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Not picking up bottom thread
Posted: June 16, 2008, 9:36 PM
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Hi I am new here and hoping for some advise. I purchased a HQ 16 last fall and have never been happy with the tension. I live in a rural area and the closest dealer is 500 miles away (this is where I purchased my machine) I have managed with the telephone help of the dealer to get the tension OK. Now my machine will not pick up the bottom thread. I have tried changing the bobbin - cleaning and blowing out the entire bobbin area, completely re-threading machine, turned off and on multiple times including unplugging machine. The machine itself seems to be fine mechanically - it does the needle action just no actual sewing going on. Of course it had to quit when I am halfway through the last pass on a very nice quilt. Does anyone have any suggestions? |
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Not picking up bottom thread
Posted: June 17, 2008, 5:16 AM
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| Did you change your needle? Beyond that try calling customer service at Handi Quilter. Maybe it's a simple fix. |
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Not picking up bottom thread
Posted: June 17, 2008, 6:59 AM
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| Thank you for that suggestion. I actually did try changing the needle but I think I will try and change it one more time and see if it has any effect as it was just after I changed the needle that it stopped picking up the bottom thread. |
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Not picking up bottom thread
Posted: June 17, 2008, 7:10 AM
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| Are you leaving a long enough tail thread from the bobbin? Also, is the bobbin thread completely under the tension spring on the bobbin case? I usually leave about a 12 inch tail of thread out of the bobbin. You might try turning your needle just a HAIR to the right. I have found this will usually correct any tension problems, thread breakage, and stitch problems. Hope this helps and keep us posted on how you come out. |
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Not picking up bottom thread
Posted: June 17, 2008, 12:43 PM
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| Is your needle in the right position? Have you oiled your bobbin? Make sure you try Handi Quilter customer service. They've heard all the problems and usually have a solution. By the way, crashnquilt, is it a hair to the right as you face the machine from the front? I'll try this next time I want to tear out my hair over tension. |
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Not picking up bottom thread
Posted: June 17, 2008, 3:31 PM
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Ruth, I had the same problem this weekend. It didn't pick up the bobbin thread for a whole panel on the pantograph(sp) but sometime during my pass it started picking it up. All of which I wasn't aware until I was halfway down a king size quilt. I changed my needle. I re-threaded the machine and re-checked my bobbin to make sure it was in OK. Now it is fine. I don't know what step corrected the problem but it is now working properly. I do have a question for those with some tension experience. My tension is overall good but I did notice every once in a while on the back which would be my bobbin, the stitches are a little off. I have a few pokies. It looks like it happens occasionally on a curve. I'm doing a large stipple design. Do you think I'm going to fast in the curves? Thanks for the help, and I apologize if my terms are not correct. I'm a novice! |
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Not picking up bottom thread
Posted: June 17, 2008, 7:27 PM
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Thank you guys so much - I just got home from work so will be taking a deep breath and entering the quilting den shortly. I will try a new needle and oiling the bobbin case. I am a new quilter (just took my first class last September) and I just love it but am somewhat technically challenged particularly when it comes to machines. I'll let you know how it works out for me. I live in Northern British Columbia Canada and just found this discussion forum so am sure that I will have lots of questions for you experts. I have managed to get about 6 or 7 quilts quilted so far and have another 3 tops ready to go. I have only used the groovy boards for my projects as I have no experience using free hand and am afraid it would end up looking like I ran over the quilt with a lawnmower. |
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Not picking up bottom thread
Posted: June 17, 2008, 7:41 PM
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grandmapeg yes to your right at you are facing the machine. But make it JUST A HAIR, basically you want it just off center to the right. I find this also stops thread breakage. Ruth if your tension is okay on the straights but pokies on the curves then you are speeding up as you go along the curves. I think everyone has this problem. Just like driving a car, you do have to slow down on the curves and corners. |
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Not picking up bottom thread
Posted: June 18, 2008, 7:08 PM
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OK so I tried a new needle - oiling - played with the tension a little on the bottom bobbin - still no go. I am ready to pull my hair out. I think I am going to have to take this machine back to the dealer which is a pain particularly since I will have to go back down to pick it up. If anyone else has any suggestion please let me know. |
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Not picking up bottom thread
Posted: June 18, 2008, 9:16 PM
