Issues quilting with an Embroidery Machine

[Shirley S.]

I am a new Embroidery machine owner and I am a little concerned. I bought the machine specifically to do quilting but all the designs I have tried look bad on the back. When I asked the sales tech they said that is the way it was supposed to look. The back is such that if I were to cut the bobbin thread, I could pull it out almost entirely with no resistance. I am using a continuous line motif. My first question is, was the sales person correct? Is the bobbin thread supposed to be that tight? (She did say that if the quilting design was digitized well enough it wouldn't look like that, but even the ones she suggested stitched like that).

Just to clarify this is on cotton fabric adhered to heavy cut away stabilizer (just a test) using 40 weight on top, 60 weight oesd? bobbin thread, size 80 embroidery needle, on a bernina 830, using a single line quilting design that came with the machine. The top looks fantastic but the back is .... words fail me - it's not messy, it just looks like there is a tension error (but the machine has been in several times and even sent back to the factory for tension issues, they swear that is the way it is supposed to look).

[Kathryn S.]

Serin, I'm not sure if i can help, but let me ask, are these designs specifically meant for quilting? Because if they are, should you test them with a quilt sandwich instead of one layer of fabric plus stabilizer? I used an embroidery unit on my old sewing machine, and I know that tension setting was really important. And tension adjustments vary a lot by what you're sewing on. Not having the latest equipment, I'm not really up to speed on what they are capable of, but can you either try using a quilt sandwich, or adjusting the bobbin tension? It does sound like the bobbin tension is too tight for what you are sewing on. Hope you can get this sorted out, it's so frustrating, isnt' it?
Kathy

[Betty J.]

Serin, Something is not right. I have an 830 and the quilting looks magnificent on both sides. I love it. I have even used the quilting designs that came with the machine to make several small presents and the quilting looks wonderful.

It sounds like a tension adjustment issue. First try adjusting the tension on the top. If that doesn't work Here are some things to try for the bobbin: make certain your bobbin is properly loaded for embroidery. Then, if it is too loose, tighten the bobbin one click tighter or if it is too tight one click looser and try again. There are five clicks of tension in the bobbin on the 830 and it's easy to put back to the factory setting. I find that I have to adjust the tension for nearly every project. A lot influences the tension all the way from the density of the fabrics and batting, to the needle type and size, to the wind of the thread. Also, be sure to use the straight stitch plate on the bottom.

Another thing, there is a little part that allows you to run your upper thread through a lubrication that sometimes helps with using some threads that came with some lubricant. Look around for it and try using that.

Here's hoping you can get it to work right for you. It's wonderful when it does and soooo frustrating when it doesn't.

Renata, are you there? Can you make any more suggestions?

[Renata L.]

BJ (Sewdreamy) has pretty much covered it all, and most important is to ensure that you thread your bobbin for embroidery. Threading the bobbin for regular sewing while using the embroidery module sometimes accounts for the mess on the back. Every once in a while, I have found that the 60 wt thread gave me the same effect you have had on your embroidery... try switching your bobbin thread to the same thread you are using in the top and see if that makes a difference. I found that the 60 wt thread (I mostly use Bottom Line by Superior because of its lint-free properties) works best in dense embroideries and occasionally does not work well in the simpler ones (the line quilting you are referring to). For example, Isacord thread in top and bottom are very compatible. On an aside note, I would advise against using any embroideries in a quilt sandwich that use a dense satin stitch (that is,with underlays). Satin stitch and quilt sandwich together are more often a mess than not in the 830. Ask me how I know... When I've taken the design into the V6 software and changed the satin stitch to a simpler stitch or taken out some of the underlay, the design would work just fine on the quilt sandwich. Finally, always do a test on exactly what you will ultimately be working on. If you will be embroidering on a quilt sandwich, then test on a sample quilt sandwich, not on fabric with stabilizer.

On a different note, if you ever end up with tension problems that you cannot figure out on the sewing side of your machine, you can do a test of your tension). This is how you do it on the sewing side of your machine:
1. Rethread the bobbin for regular sewing
2. Select stitch #2 for zig zag (make sure you have your 9 mm throat plate in place)
3. Adjust stitch width to 6 and stitch length to .4 (save these settings to your personal program for future reference)
4. Stitch out this zigzag stitch for a few inches on the fabric of your choice with a stabilizer behind it to do a tension check. Change the tension as needed to get a perfectly flat satin stitch (no fabric bunching up under the stitches) with good tension on both side of the fabric. Whatever tension you end up with will be a good starting point for whatever else you do with that particular fabric and thread. I have never done it with a quilt sandwich so I am not sure what the effect would be.

Hope this helps. I would love to know whether any of what BJ or I offered you helps so we can keep the advice in our toolboxes.
Cheers,
Renata