Tiffany

Oh! That's right! I had a friend who had this same problem. I didn't pay attention at the time because I thought I would always be a hand quilter. That was almost 20 years ago. :lol: Old age, arthritis, and lack of time to quilt everything I need to have forced me to learn to machine quilt. I guess the moral is to "Never Say Never." Now that I am learning to machine quilt I will remember this.

butterflywing

sometimes it's the foot. are you using a foot made for that purpose or making do with a multi-use foot? they aren't all good at all tasks. try to borrow another kind of foot and see what happens. email the company and ask them. they try very hard to accomodate you.
also , check the bobbin case. make sure the tension is right and that it's clean.

and i have to say that when you use a machine for different purposes, sometimes you have to thread in different ways. even in the longarm, when i change thread, for example, i often have to rethread in an entirely new way, bypassing some guides and using others that i normally don't use, so that the tension changes in a new way.

yourstrulyquilts

And sometimes it's the thread and/or needle. If your machine is a Viking, you'll want to use good thread, and definitely NOT Dual Duty! Vikings don't like it. I had my machine in the shop three times before I really got the message. I don't know about other machines.............

zennia

I was going crazy with the same problem yesterday. Finally my husband suggested I chang needles. Its bee fine ever since. My needle was to small for the job.

Joan

Be sure you are using quality thread, too.

I took a FMQ class and brought some old Coats & Clark thread. I had the same problem plus a lot of thread breaking. The bobbin was full of lint and tiny pieces of thread. It was very frustrating!

Also, it helps to wear those special gloves for FMQ, it really makes a differance. I wouldn't say that unless I found it to be true.

kwhite

Oh one more thing that doesn't make sense unless you really think of it. Make the machine go AS FAST AS IT CAN (hands still go slower). Put the stitch length to zero so there is no timing on and put the pedal to the metal. It does make sense though cause the needle is out of the fabric more and your movements don't put stress on the thread when it is out. The thread breaks less and you can get a smoother line.

Tiffany

Any time I have ever taken a class on thread, the instructors have said to NEVER used Coats & Clark or Dual Duty thread. Of course after hearing that I went home and looked through threads and as you can guess, I'd been using Coats & Clark for everything. I made the switch to better thread (my favorite is Aurofil!!!!!!!) & was amazed at how much better & easier it was to piece/quilt. I'd definitely recommend using good thread & save the cheaper stuff for things like basting. JMO.