World Wide Quilting Page
Question of the Week
Question for the week of April 6, 1998:
Our question this week comes from J Lonczak
I have a good sewing machine, I have used the embroidery and metallic needles,and I have played with the upper tension dials, but the silky and metallic threads continue to break on me whether I am straight stitching or stipple quilting. Help!
CHERYL LABATTE :
I HAVE HAD THE SAME THING HAPPEN TO ME. I FOUND THAT USING A SOFTER BOBBIN THREAD LIKE TRUSEAU REALLY HELPED.
G. Herstein :
I have had a similar thing happen to me.
I found it had something to do with my
bobbin. Put a scrap piece of fabric in
your machine and sew with regular tension.
The adjust accordingly.
Margie :
Have you tried putting your metallic thread in a baby food jar so it can release thread at its own speed? The wrong needle will also break metallics. You need a special metallic needle which has a large groove down the side to feed the thread.
Barbara M. Toner :
Everything you have mentioned is the right thing to do. Now: you should have a good cotton thread in your bobbin, treat your metallic (or other) with Sewer's Aid (however, not if your machine is computerized), set your stitch length at a minimum of 3 and GO SLOW. Enjoy.
corinne :
s-l-o-w d-o-w-n and use a needle that will give you a larger hole, like jeans needle or size 16. Using a lighter thread in the bobbin may help. I use schmetz needles, lower the feed dogs, and haven't had problems using specialty threads.
leonna :
I have found that all sewing machines willperform differenty with different threads. Try using a top stitching needle when using specialty threads. Top stitching needles have a deeper scarf and groove, I use them exclusivly when using specialty threads including rayons . Good luck.
Yolanda Carmona :
All of the suggestions are good ones; however, each machine has a temperment! Try using an embroidery sewing machine needle and test on similiar conditions as the finished project. Change the needle often.
PatPiecer :
I agree with you!!!I have the same trouble.
Loraine :
I had exactly the same problem, but with regular thread. I wanted to free-motion quilt a baby quilt, using both outline quilting and straight line quilting and I went nuts with thread breakage! I started out with a Schmetz quilting needle, but it seemed to make matters worse! So finally, I used a regular size 16 needle, Sewer's Aid on the thread, loosened both top and bobbin tension so there was less pull, and most important I SLOWED DOWN! This was especially crucial when I was sewing backwards (up) or to my left. It seemed at those times the thread would cross under the needle and would get pierced by the needle and break. When I slowed down a bit, this didn't happen resulting in fewer breaks. Also, check to make sure that your thread is not getting caught on the quilt batting as you turn and shift it behind the machine. I hope this is helpful to you. PS: The quilt turned out very nicely - I quilted little airplanes in the border!
butterfly :
Two quick solutions: Cut a piece of felt the size of your thread spoool and put it onto the spindle UNDER the thread spool...the extra rension helps the thread release smoother ( have been doing this for 20+ years on all my machines and 2: use a metallic needle. going slower does help (this is one time the variable speed on the sewing machine comes in handy--mine sews at 2 speeds and it's over 10 years old...check your machine handbook to see if your has this feature. Hope this helps
mary gillette :
i have no answer but i have the same problem and hope someone has the answer.
Debra :
Try a product called Sewer's Aide, it is a silicone liquid that you apply onto the spool of thread every so often as you sew. It really helps to keep the thread from breaking and it doesn't leave a stain on your fabric.
Nancine :
Have you tried a stabilizer on the back (the tear-away kind)? I have also heard that using a jean needle also helps.
Kayce :
Two things I can think of: 1) Check your throat plate and bobbin case - a burr on either can cause fraying; 2) Slow down some since the metallics etc are more fragile, faster sewing speeds put more stress on the thread. Other thoughts are to clean the bobbin race (little thread snippets could be causing problems) and be sure the bobbin thread is the same size or slightly smaller than the top thread and is a good cotton wound polyester. I have found the 100% cotton or polyester threads don't work as well. If you don't have a computerized machine, you could try a few drops of a silicon sewing aid liquid on the top spool. There are several on the market. Good luck and keep trying - the decorative threads look great on everything!
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