Thread wads up under the material

Hello - Does anyone know what causes thread to pile up under the
material and clog the workings beneath the machine? - Mike

Michael Horowitz wrote:
Hello - Does anyone know what causes thread to pile up under the
material and clog the workings beneath the machine? - Mike

Not enough tension on the needle thread. Most usually caused by not dropping
the presser foot before you start to sew. Can also be caused by having
turned the needle thread tension gauge down low, or by the tension disks
being clogged. In the latter case, raise the presser foot to release the
tension disks and "floss" between them gently with a piece of soft fabric.

--
Sally Holmes
Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England

could be tension issues--but most basic--check to be sure that your needle
is put in in the right direction! otherwise, could be either bobbin
tension, or upper tension...

Michael Horowitz wrote in message
...

Hello - Does anyone know what causes thread to pile up under the
material and clog the workings beneath the machine? - Mike

Michael Horowitz wrote:

Hello - Does anyone know what causes thread to pile up under the
material and clog the workings beneath the machine? - Mike


Ooo! Poor Michael! You *are* in the wars! I hate when this happens because a
number of things can cause it and none of them need be immediately apparent!

In my case, the reason this happened was that I was using the antichrist (a
Singer machine made about twelve years ago that never could have its tension
adjusted to produce a decent straight stitch). Assuming you don't, check the
following:

Is your needle new, sharp and firmly housed in the machine? Is it bent? (See
reply to your other post).

Figure out whether the loopy thread is originating from the needle or the
bobbin. Do this by gently pulling on one of the loops closest to the needle. If
you can see the thread pulling up past the needle, then it's the needle thread
that's offending. Check the upper thread tension (there'll be a dial somewhere
with numbers 0 through six or seven - set it to somewhere between 2 and 4 for
most sewing). You need to adjust the tension depending on the weight of the
fabric you have, so fiddle around on a doodle cloth to see what's best.

If the loopy thread is originating from the bobbin, then you have a problem with
winding, threading or tensioning the bobbin. It's usually possible to adjust the
bobbin tension by turning a particular screw in the bobbin assembly, but this is
not an adjustment I'd recommend for novices, since it's very rarely necessary.
If your machine has had its bobbin tension altered so much that it's doing
unspeakable things at the bottom of your fabric, you'd probably do best to see a
repair man. Or, maybe, see if you can get some lessons at some point?

Is the machine threaded absolutely correctly? (This can be critical to proper
tension) - refer to manual for this.

Is the thread correctly seated in the tension discs? (Somewhere in the thread's
path, there'll be a place where you pull the thread between paired discs and
over a spring-loaded jobbie that determines how tightly it's allowed to travel).
'Floss' (as you do your teeth) the thread deeply between these discs to ensure
it's properly seated and to clear out any possible debris that's blocking the
thread's path.

Is the bobbin assembly dirty and clogged with phluff or thread waste? If so, use
a stiff paintbrush to whisk it clean and blow hard into it to dislodge yucky
stuff. Check that you've wound the bobbin correctly and threaded the thread
correctly through the lower assembly (there's usually an opportunity to pass the
thread between a couple of cryptic little slits - these govern its tension and
would be an obvious cause for the problem you're having if they haven't been
threaded properly. Again - see manual!)

HTH,
--
Trish {|:-}
Newcastle, NSW, Australia

On Sun, 19 Oct 2003 17:09:27 -0400, Michael Horowitz wrote:

Hello - Does anyone know what causes thread to pile up under the
material and clog the workings beneath the machine? - Mike

Almost always, when thread you get thread nests under the fabric, you've
got a top thread problem. My guess is that either you've got something
stuck in the top tension mechanism (a bit of thread, a wad of lint, etc.)
or you've got crummy thread (run some through your fingers and look at it
closely -- if there are thick and thin spots, it's not good thread), or
you're not getting the thread into the top tension properly, or the tension
is mis-set.

Still another cause of thread nests is improper starts. Take the top and
bobbin threads as they emerge in the needle area and reel off a few inches
of thread. Pull the thread ends (together) behind the foot area, and hold
them together. Put the fabric under the presser foot, and still holding the
thread ends, lower the presser foot and then turn the handwheel in the correct
direction to lower the needle into the fabric. Now you can let go of the
threads and just sew.

More help: http://www.sewandserge.com/tshoot.asp

Don't forget to use good quality thread (see above) and new needles
of the correct size and style for your project. Dull needles or needles the
wrong size can cause all sorts of sewing headaches. So can crummy thread.

Kay Lancaster

Michael Horowitz wrote:

Hello - Does anyone know what causes thread to pile up under the
material and clog the workings beneath the machine? - Mike

Top tension not working properly. Check that the thread is properly
seated between the tension disks. If this doesn't help, clean between
the disks - 'floss' with a thick smooth thread like perl cotton, and
rethread, checking that the thread is in properly and the presser foot
is DOWN!
--
Kate XXXXXX
Lady Catherine, Wardrobe Mistress of the Chocolate Buttons
http://www.diceyhome.free-online.co.uk
Click on Kate's Pages and explore!

Could it be that the bobbin is thread the wrong way around? Just a thought.

--
Sugar & Spice Quilts by Linda E
http://community.webshots.com/user/frame242

And check that the machine is threaded properly - in particular that the thread
is over the take up lever!
Roger.

Kate Dicey wrote:
Michael Horowitz wrote:

Hello - Does anyone know what causes thread to pile up under the
material and clog the workings beneath the machine? - Mike


Top tension not working properly. Check that the thread is properly
seated between the tension disks. If this doesn't help, clean between
the disks - 'floss' with a thick smooth thread like perl cotton, and
rethread, checking that the thread is in properly and the presser foot
is DOWN!


--
Yarn Forward
Your On Line Yarn Store
http://www.yarnforward.com