Machine Quilting 101-Troubleshooting Broken Threads

55 responses to “Machine Quilting 101-Troubleshooting Broken Threads”

1. I’m back to my daily dose of LORI.
   Life is good 🙂

2. That owl is already a beautiful work of art.

3. But please tell us more about the thread itself. It must be a thicker weight, no sheen, softer thread? It is not available in CT but have started to hear about it. Of course, it is available on line.
   Thank you for posting!

   1. If you can’t find Aurifil, look for Burilana. There are several thread manufacturers now producing heavier wool or cotton blended threads.

      1. Sorry, that’s supposed to say “UNWAXED” dental floss.

4. While I’m in the bobbin area rethreading I take a soft brush and clean out any lint.

   1. When I have had a thread break, I run a length of in-waxed dental floss thru the thread path, to ensure my tension disks are clean.

      1. Sorry, that’s supposed to say UN-WAXED.

   2. Last month our certified Bernina repairman gave a lecture on maintenance. He suggest that a q tip is better than a brush as a brush might push lint INTO the machine.

      I need to move rethread top & bottom to the top of my fix it list – because it does seem to solve issues.

      1. I use a micro chalk applicator to clean….it looks like a q tip but tinier and doesn’t ever shed….

5. I change needles but I never thought I needed to change needle size – will keep that tip in my mind. I do the others and have once or twice, just changed threads – now I will change needle size first.

   1. Heavier threads require a larger hole so the thread doesn’t have to dragged thru the fabric. The larger needle does that. A light-weight fabric usually likes a smaller needle, if the thread is also finer. More drag = more friction & more breakage.

6. Also, it is important to check the free motion foot height. It needs to be low enough that it just glides easily over the quilt top. Too high and thread will break.

   1. Thanks for that tip. I have never had this problem

7. Oh I can’t wait to try this, thank you Lori. I imagine it is too fragile for machine embroidery, but I may try it anyway. I see beautiful things happening!

   1. No, actually that’s where I heard about it -on machine embroidery websites/ their FB pages, using heavier, antique-looking threads, like Aurifil & another brand, Burilana.

      1. Thanks!

8. Great tips, Lori! Thanks for sharing!

9. Love your tips and I’ll have to print this out to have on hand when this happens to me.

10. I used to have an owl outside my window! The tips are good. Just keeping up the maintenance on your machine is something to keep in your mind, too.

11. thank you, thank you, thank you!! this Monday morning-for just letting me know I’m not the only one who goes through this sometimes on repeats of projects, new projects, after sewing for a time and all of a sudden the machine decides it has had enough. Maybe I’m not holding my mouth right-lol. Actually my machines seem to sense when I have to get a project out and decide not to cooperate.

12. I have an owl, but I only get to hear it when I stay up late.
    I am just starting to try FMQ on my domestic machine. Is your book for beginners ?

    1. Thunder, her book is great for beginners. Reading it through helps! Then, pick a design that looks do-able and go for it! Don’t forget, we ALL NEED PRACTICE!

    2. The books are for all levels. There are motifs for beginners and the first two chapters are about techniques that beginners should know from how to set up your machine to how to tie a knot.

    3. I started FMQ by reading Lori’s blog. After a short time, I went back and read every post from when she started–I learned so much, and it was fun! I have the first book (so far) too–nice to be able to lay it open next to my machine.

13. We actually miss our owl outside the window! We had 12 trees removed from our property and the owls nest went with them.
    An idea popped into my head when I read the paragraph that says thread bath, interesting idea LOL.
    Had many problems with thread this past week on a charity quilt I was working on….first thread I used was a beautiful variegated Signature thread, but it kept breaking, so I adjusted tensions, cleaned out bobbin area and tried again, didn’t work, so I changed to another variegated Coats and Clark thread, that didn’t work, then I tried a gorgeous King Tut thread and with little adjustment to tensions it was happy time again. Through all of this I didn’t change my needle! First thing I will try next time and probably save time and frustration!

14. I rethread, check tension, new needle. I also watch to see if the needle is having trouble going thru the thread. I also found the box store threads are not as “helpful” in quilting as the better threads. If I am going to do the work I want it to look good.

15. I sew a lot, pretty much every day so I clean my machine at least every week and sometimes every couple of days. Like everyone else I’m sure, I have a little problem now and then but that’s the exception, not the rule. (Hope I haven’t “jinxed” myself!)
    I expect I’m one of the few people who’s never sewn with Aurifil, I mostly buy ordinary cotton spools from Connecting Threads. I’ve avoided Aurifil due to the cost but I’m going to buy some today. After hearing you and so many others singing it’s praises, I’m curious to see the difference.
    I do go through a lot of needles; I like them sharp so sometimes I change them mid-project. I don’t throw them away immediately though. I save and use them for projects like dog beds, bags, covers/inserts for baskets – things that need less perfection than quilts.
    No owls outside my window but there are gorgeous cardinals that come back every year. They are so beautiful on snowy branches.

