Help Please... thread in the back looks like a birdsnest
#21
Power Poster
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Mableton, GA
Posts: 11,355
Just popping in to say that free motion doesn't call for such small stitches. With practice you can control the size of the stitches. I'm still not perfect at it but my stitches are not tiny anymore.
#24
Super Member
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Illinois
Posts: 2,140
For FMQ, unless you have a Bernina (& then I have no idea) you need to set the stitch length to 0. That isn't because you are using small stitches, it's because that allows you to control the stitch length. Getting a uniform stitch length is not easy. I have heard many quilt teachers say that it takes 8 hours to get the motion down. That sounds about right to me. You need to move through the machine at a relatively fast pace so you don't end up with teeny tiny stitches that are just pinpoints & those are even worse to try & pick out. However, if you move too quickly, you will get poorly formed stitches & overlapping thread.
FMQ is like riding a bike. You can learn to do it in about a day if you want to spend the whole day practicing. From there, you just get better & better. One other thing I would suggest is maybe picking a wavier stipple. Straight lines with a darning foot are REALLY difficult to manage. Since you have the space, maybe try shortening the U shape to 2". The shorter stipple is easier & more forgiving. If you haven't already checked out Leah Day's YouTube videos, I highly recommend them. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fFcIT...1F4B76430BB141
The only thing is that she now recommends marking your quilting lines, whereas a few years back when she recorded these videos, she did not. Hang in there & keep quilting! If you practice on some junk fabric, you won't need to rip out the stitching when it gets all messed up like that. Start by raising the Top Tension setting by 0.5 to 1 setting (keep increasing in 1/2 increments until the stitches are formed properly. Make sure you are using the correct foot for your machine -- it should be an open-toed darning foot. You also need to either lower your feed dogs, or if you can't, get a cover for them (you swap out the regular plate for one that only has the needle hole). If everything seems to be set-up correctly, just keep practicing. You'll get there in no time!
PS -- Having a pieced back does make FMQ more difficult. It adds friction to your quilt. Because of this, make sure that you have a nice flat surface to lay your quilt on (the machine bed is not nearly big enough). Once you get some hours in & see if you like it, there are other little notions you can try that may help, but for now most of them would just make things more confusing. Start with what you have, get the top tension right & then just keep working at it. FMQ is super fun, but it is a skill & you need to build that muscle memory before it will look right.
Best wishes!
Bree
FMQ is like riding a bike. You can learn to do it in about a day if you want to spend the whole day practicing. From there, you just get better & better. One other thing I would suggest is maybe picking a wavier stipple. Straight lines with a darning foot are REALLY difficult to manage. Since you have the space, maybe try shortening the U shape to 2". The shorter stipple is easier & more forgiving. If you haven't already checked out Leah Day's YouTube videos, I highly recommend them. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fFcIT...1F4B76430BB141
The only thing is that she now recommends marking your quilting lines, whereas a few years back when she recorded these videos, she did not. Hang in there & keep quilting! If you practice on some junk fabric, you won't need to rip out the stitching when it gets all messed up like that. Start by raising the Top Tension setting by 0.5 to 1 setting (keep increasing in 1/2 increments until the stitches are formed properly. Make sure you are using the correct foot for your machine -- it should be an open-toed darning foot. You also need to either lower your feed dogs, or if you can't, get a cover for them (you swap out the regular plate for one that only has the needle hole). If everything seems to be set-up correctly, just keep practicing. You'll get there in no time!
PS -- Having a pieced back does make FMQ more difficult. It adds friction to your quilt. Because of this, make sure that you have a nice flat surface to lay your quilt on (the machine bed is not nearly big enough). Once you get some hours in & see if you like it, there are other little notions you can try that may help, but for now most of them would just make things more confusing. Start with what you have, get the top tension right & then just keep working at it. FMQ is super fun, but it is a skill & you need to build that muscle memory before it will look right.
Best wishes!
Bree
Last edited by Bree123; 10-02-2014 at 05:13 PM.
#26
Super Member
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Utah
Posts: 2,097
Actually, it's the opposite. If there's a problem on the bottom, it generally comes from the upper thread tension. If there's a problem on the top, it generally comes from the bobbin. If it's nesting on the bottom, the thread usually isn't seated in the upper tension. Re-thread, with the presser foot up, so the tension disks are open. And make sure the tension dial didn't get knocked to 0 or 1.
Good Luck!
Good Luck!
Last edited by quiltedsunshine; 10-02-2014 at 07:26 PM.
#28
Super Member
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: Thornton, Colorado
Posts: 1,023
Frustrating to have those birds' nests! Lots of good information in this thread...I will be saving it for future reference. Here's what I found out for myself....1) ALWAYS make sure the presser foot is down before starting the machine. 2) if using a DSM, check to see if the machine is threaded properly. For me, the thread once in a great moon slips out of the lever guide, and that causes a messy tangle of thread underneath. 3) both the bobbin thread and top thread should be held in place either by holding them in the back or using a little "leader" piece of cloth first before starting to sew on the project. Hope this helps.
#29
Super Member
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: Sonoma County, CA
Posts: 4,299
I had a similar issue and it turned out my top thread had come out of one of the guides without me noticing. Seemed really insignificant but re-threading fixed the issue for me.
Of course, I didn't even NOTICE the problem until I'd quilted the ENTIRE quilt, and it was one I was rushing to get done in time to be a Christmas gift. Darn Murphy and his Laws!
Good luck with your nest removal...not envying you that job. Been there, done that!
Of course, I didn't even NOTICE the problem until I'd quilted the ENTIRE quilt, and it was one I was rushing to get done in time to be a Christmas gift. Darn Murphy and his Laws!
Good luck with your nest removal...not envying you that job. Been there, done that!
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