and 1 pr. shorts for DNiece.

Goals for August: Participate in 1 pattern, many looks contest, also Natural Fiber Contest, and finish mastectomy bathing suit top for neighbor.

Date: 2/26/10 1:22 PM

do you have your bobbin in the right way? I know if my bobbin is in the forward way it will leave a rats nest. When I put it in counterclock feeding the other way it will sew correctly. Also sometime's if you don't have your thread laying in the tension discs right it will do the rats nest too. These are the two things i check when i encounter that problem.
-- Edited on 2/26/10 1:24 PM --

Reply to Lucy in Virginia
Date: 2/26/10 2:38 PM

Boy, just some thoughts.... I would make sure all tension disks are clean, upper tension and the bobbin shuttle tension area. On my pfaff I've gotten lint balls built up under the spring on the bobbin shuttle and have to remove the screw and little piece to clean it.
But…if your threads appear to be broken I would look close at your thread and make sure it doesn’t have high and low areas or really short filament yarns causing it to shred faster. Another thing, you might have a burr somewhere on your hook area in the bobbin area. If you do it can cause the thread to catch, shred and be a real pain! If you can run your fingernail on the hook area and see if you feel a catch anywhere there, burr on your bobbin shuttle or you could have a burr where the needle goes through the hole in the plate. A burr would be what I’d look for first then clean tension areas.
Just some trouble shooting thoughts

Date: 2/26/10 5:42 PM

If you are getting nesting of thread on the bottom of your fabric, this is almost always a top thread tension problem. I suppose it could rarely be a machine timing issue, but the vast majority of the time it is a tension problem with the top thread, not the bobbin thread. Sometimes, this is referred to as nesting of the threads on the bobbin side of the fabric, and it is the top thread that is making the loops that look like a tangled nest of thread.

Most machines have tension discs for the top thread. If you have a stray bit of thread or a build up of lint in one or more of the discs, your top thread will not feed correctly and you can get nesting. Be sure to thread your machine with the presser foot UP so the thread actually gets into the tension disc areas. I haven't ever needed to 'floss' the discs on my machines, but I've seen it suggested. Just run a lint-free cloth through the discs to clean out the lint, and this will de-gum it if perhaps you had some old oil or lubricant in there that is causing the thread to stick.

Some machines are picky about the way the thread comes off the spool. Check you manual to see what is recommended for your machine. Also, if your thread is a bad spool or a brand that your machine doesn't like, you can have tension problems. In addition to changing the thread, you'll need to clean the top thread path of any debris left behind by the bad thread.

Likewise, if the bobbin is not the right one for the machine, it could cause problems with thread flow. Generic bobbins or pre-filled bobbins by another manufacturer than your machine may look the same as your machine's bobbins, but the fraction of a difference in size, height, or smoothness of the surface could cause bobbin thread flow problems. Bobbins are usually so inexpensive that it is just not worth the hassle and frustration to me to buy anything but the manufacturer's recommended bobbins.

The needle may be the culprit. Even if you think the needle is fine, I suggest that you change it, making sure it is all the way in the slot. Just because most needles work fine doesn't mean the occasional one won't have a burr or something that causes problems with stitching. If you are using the wrong type of needle for your fabric, stitching problems can be the clue that you need a different needle.

Sometimes the fabric is the problem. Fabric with adhesives (confetti dot, for example) can gum up your thread and needle and bobbin case and stitch plate....misery. There is a product called Sewer's Aid that really helps with this special situation. You just dribble a line of it over the spool of thread before sewing, and maybe a tiny drop at the needle. Some people have suggested putting a bit of Thread Heaven somewhere along the thread path to lubricate the thread before it goes through the needle. I've never quite figured out how they stick the Thread Heaven to the machine. NAYY. I recently worked with a costume fabric that was a little sticky on one surface, and my machine did not like it, so stitching could be irregular or tangled if I tried to sew too fast, but it was okay if I sewed slowly (12 identical costumes slowly! Ugh).

I've seen a lot on the web about adjusting or playing with the bobbin tension, but it is a rare situation that the bobbin case tension is the problem. In 4 decades of sewing, I've never had to adjust the bobbin tension. Lint or gummy oil or a stray thread in the bobbin case, bobbin race, or anywhere in the bobbin area could cause tension problems with the top as well as the bottom thread. Definitely clean out the bobbin area, pull it apart and sweep around the race in and out as well as the case.

Best practice is to clean the bobbin area and check the top thread path after every project and sometimes in the middle of the project if you have a particularly linty fabric or thread. Change your needle every project, too.

HTH

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Fictionfan