trouble with tension (embroidery)

[Betty J.]

I am relatively new to embroidery with my Bernina 440QEE. I began following the instruction manual and had success with creating the embroidery, but there was white thread showing through on the edges and sometimes in the middle of the design. Didn't embroider for some months and wanted to do a design on a denim skirt. I had great success with the denim skirt project and very little white coming through. So I graduated to another design on cotton quilting fabric. I tried both a medium tear away and a water soluble on the same fabric. Terrible results. I have followed the manuals to the letter. I have adjusted the tension all over the place and still no success. I am using the recommended 60wt bobbin thread and threaded the finger of the bobbin cage as shown. Can anyone suggest something I might try, or possibly what I might be doing wrong?? I so want to do more projects but this is frustrating me since I have tried the design half a dozen times.
:x

[Teri L.]

couple things you can try, lower the tension and use several sheets of stabilizer or a combination of iron-on and tearaway. With what embroidery I have done I know the more layers of stabilizer I use the better my results.
It's also possible that the tension on the machine is off. I would suggest taking the machine into the dealer with something that you're working on and sit there with the repair guy and see what's up. It may need a simple adjustment or they may be able to give you other suggestions.

Teri

[Teri L.]

3 questions that come to mind is...

what size & type of thread are you using in the top and what size needle are you using?

If the needle you are using does not pierce the fabric with a large enough hole to accomadate the top thread, the bobbin thread will continue to come to the top every time. 80/12 is the size I use most but depending on the thread or fabric, I may even move up to a 90/14.

Also, most embroidery threads are 40 wt and I have found with my machine that I have to loosen the top tension to atleast a 3.0 and sometimes all the way to 2.0 depending on the fabric and the thread. It usually doesn't take long for me to notice when I miss this step.

Stablizer is to keep the fabric stablized from puckering and should not have anything to do with your bobbin thread coming thru the top.

Hope this helps, Linda

[Sherry B.]

Okay, this might seem like a really stupid comment, but did you remember to thread your bobbin thread through the little eye on the bobbin holder (or it may be a spring, depending on what type of bobbin holder you have). Recently I was having all kinds of problems with my 730 until I realized that I hadn't threaded the bobbin thread through the spring properly.