needle breaking

I had an unusual thing happen twice yesterday - while free motion
quilting, the needle broke twice when the bobbin thread ran out. I am
using a cone in a jar under the machine, and I taped a safety pin to the
side of the machine... any suggestions?
--
Dr. Quilter
http://community.webshots.com/user/mvignali
(take the dog out for a walk)

wear glasses to protect your eyes?
Gosh, I'm not sure just what is going on. That is
kind of weird. I hope someone can explain what is
going on.
TAria

DrQuilter wrote:

I had an unusual thing happen twice yesterday - while free motion
quilting, the needle broke twice when the bobbin thread ran out. I am
using a cone in a jar under the machine, and I taped a safety pin to the
side of the machine... any suggestions?

Are they your usual quality needles? The one and only time I have
*ever* had a needle bust on me was when I used a JoAnn's needle from a
set I picked up just to do play around projects with.....

HTH,
Tricia

DrQuilter wrote:
I had an unusual thing happen twice yesterday - while free motion
quilting, the needle broke twice when the bobbin thread ran out. I am
using a cone in a jar under the machine, and I taped a safety pin to the
side of the machine... any suggestions?
--
Dr. Quilter
http://community.webshots.com/user/mvignali
(take the dog out for a walk)

M: Cause of needle breaking while FM
quilting is usually the operator
shifting or tugging a bit on the fabric.
When the bobbin was empty, it
'released' the fabric and causes a wee
shift. Clear as mud? The empty bobbin
indicators are fantastic. If you have
that option, be sure it is engaged.
PAT

DrQuilter wrote:

I had an unusual thing happen twice yesterday - while free motion
quilting, the needle broke twice when the bobbin thread ran out. I am
using a cone in a jar under the machine, and I taped a safety pin to the
side of the machine... any suggestions?

Taria, what are we going to do with you? LOL. (Actually, when I'm testing
a territory with a new SM foot or stitch, I automatically put on my safety
glasses. I am particularly wary of the feet that have a center blade sort
of thing on them and stitches that I suspect could wander wider than the
needle could in perfect comfort.) Polly

"Taria" wrote, in part wear glasses to protect your eyes?

I had that problem when I first got my Janome 6600, which I
(mistakenly) expected to be as rugged as, say, a cheap Singer from
Walmart. Boy was I disappointed, but that's another story.

I was using the large spools of crosswound thread, but apparently the
expensive widdle baby couldn't handle them, because the thread kept
breaking, the needle would seize, and on at least two occasions the tip
of the needle broke off and ZINGED off in some direction or other.

What I found was that I had to use spools that were wound the
old-fashioned way, even though the machine was "supposed" to be able to
handle the crosswound thread. Since I've switched back, I've had no
problems.

I agree with whoever mentioned that when the bobbin ran out the fabric
had a bit more "move" to it and you probably moved a little
faster/farther than you had planned, and caught the needle in at the
same time.
I love the low bobbin indicator because it will warn me when this might
happen. G

As to using the cross wound thread.... should not make a difference.
But, if you are planning to use much of it.... Invest in a good quality
cone thread holder. (Not one of the cheapie plastic ones you can buy at
Jo-Anns, please.) It is well worth the investment and you will end up
using it for most things. That and a horizontal spool adapter will help
with most thread problems, even with metallic and lamé threads. Promise.
I got a heavy metal cone thread holder from my Viking SM shop for about
$11, which is not a bad price.
Cross wound thread works best coming off the top of the spool,I have
read. But metallic, and some other speciality cross wound threads work
best coming off the spool the way they are wound on..... so they stay un
twisted as they come off. (That is why the horizontal adapter for these
threads on a cone stand.) The extra height above the top of the machine
gives the thread time and space to relax and release static so it sews
more smoothly.
The jar/safety pin doesn't do quite the same thing, and the cone may
wobble around in the jar, bump against the side and interrupt the even
flow of the thread. Even a minor interruption in the flow can cause
problems with tension and so on.

Hope this helps.

Pati, in Phx

DrQuilter wrote:

I had an unusual thing happen twice yesterday - while free motion
quilting, the needle broke twice when the bobbin thread ran out. I am
using a cone in a jar under the machine, and I taped a safety pin to the
side of the machine... any suggestions?

Excellent explanation, Pati. Well done. Thank you. Polly

You are very welcome. Glad I could be of help.

Pati, in Phx

polly esther wrote:

Excellent explanation, Pati. Well done. Thank you. Polly