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If you've checked the bobbin case for lint and loose threads, maybe the tension plate on the bobbin case has dislocated. The tension plate is the "curved" piece that has the adjusting screws in it. It has a little hook that you draw the thread through when you're checking your tension. Besides the little hook part that is in the hole, there is a little piece that is in an oval slot (kind of to the side of the hinged piece) Check to make sure that the little piece is in the oval slot. Sometimes an accumulation of lint pushes the tension plate out of the little oval slot. Also, jerking or pulling of the thread can cause the tension plate to slip out of that oval slot. These machines are wonderful, but sometimes they can be so frustrating! Hope you get your problem solved so that you can get some quilting accomplished! |
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Not picking up bottom thread
Posted: June 20, 2008, 6:41 AM
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| Are you sure your needle is as far up into the shaft as it will go? Also be sure your bobbin is inserted into the case correctly. Don't hold it by the little flipper thing and make sure you hear a solid click when you insert it. |
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Not picking up bottom thread
Posted: June 20, 2008, 8:25 PM
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Checked needle again to make sure it is in all the way - bobbin case is in properly, I never use the little flipper thing to insert, but I am going to pull it out and see if I can see what Cindi is referring to. Thank you guys so much for all your help - I sure do appreciate it. |
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Not picking up bottom thread
Posted: July 12, 2008, 1:17 PM
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| I am considering buying the HQ Sixteen but you have me very worried because the reason I am changing systems is because of skipped stitches due to the bobbin thread not being picked up. Have you resolved the problem? |
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Not picking up bottom thread
Posted: July 13, 2008, 7:26 AM
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This is for Peggygolfer, Everyone has trouble with tension from time to time. Sometimes it's new thread, a piece of thread in the tension disc(my personal hair pulling event), bobbin not fully engaged(no click on insertion) etc. It just takes a little time to fix it and a bit of testing on the edge of your backing or on some muslin. I always keep a sandwich of muslin and batting ready to test tension. I make it just big enough to pin to the the poles and test away. Also, the Forum is mostly about difficulties and not so much about joy it is to use when the HQ16 is working beautifully. |
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Not picking up bottom thread
Posted: July 16, 2008, 7:09 AM
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Well nothing $100 and a 1000 mile round trip couldn't fix. The tech said it was the timing that was broken and they had to fix it. Nothing I could fix myself. Fortunately I was going to Edmonton for a cutting horse competition so could take my machine with me and they were very good at getting me in and fixing the machine in a day so I didn't have to have it shipped back to me. Will get it set up this weekend and give it a test drive. |
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Not picking up bottom thread
Posted: July 16, 2008, 7:27 AM
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Glad your problem is fixed. We now have another "solution" to pass on to another quilter in distress. Happy Quilting! PS Do you compete or were you just going to watch the cutting horse competition? |
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Not picking up bottom thread
Posted: July 20, 2008, 7:12 AM
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| I'm also new, and just changed my thread from white to a verigated, and not getting the tension right. I have what I guess they call "pokies" - the bobbin thread is showing way too much on the quilt top. Which tension needs to be adjusted? Is it the bobbin thread is too loose? I've adjusted the top, and while I see some improvement, it's still not even. I wish I could find a visual guide to say - if your stitches look like "this", then adjust "this". Any useful FREE websites out there to guide a newbie? Thanks in advance for any guidance. I'm finally getting over my "what the hell was I thinking" frame of mind, and getting a bit more comfortable with my machine, but now the tension thing with a color change - so back to the drawing board! |
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Not picking up bottom thread
Posted: July 20, 2008, 8:41 AM
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| Have you checked your bobbin tension by laying the bobbin in the palm you your hand, grabbing the thread, and the bobbin and the case should just stand up in your palm and thread should come out of the bobbin? If that's OK start working on the top tension. The upper tension isn't as sensitive as the bobbin so you have to move is more to see results. Check your instructions and good luck. |
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Not picking up bottom thread
Posted: July 20, 2008, 12:16 PM
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threecatma, Ihad the same problem with going from verigated to white thread. I had to make major adjustments on the bobbin tension. I also had lint in my top tension disks. Try cleaning those and working on the bobbin. 99% of my adjustments are in my bobbin. Hope this helps. |
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Not picking up bottom thread
Posted: July 20, 2008, 1:02 PM
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| Threecatma....like you, sometimes it helps me to have a visual. Have you tried the Superior Threads website? They have a pretty extensive education section that gives excelle nt information about the different threads and their characteristics. While some of the information is for your domestic machine, there is some great information for use on longarms (or in our case, HQ's!). Try the question/answer about tension tug of war. There is a drawing that offers information about what happens between the bobbin and the top tension. Maybe the little diagrams will help you! |
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