MQ tension!

I have just sat down to quilt my first quilt. Invisible thread in the top
and Gutterman in the bottom (polyester, this isn't a heirloom quilt and I
have a broken toe so can't get to the shops!). But, whatever tension
setting I put the machine on (from extremely low to extremely high) the
bottom thread shows through the top! A little cream dot every stitch. And
it looks horrific (although for a first timer, I'm pretty good at the even
stitch thing!). I'm using the Brother free motion foot on a Brother NX-400
machine with dropped feed dogs. I so wanted to quilt this today so I could
bind it tomorrow!

Charlie.

--
Kallistos: Contemporary Jewellery Design
http://www.kallistos.co.uk/sneakpreview.htm
eBay: http://kallistos.notlong.com

Try it with cotton in the bobbin. (Not that I have ever used poly for
quilting, so no experience.)
I usually need to reduce the top tension to about 3 or 4 when using
invisible thread. (6 is "normal") I also get better results with thinner
bobbin thread -there's a variegated silk that's just perfect!
Roberta in D

"Charlie" schrieb im Newsbeitrag
...
I have just sat down to quilt my first quilt. Invisible thread in the top
and Gutterman in the bottom (polyester, this isn't a heirloom quilt and I
have a broken toe so can't get to the shops!). But, whatever tension
setting I put the machine on (from extremely low to extremely high) the
bottom thread shows through the top! A little cream dot every stitch.
And
it looks horrific (although for a first timer, I'm pretty good at the even
stitch thing!). I'm using the Brother free motion foot on a Brother
NX-400
machine with dropped feed dogs. I so wanted to quilt this today so I
could
bind it tomorrow!

Charlie.

--
Kallistos: Contemporary Jewellery Design
http://www.kallistos.co.uk/sneakpreview.htm
eBay: http://kallistos.notlong.com

I use Gutermann all the time, either polyester or cotton, in the
bobbin. I set my machine at 6, when it's normally set at 4. Tighten
it on top a little. Also, recheck your threading. I know this sounds
silly because you may have done this already, but last night I was
getting frustrated at myself because I had the same problem. Then I
realized that the spool of Gutermann poly thread I was using on top,
was running low. (I use the middle size spools of thread; the size in
between the cone and the smaller spool). This made the thread "spin"
more and it came undone from the tension discs. Only when I used a
stronger tension after rethreading the machine did the problem go away.

Charlie,

Oh, boy, do I remember this problem ... and I never really did solve it
to my satisfaction, but I did wrestle it into the level of "acceptable
results.".

Even after I got the tension right, I found that the top still looked
like it had been perforated -- it wasn't that the bottom thread came
through to the top, it was that it looked like little holes had been
punched in the top, and you could see the bobbin thread through it.
Not at all what I wanted!

It took me several hours of experimenting with the speed of free motion
quilting, combined with different tension settings, to get something
right ... and it only happened after I used a very thin needle so the
size of the hole wasn't too big. (I think I ended up with a Schmetz
#9, but don't hold me to that.) And then I run into the problem of
needles breaking every 2-3 inches (OK, that's a bit of an exaggeration)
if I started moving too fast or pulling too hard.

So that's my recommendation: Try using the smallest diameter needle
you can, and try going MUCH more slowly than you'd ever expect to go -
not nearly as fast as you would sewing a straight stitch with the feed
dogs raised. That should also lesson the tension on the bobbin thread.

I still see more evidence of bobbin thread than I would like if I'm
using white bobbin thread under dark fabrics on the top. (I don't want
to see _any_ bobbin thread, so even a trace is too much for me -- oh,
well.)

Good luck. Looking forward to hearing what you come up with!
Karen Johnson

Just for the heck of it, try using invisible thread in the bobbin too. Wind
the bobbin very slowly. So slowly that the SM will think you're in a coma.
Do test it on a sandwich before you venture over to the real quilt.
I'd really rather not use invisible thread on a quilt - but if you're
going to do it, might as well go all the way. Polly

"Karen Johnson" wrote in message
oups.com...
Charlie,

Oh, boy, do I remember this problem ... and I never really did solve it
to my satisfaction, but I did wrestle it into the level of "acceptable
results.".

Even after I got the tension right, I found that the top still looked
like it had been perforated -- it wasn't that the bottom thread came
through to the top, it was that it looked like little holes had been
punched in the top, and you could see the bobbin thread through it.
Not at all what I wanted!

It took me several hours of experimenting with the speed of free motion
quilting, combined with different tension settings, to get something
right ... and it only happened after I used a very thin needle so the
size of the hole wasn't too big. (I think I ended up with a Schmetz
#9, but don't hold me to that.) And then I run into the problem of
needles breaking every 2-3 inches (OK, that's a bit of an exaggeration)
if I started moving too fast or pulling too hard.

