How do I start again with my bobbin seeing as I accidentally undid the screw all the way?

Question

How do I find good bobbin bobbin tension from scratch seeing as I accidentally undid the screw all the way (and now I've put it back together).
My machine was jamming (and bunching & destroying fabric until no more give was possible) and I was trying to adjust the bobbin tension.
It's a brand new machine and I've made a knit poncho & not much else... It's a singer.

Answer 1

You can try to get your bobbin case tension back to normal this way: thread a bobbin into the bobbin case and hang it by the thread. Tighten the tension screw until it doesn't fall down by itself but you can pull it easily.

Make sure you are using a proper needle (type and size) for what you are sewing, and change them often. Clean lint out of the bobbin area and from under the feed dogs. Oil as directed in you manual (at least every six hours of sewing time). Also, hold onto the two threads behind the needle for the first few stitches as you begin to sew. That will prevent them being pulled back inside to tangle.

Answer 2

I'm a professional seamstress and I would never touch the bobbin tension. They just don't give you a way to tell how far you turned it. If it was me, I would take it to a sewing machine repair person and ask them to put it back the way it was. They won't charge very much.

It sounds like the bunching may have happened becuase you were using a knit fabric with a regular needle? You'd want a ball point needle so that it doesn't snag and jam. Another reason for bunching could be if you started sewing too close to the end of the fabric. To avoid that, use tissue paper or have another piece of material butted up against it.

I hate to see people discouraged when they can't make the machine work!

Answer 3

my machine jams all the time-- it can be very annoying.
I have taken it in for repairs with no luck. But it is true, they do not charge much for repairs.

if you still have trouble, I dust my machine with and old toothbrush and oil (use sewing machine oil) it often. the knit probably did collect dust in there, (i dust the bobbin case area too, sometimes I even take out the piece that holds the bobbin in place. mine is not singer so I don't know how difficult it would be to dust yours. Maybe new machines need more oil early on to get the parts moving...

When I do adjust tension, I always do it from the thread, not the bobbin.
if you try all of these things and still have trouble, since it is a new machine you should be able to get some help with it or replace it. mine was second hand and free, so I just suffer with it's annoying tendency to jam.

hope it works out for you.