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03-12-2011, 02:28 PM

#11

Zebra2

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Join Date: Nov 2010

Location: Jackson County, Kansas

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Pokies aren't such a good thing. Tension problems. Even if this customer doesn't mind, she may show it to someone who has another opinion. If you are in this for a business, every quilt you put out is your "business card" so to speak. (And that's a thought that makes me tremble at times!!) :roll:

03-12-2011, 02:33 PM

#12

bamamama

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Location: Madison, AL

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Could adjusting the tension keep you from seeing colored dots in this situation. My stitches looked pretty good, I thinks it was because the top thread was so much heavier than the bottom thread not to mention the color difference. Thin White on bottom and Heavy Brightly colored varigated on top. I'm not sure I could have made them totally disappear.

03-12-2011, 02:35 PM

#13

bamamama

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Quote:

Originally Posted by thepolyparrot

Quote:

Originally Posted by ckcowl

you will have the best luck if your top and bottom thread are the same weight.

Is this something that's particular to a long arm machine?

I've been wanting a longarm for a while now, but I always find something I don't like about them.

If long arm machines are this persnickety about thread, maybe I'd better stay with my old Singer.

I am learning that tension is different than on a regular machine. You have to make alot of adjustments to the tention due to threads, batting and maybe even the fabric. I'm ordering extra bobbin casings today for specific thread because that is the hardest to adjust.

It's hard work to haul a king size quilt through a domestic machine, but if I want to use perle cotton in the bobbin and size 100 silk in the top, I can do it. :) All my machines know that they'd dern well better sew what I give them to sew or they're out the door. :lol:

03-12-2011, 02:38 PM

#14

thepolyparrot

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Join Date: Nov 2010

Location: Mars

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Quote:

Originally Posted by bamamama

Could adjusting the tension keep you from seeing colored dots in this situation.

If it were a domestic sewing machine, getting the tensions balanced would eliminate the needle thread being pulled to the bobbin side of the quilt.

On a long arm... I don't know.

03-12-2011, 07:55 PM

#15

Lucky Lindy

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Join Date: Sep 2009

Location: South Dakota

Posts: 513

I wonder if the "dots" on the back don't have more to do with 2 different threads rather than tension? I think if you are using 2 different types of thread "dots" are pretty common. From talking with long arm quilters, they try to use the same thread on the top and the bottom.

03-12-2011, 09:37 PM

#16

greensleeves

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Join Date: Aug 2010

Location: Roswell, NM

Posts: 1,727

Quote:

Originally Posted by bamamama

I just finished a quilt-jade on light back and natural on front. When I first started I got the pokies so changed the natural on the front for a slightly heavier natural thread to match the back weight and it worked out much better. I have always done same color back and front but this customer asked for those two contrasting colors. She picked it up today and was very happy. I could still see some evidence of a pokie here and there and showed her but she was not bothered and most of those errors go away once the quilt is washed. Still I try to do same front and back just because with the machine going in all different directions you are going to get some variation in tension--usually not noticible with same color thread.