You are not logged in. Login or create an account
|
Tension Question
Posted: Jan. 30, 2008, 9:16 AM
|
| I seem to continue to have tension issues. Tell me, is your top tension loose enough to pull gently through the needle or do you have to tug it to get it through? It seems like it shouldn't need a tug. Please let me know what you ladies and gentlemen are experiencing. Thanks! |
|
Tension Question
Posted: Jan. 30, 2008, 10:41 AM
|
|
You do have to tug a bit for the needle thread. This is a commercial machine and the tension is different than your home sewing machine. Here is what I do whenever I change thread types or before starting a new project. First I wind two or more bobbins of the thread I am planning to use so I don't have to stop as much. Before I insert the first bobbin I make sure the tension is right for the thread I will be using. Do this by pulling out 6-8 inches of thread and lay the bobbin flat in your hand. If you pull up on the thread tail the bobbin should come up on its side but the thread should not pull out easily. You should have to jerk the thread to have it come out of the bobbin. Then I thread the machine. It does pull pretty hard and after a while you will get used to how this feels. Then I quilt on a test sandwich and adjust the top tension until I get the stitch I want. I seldom do this again on the same quilt. I do this step every quilt even if using the same brand/weight of thread. It is much easier than picking out any stitches. Hope this helps-VGG |
|
Tension Question
Posted: Jan. 30, 2008, 1:25 PM
|
| Thanks, Vicky. I will give this a try. I am so frustrated with this machine that I am ready to sell it. I wish I had never bought it. It seems I am ruining one beautiful quilt top after another. I will let you know how your tips help me out. Thanks. |
|
Tension Question
Posted: Jan. 31, 2008, 1:30 PM
|
| Hang in there. From what I have read all longarms machines have tension problems. It just takes a while to become familiar with the quirks of yours. I'll bet it took me two years of part time quilting on mine before I could remember all of the little things you have to do to make a project look great and avoid having to pick out stitches. I live in NC and do not have a dealer or anyone nearby. I learned all I know by trial and error by watching DVDs. |
|
Tension Question
Posted: Feb. 1, 2008, 5:28 AM
|
| Joan Hogan get some muslin and stop ruining your quilt tops. Are you oiling your bobbin? Change you thread brand.Once you get the tension right it will be worth all the work and you will be a pro. I had a problem with a little piece of thread stuck in the tension disc. Took me a day to figure it out but no problem now. Also check your bobbin area. Get a bright little flash light. It has become a must in my sewing area. |
|
Tension Question
Posted: Feb. 1, 2008, 4:36 PM
|
| Grandmapeg are you saying that once you get your tension set, it doesn't need to be changed with every quilt? Seems tension is a problem for all of us - keep the advice coming. |
|
Tension Question
Posted: Feb. 2, 2008, 7:22 PM
|
| I've only had my machine for a short time but something I've learned is that it is a little different than a domestic machine. We were always taught don't mess with the bobbin tension, only as a last resort. Adjust the top only. But for Long arms I think it is the opposite. Tension problems always seem to be in the bobbin. The bobbin test Vicky mentions it necessary each time you load a new bobbin in. Even if it is the same thread you have been using. Once I started doing this, my stitches improved. I am still practicing on muslin but have learned a lot by doing so. Hope this helps. |
|
Tension Question
Posted: Feb. 3, 2008, 7:46 AM
|
| cmorrow I have found that once my tension is good and I check my bobbin tension every change and I don't change threads I'm good to go. I still check the underside every now and again with my trusty flash light to be sure. You can pretty much tell from the top stitches if there is a problem. I always check if I change threads. It can make a difference even if it's only a color change with the same brand. When in doubt, stitch in the excess backing and batting on the side with a scrap of fabric on top. That's a good idea when oiling your bobbin area, too. |
|
Tension Question
Posted: Feb. 3, 2008, 10:56 PM
|
|
Joan, In September I was posting comments just like yours - I was having serious tension problems and I was regretting buying the machine BIG TIME. But I got it figured out and busy quilting away every weekend. Here is what I learned and a lot of this is posted elsewhere but it is a good reminder: I leave my backing (and batting) a GOOD 6 inches wider on at least one side. I then place on it large scraps from the top and work on getting the tension right on that before I go near the quilt top. I stitch two or three loops and some meandering and then I check the top and bottom. I make adjustments as required. Now, I almost NEVER touch the top tension. I always play with the bobbin tension. Remember that the bobbin tension is way more sensitive to change than the top. Small changes on the bobbin screw will yield big results. It took me every evening for one week to get the magic formula for the tension but once I got it behind me I was way more confident with the machine. Hope this helps in some way. Michelle |
|
Tension Question
Posted: Feb. 5, 2008, 1:50 PM
|
| Thanks for all the suggestions, Ladies. It is frustrating to spend the first 30 minutes of every session getting the machine to "do right". I am going in to my local dealer and spend some time with them since I got my machine over the internet and never got the formal training. Thanks! |