So that's my recommendation: Try using the smallest diameter needle
you can, and try going MUCH more slowly than you'd ever expect to go -
not nearly as fast as you would sewing a straight stitch with the feed
dogs raised. That should also lesson the tension on the bobbin thread.

I still see more evidence of bobbin thread than I would like if I'm
using white bobbin thread under dark fabrics on the top. (I don't want
to see _any_ bobbin thread, so even a trace is too much for me -- oh,
well.)

Good luck. Looking forward to hearing what you come up with!
Karen Johnson

In article ,
"Roberta Zollner" wrote:

Try it with cotton in the bobbin. (Not that I have ever used poly for
quilting, so no experience.)
I usually need to reduce the top tension to about 3 or 4 when using
invisible thread. (6 is "normal") I also get better results with thinner
bobbin thread -there's a variegated silk that's just perfect!


I also usually have to reduce the top tension for machine quilting, and
my machine doesn't like poly in the bobbin for some reason. If you can't
loosen the top tension to your satisfaction, try tightening (just a
*little* at a time!) the bobbin tension. HTH.
--
Sandy in Henderson, near Las Vegas
my ISP is earthlink.net -- put sfoster1(at) in front
http://home.earthlink.net/~sfoster1

AKA Dame Sandy, Minister of Education

Oy... that monofilament thread gives me a headache... I was having the
same problem on my first bed-sized quilt - the cream bobbin thread kept
popping up to the top. So, I put monofil in the bobbin... what a
mess!!! It looked as if my cat had taken the whole bobbin case and
chased it around the house for a week! After that, I swore off
monofilament except for sewing patches on jackets and bags and such.
(why is it that friends contribute more to your UFO pile than anyone
else? lol)

"Charlie" wrote in message
...
I have just sat down to quilt my first quilt. Invisible thread in the top
and Gutterman in the bottom (polyester, this isn't a heirloom quilt and I
have a broken toe so can't get to the shops!). But, whatever tension
setting I put the machine on (from extremely low to extremely high) the
bottom thread shows through the top! A little cream dot every stitch.
And
it looks horrific (although for a first timer, I'm pretty good at the even
stitch thing!). I'm using the Brother free motion foot on a Brother
NX-400
machine with dropped feed dogs. I so wanted to quilt this today so I
could
bind it tomorrow!


The absolute best bobbin thread I have found for machine quilting is nylon
lingerie (not invisible) thread that I bought from Nancy's Notions. It has
a little bit of stretch that seems to pull the top thread down just enough.
And although it's white, it melds in with most backing, except for very
dark. I'm planning to see if I can get some black for those. Both the top
and bottom look very good.

Iris

Okay,
Having read all the other responses, here is my take on the problem.
1. If the bobbin thread is showing on the top, the top tension is too
tight and/or the bobbin tension is too loose.
So, loosen the top tension, and skip the last thread guide above
the needle.
2. Change to a smaller needle to make the holes smaller, which helps
keep the bobbin thread (which is larger diameter than the top) where it
belongs.
3. If still needed, tighten the bobbin tension very, very slightly.
4. You are using one of the very fine invisible threads, aren't you?
Preferences are for SewArt, YLI or Sulky brands if possible. These are
very fine and soft threads, not at all stiff. IF you are using a stiff
invisible, it will almost always pull the bobbin thread up, regardless
of what you do.

I use the SewArt a lot and don't have the problem with it when I loosen
my top tension. Love it in fact. (It is also a matte finish, so doesn't
have the reflection that the others have.)

Pati, in Phx

Charlie wrote:

I have just sat down to quilt my first quilt. Invisible thread in the top
and Gutterman in the bottom (polyester, this isn't a heirloom quilt and I
have a broken toe so can't get to the shops!). But, whatever tension
setting I put the machine on (from extremely low to extremely high) the
bottom thread shows through the top! A little cream dot every stitch. And
it looks horrific (although for a first timer, I'm pretty good at the even
stitch thing!). I'm using the Brother free motion foot on a Brother NX-400
machine with dropped feed dogs. I so wanted to quilt this today so I could
bind it tomorrow!

Charlie.

On Mon, 24 Jan 2005 11:49:46 -0000, "Charlie"
wrote:

I have just sat down to quilt my first quilt. Invisible thread in the top
and Gutterman in the bottom (polyester, this isn't a heirloom quilt and I
have a broken toe so can't get to the shops!). But, whatever tension
setting I put the machine on (from extremely low to extremely high) the
bottom thread shows through the top! A little cream dot every stitch. And
it looks horrific (although for a first timer, I'm pretty good at the even
stitch thing!). I'm using the Brother free motion foot on a Brother NX-400
machine with dropped feed dogs. I so wanted to quilt this today so I could
bind it tomorrow!

Charlie.

Charlie,

I have often had to give up and get out the Pigma Pen to color at
least some of the bobbin dots that decided to show themselves.
You can hide a lot!!

Anna Belle