16. Love the owl design…and agree that needle can be the solution – just major holes from my big needles on batiks and their dense weave. But washing the quilt helps with that!

17. Ooooohhh cardinals … I’m so jealous. We don’t have them here on the west coast. It’s one thing I miss from my time in the east … possibly the only thing, definitely not the snow. We have two Barred Owls that we hear near dawn in the summer when the windows are open, calling to each through the trees. A lovely but haunting sound.
    Love love love the owl you’re working on, Lori. Will you share when he/she is done? And yet another nugget of Aurifil info to squirrel away. Thanks.

18. Thanks so much for sharing. I have a new thread that is a 3-ply and keeps breaking on me I will use your hints about thread breakage bread wreckage

19. 1’m not sure what you mean by “rethreading” the bobbin thread.

    1. Just take the bobbin out of the case, look around to check for loose thread or lint and putting it back in place.

20. my machine was long overdue for a spa treatment, so recently I took it in – I absolutely could not sew or embroider any longer with metallic or certain other threads. Turns out there was a burr on the hook that the tech fixed. Now life is good! No amount of adjusting, oiling, cleaning thread path, etc. helped.

    1. A burr would explain it!!

21. you haven’t heard from me before but i am getting serious about free motion quilting. i am 83 years old this july. i don’t remember when i started taking you seriously, but i do enjoy the emails i get from you. you are a hoot. keep up the good work and know that if i have a problem in quilting i always find an answer the next time you email me. thanks. patz

    1. Good for you, Patz! I am 80 and still trying to master FMQ. Practice, practice, practice is definitely the best way to go. I am so thankful for gals like Lori who work so hard to help us all. Have a great day!

22. Lovely owl! We have Mourning Doves here in the desert SW with a soft “hoo-hoo” cry – love them!
    I’ve also been drawn to some linen fabric & have 1.25 yd piece to make an embroidered tablerunner for my eldest DIL. I’d like to hemstitch the edges.
    Did you prep yours for shrinkage? I usually steam & rarely pre-wash, but wonder if I should.
    I’ve heard of several thread brands recently coming out w/ heavier cotton/wool blend threads that harken back to the past.

    1. I pre washed the linen.

23. Beautiful owl!! I, too have an owl outside. He hoots like crazy all the time. My next door neighbor sees him, but I cannot.

24. Excellent reminders! Love the owl design

25. I love the owl! I would add one more thing to your list – call the sewing machine rude names and threaten to throw it out of the window (this technique works with misbehaving computers as well!!)

26. Occasionally I see a barn owl across the field when he lands on a telephone pole. My son was taking a walk in the trees where the owl lives mid-morning and got dive-bombed by said owl. Guess he was too close to the mouse hole?? Love your owl! You inspire me to try new ways of quilting and I love it!

27. This is very good info, my problem is invisible thread that keeps breaking. Do you have a favourite brand of this thread and have you encountered this problem. Thank you.
    Larain

    1. I belive you should loosen the tension with invisable thread

       1. Sorry that should be “believe”

28. Thanks for sharing this much needed info. Love the owl and was wondering how to get the pattern drawing. I want to sew it and try out different threads. Mind you I have been afraid to try heavier threads as I don’t know much about changing settings, but I want to learn.

29. I have had problems with thread breakage on my long arm. Checked threading, needle, tension, etc. So, I put a blob of thread magic so the thread would rub through it. Seemed to work.

30. The owl is beautiful Lori, thank you for this great information. We don’t have an owl but some very noisy bats

31. I’ve heard the owls outside too and tonight I actually saw one swoop down from the nearby pine tree to fetch an unsuspecting critter. My dog watched a rapture. Also a timely post on thread breakage… experienced the same thing. I too have a list but nothing seems to work except changing thread brand.

32. A number of years ago at my Mother’s suburban 1950’s 3 bedroom ranch, a group (a “parliament” – I looked it up) of baby owls took refuge on her bedroom windowsill for about a week. Talk about cute, fun, amazing!

    1. Cool!! I would love to see that!

33. When I was a new quilter 7 years ago ( sewer for 55 years before that), I was persuaded by guild members to buy a set of thread online from a company. I had breakages and other problems.. One day I noticed a “bur” IN the thread as it left the spool. After removing spool from the machine and making an inspection along yards of unwound thread, I discovered many such thick places in the thread. I never used that thread again in my machine, saving it for hand sewing. I have tried Aurifil, Sulky and another I forget, and love them ! They help quilting be the joy it should be. Lori, the advice learned here has saved us time, money, tears and maybe even blood! 🙂

    1. Woo hoo! Great to hear from you Marta!!!

       1. Oh, thank you..great to be done with radiation. Now have 6 weeks til a round of whatever they want to try next. LOL.. I tell you what, my quilting has saved my sanity along with the love from God and folks who have prayed. Our son was just here (GA)
          from his home (Nevada) for couple days and wanted to demo how he orders online on his phone. Next thing I knew he had really ordered some Aurifil thread for me. What a blessing.