Joe Ayres

I had read in some manual to put the spool on the spool pin so that the thread comes off next to the machine. This makes the thread spool turn clockwise. So I continued doing that no matter which machine I was using.

I was quilting using “invisible thread” which is only a few thousands of an inch in diameter, and very hard to see. I was having trouble with the thread breaking every time I made a long, faster row of stitches. I would find that the tread had wrapped around the spool pin. So I turned the spool around so that it turns counter-clockwise. Problem solved. I figured that if the spool turns counter-clockwise it would be less likely to stay caught when the spool “jumps” as the thread is taken off. Seems to work, so far so good.

I am using a Singer 301, and when I looked in the manual it said, like all the other manuals I looked up, “put the thread on the spool pin” but the 301 manual has a picture of the spool in place, and the thread is coming off the back of the spool, making it turn counter-clockwise.

Has anyone seen a reason for which direction the tread should come off the spool?
This is the kind of stuff one wonders about while sewing big batches of things!

sschick

I try to have the thread come off the spool clockwise since both my vintage Singers have a small thread guide on the front of the machine that the thread goes through first. Neither manual mentions anything about which direction for the thread to come off the spool. It only mentions it for threading the needle and replacing the bobbin, but both have one drawing showing the thread coming off clockwise. I do remember watching a video one time and the woman mentioned it should always come off in a certain direction. I thought she mentioned clockwise, but I may be remembering wrong. It was probably a year or so ago that I watched that particular video.

Shari

quiltedsunshine

Our children's sewing teacher at the shop tells the children that it should always pull off the back of the spool. I don't know why.

DrosieD

On an upright pin it should come off counter clockwise. On a horizontal pin it should come off the top.

cashs_mom

I have never paid any attention to how my thread comes off the spool and it hasn't ever seemed to make a difference.

SueZQ from MN

The only time it makes a difference to me is if I am using thread that has a notch on the spool to hold the loose end of the thread. Then I make sure that the notch is on the bottom or farthest away from the needle so the thread can't catch on the notch as it unwinds.

Joe Ayres

Since I posted this question, I have been paying close attention to what is happening. I am using Outdoor Thread on a White 3051 that I found on the street with a tag that said "Needs a belt" I use it to make grocery bags our of feed sacks. What I notice, is that when the spool is full and on the pin closest to the needle, the thread can fall off the spool, and the jerking motion of the machine makes it wrap around the pin because it has fallen down under the spool. If it is coming off clockwise, it tends to tighten up and jam. Less likely coming off counter-clockwise.

Without the felt, the spool spins freely and loves to wrap the thread around the spool pin. The felt I have is smaller in diameter than the spool, so I made a "felt" out of flannel scraps that helped block the thread from going under the spool. Not much help, the felt seems to be almost as good. Next I tried loading bobbins as soon as I put on a new spool of thread. This helps. Then I moved the spool to the rear pin, closest to the hand wheel. This seems to be as important as the direction the thread comes off.

Just the mind games I am playing as I make more and more of these bags! Thanks for listening!

bearisgray

Can you get a cap to put on the top of the spool pin to keep the spool from flying off?

Joe Ayres

The spool doesn't come off, the tread goes under the spool and wraps around the spool pin, which can cause the tread to break or the stitches to pull. It rarely happens now that I am using the rear spool pin. Thanks for your suggestion.

abc123xyz

I was having trouble such as this and I searched the internet to find an answer. It was suggested that I put a drinking straw over
the spool holder to extend its length. I cut a straw to a length greater than spool height and slipped it over the spool holder. No more problems. It has been a while since I did this and I am not sure what thread or spool I was using at the time but I know it solved my problem. You might give this a try.