|
Tension Question
Posted: Feb. 6, 2008, 4:56 PM
|
| Thanks grandma peg, and everyone - sure does help. I too will be seeing my local dealer when we move to PA. It will be about a month or so, but ya'll will be hearing from me. Thanks. |
|
Tension Question
Posted: May 31, 2008, 5:45 PM
|
|
These comment were a life saver for me. Thanks everyone. I just got my machine and could not get the tension right. After I read that the top thread needed to be tighten-up, life was good again. Thanks Everyone |
|
Tension Question
Posted: July 31, 2008, 5:05 PM
|
|
OMG = is Michelle Not correct about this. The tensions involved with the HQ 16 are all about the bottom tension, not the top. Totally the opposite of the standard sewing machine. Thank you sooooo much, Michelle. If I had read you input several days back, I would have found my error. Michelle, you need to WORK for HQ16. You've got the answers! Marnie T. |
|
Tension Question
Posted: Aug. 19, 2008, 12:36 PM
|
|
Hi Joan Tension, tension tension....I've had my machine a while now and tension "Was" a head ache...here are a few tips which have helped me along the way (I have no dealer rep either). First, adjust the bottom tension as describes in the video under "education". The top tension is much tighter than the the bobbin. Make sure that the bobbin is clean - no fuzzies or thread or anything else. Your needle size should be at least a 16 or bigger. DIfferent threads require different needles If you stitches are loose on top...the bobbin needs to be adjusted. If you stitches are loose on the bottom...the top tension needs to be adjusted. Also, something that has helped me...if I have cotton in the top I have cotton in the bobbin. If I have poly in the top I have poly in the bobbin. Poly runs much smoother than cotton...but you can get cotton to work very well. (Also - there is such a thing as a bad spool of thread!!!! - The same brand but a different spool can react differently). Also you can test the tinsel strength, simply be breaking the thread. The harder to break the better the thread will run in the machine. Just take your thread and break the thread with your bare hands...do the same with several different threads and you will see the difference. Another thing is the fabric, batting and backing can all cause the tension to have different reactions, so the test is very important. I hope that this helps. I love my machine...when it works...it is spectacular!!! I've found that most of the problems have been my lack of experience with the machine. I also run a test on EVERY quilt...I just run it on top of the batting and it seems to work fine. Eileen Barchi |
|
Tension Question
Posted: Aug. 20, 2008, 5:33 AM
|
|
Eileen Beautiful quilting. Did you use a groovy board, panto, or free hand? Great job. I have been using the Towa bobbin tensioner and it has helped with the frustration level. I am amazed with the lack of problems. Worth every penny. |
|
Tension Question
Posted: Aug. 21, 2008, 6:46 AM
|
|
Dear Grandmapeg I also have the Towa gage. I have not used it for some time now, as it doesn't seem to work as when I first got it. I find that I am really getting a good feel for the bobbin just be using the method that Handiquilter suggests. Tension had been a beast for me as well. All of my quilting is free motion. I've never tried the groovy boards and I have done panto work only once. I just like the free motion better...it suits me. |
|
Tension Question
Posted: Sept. 24, 2008, 2:19 PM
|
|
I too have a question. I am reading past comments on tension and see that most suggest leaving the top tension alone. I bought my machine used and have no idea where the top tension should be. I see a liitle notch on the knob but I don't know where "center" should be to work from that. I don't know how much it has been a djusted or played with. Is there some sort of guidline? Thanks Kathy |
|
Tension Question
Posted: Oct. 1, 2008, 6:00 AM
|
|
Kathy - on your longer armed machines, there is no 'center' such as a DSM. I find if you adjust the bobbin and get it right in your hand, as suggested, then the top may/will have only minor adjustments. But, if you do need to adjust the top, which I do on occassion, then feel free to REALLY turn it. Don't be afraid to start with 1/2 a turn and then go down. I use a very simple method - and NEVER on a quilt top: Adjust bobbin tension in the hand as suggested. Insert. Sew on scrap fabric/batting the same as quilt and check upper thread. If it is not perfect, I loosen the know (righty tighty, lefty loosey) until I get loops. Then I start tightening it down by 1/2 turns until the loops get much smaller. Continue to turn by 1/4 turns until perfect - going down to just small ones if needed. This method gives me awesome tension, very quickly. On longerarmed machines, it is about the bobbin, as stated. Do not be afriad of adjusting tensions. Start with the bobbin and set it good in your hand, then adjust the top if required. Check the bobbin with every new bobbin inserted (this will save you from ripping out stitches!). No matter the brand, tension is a very common issue amongst the mid/longarms. You have to get comfortable adjusting it. There is not a 'set' tension on any of these machines, in either the top or bobbin. It changes with every quilt, although many times not by much. This is normal. Have fun, and ask questions if you have problems. Also, feel free to call the helpline - they will help you very quickly and know all the ins and outs of this machine. That is what they do! And they are very, very good at it :) Debbie in Austin |
Like us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter
See our clips on YouTube