Machine quilting question?

Question

What is wrong with my stupid sewing machine?!?! I'm trying to machine quilt my quilt, and everything was going fine until one of the threads started looping on top of the quilt..... I checked the manual and it said I needed to adjust the tension. I adjusted it, and it worked fine for maybe 2 squares, and now the thread coming down to the needle keeps breaking! ARGH!!!! I am ready to throw the thing! What am I doing wrong??? I have a brother LS2125

Answer 1

Definitely replace the needle, and make sure you are using the right size needle and the right size thread. Are you trying to machine quilt with hand-quilting thread, or are you using a needle that's meant for skinnier thread? After you replace the needle and check to make sure it's not hand-quilting thread, put the tension back where it's supposed to be. I sew professionally and I never have to adjust my tension.

I just thought of something else, has the machine gone more than a year since its last cleaning and tuneup? If so, it will never work properly.
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Answer 2

I have a Viking #1 and a Viking Designer SE. I embroider on the Designer SE almost every day. It does a beautiful job. The Viking #1 is for sewing while the other machine embroiders. I think the big thing is the designs you choose to embroider. If you are embroidering on a quilt take the fabric sandwich you will use. Take the whole works with you to the dealership and have them load it up. The variables in embroidery are the issue. The fabric chosen, the design, the size of the design and relative number of stitches, the stabilizers and the thread and needle you use. All have to work successfully in combination to make a nice job. Thread is a big variable. Colors within a thread brand can act differently. Use the best thread you can afford. I have found Coats and clark unsuitable for machine embroidery. Robison Anton, Madeira and Sulky all work very well in all thread types. Sew the same design out on each machine you look at. Do not let the dealer choose the design, you select it and look at it on all the machines you are interested in. You would need a design with multiple formats to do this. Try to use the same fabric, thread and stabilizer for the each sew out. The quality will show as you sew out the design. This is a whole new vocabulary and experience and the investment is significant in materials. I find it rewarding, very challenging and sometimes very frustrating. But the results are amazing. Remember if you choose a design that has 25 color changes, you have to rethread the machine, 25 times. You only have one needle. It is time consuming. Think simple and basic at first. Learn about stabilizers as they are the key to successful production. Your dealer should be able to set up a successful demo for you but know what stabilizer he is using to do it. Buy the best machine you can afford that uses a USB or direct comptuer hook-up. Bernina, Janome and Viking have the best embrodery machines on the market. I have looked at their product and the results extensively and the results tell the story. Very expensive but worth it. Stretch a bit if you can financially and the machine will last longer for you and do what you imagine. This is like opening Pandora's box-- the creations are limited only by your imagination. Happy adventures Marianne

Answer 3

Take your bobbin out and check it and reinstall the bobbin. also clip your top thread near the spool and pull it through from the needle. clean the bobbin area and check for packed lint. oil as instructed in the manual before putting the bobbin back in the machine. be sure to clean under the feed dogs. i put a drop of oil on a q-tip and use it to clean lint out - it acts as a magnet for the lint. and try again other than that you need a Bernina - love mine and wouldn't own anything else!

Answer 4

Making a t shirt quilt. What kind of thread and needle do I use

Answer 5

How long has it been since you replaced the needle? A dull needle can give problems.