Free motion and tension issue

[susan h.]

So, I have been noticing in my FMQ that my bobbin thread is showing up on the top in the spots where I am changing direction, like if I am doing a flower, and have done the circle for the centre, as I do the petals and come back to the original circle I'm not going fast, but when I switch to the next petal, I have a little bunch of the bobbin thread showing. It's not that bad unless I am using different thread colors between front and back and then it's very noticeable. I've adjusted my upper tension, changed to a different thread, changed needles, changed needle sizes and it still happens. Is there any thing else to try to avoid this?? It happens also when I have stitched in the same place a few times, when I go to stop and reposition my hands, I'm noticing it there as well.

[Margo C.]

Laura, you might need to adjust your bobbin tension. You can read Dr. Bob Purcell's educational topics about thread tension here:

http://www.superiorthreads.com/education/

[Margo C.]

Laura, I know exactly what you mean--I have the same thing happen here and when I adjust the tension then the top thread shows on the back of the quilt. I wonder if it is like Rob Appell was talking about when he was talking about skipped stitches. Maybe it is the same thing? What do you think?

[Terry K.]

What kind of throat plate are you using? Is it a throat plate that you can use a zig zag stitch? Sometimes, using a straight stitch throat plate or single hole throat plate helps with balancing the tension.

[Teri L.]

This may be a speed issue as well. Sometimes what looks like tension issues (as described) are actually the machine & our hands not being in good coordinated speed. Is there any chance that you can post a picture of what's happening?

Teri