What Does Balanced Quilting Tension Look Like?

April 21, 2021
Today’s Topic: What Does Balanced Quilting Tension Look Like?Welcome to Week 6  of our 2021 Quilt-a-Long,  Even Better Machine QuiltingThis FREE multi-week tutorial is based on my books available in my Etsy shop:  LoriKennedyShop

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Balanced Tension
Good Afternoon, Quilters!

One of the most important  things you can develop as a free motion quilter is your eye  for a good looking stitch.  The most important aspect of the quilting stitch is the tension.

A perfectly formed  feather or row of circles will look awful if the tension is too tight or too loose.

On the other hand, a well balanced stitch makes slightly ill-formed circles look beeyutiful!

Pay attention to the look of each stitch as you sew and observe other quilts to develop your sense for what is good and not-so-good tension.

Less than perfect tension–lower half of football
What is Balanced Tension for Quilting?

Modern sewing machines create a lockstitch (see this excellent video)

The lockstitch is created by a bobbin thread looping around the top thread.

Tension is considered balanced when the top thread and the bobbin thread interlock and are hidden between the top and bottom fabrics within the batting layer.

The top thread is not visible on the back of the quilt and the bobbin thread does not peak through on the top of the quilt.

In addition, neither the top  or the bobbin threads are very tight or very loose. (This is somewhat subjective.)

 

Top Tension too High

If the top tension is too high, the bobbin thread is visible on top of the quilt.

Lower the top tension.

 

Top Tension Too Low

If the top tension is too low, the top thread is visible on the back of the quilt.

Increase the top tension.

Balanced But Too Tight

Another common quilting problem occurs when the top and bobbin threads are balanced and the loop is in the middle of the batting, but the quilting looks tight.

Often lowering the top tension is enough to remedy this problem.

Adjust the  Top Tension

On most modern sewing machines, we can balance the quilting stitch by adjusting only the top thread tension.  Manufacturers make this very easy  with a  knob  or an  electronic tension adjustment.  In most of these machines,  the top tension adjustment is well calibrated and you  can lower  the top tension to  nearly zero if  necessary for a specialty thread.

Always try to make tension adjustments  with your  top thread  tensioner.   It’s  easier all around.

Balanced tension
Adjusting the Bobbin Tension–Only if Necessary

Some sewing  machines have a finger projection on  the bobbin  case.  This increases bobbin tension.

Many manufacturers (like BERNINA)  have bobbin cases designed  to increase bobbin tension for quilting  and embroidery.  Check   that out for your sewing machine.

If you must  adjust your bobbin case with the screw adjustment, be sure to  carefully mark  the original setting with a permanent marker.

Good tension
Flower Tutorials

Try the Fantasy Flower or Daffodils HERE

  • Tomorrow:

    The Balanced Tension Test

  • What about YOU?
  • Are YOU observant of the  quality of the quilting stitch?
  • Do YOU ever make tension adjustments when you quilt?
  • Does your sewing machine give you a  tension headache?
  • We’d LOVE to hear!

Your Tension Free Quilter

(At least my machine  isn’t causing me tension….)

Loopy Lori (Lounging Listlessly)  after  my  second Covid vaccine made me  Lazy

 

 

 

PS…All tutorials, images and information are the property of Lori Kennedy Quilts and are intended for personal use only.  Feel free to re-blog, pin or share with attribution to LKQ.  For all other purposes, please contact me at Lori@LoriKennedyQuilts.com.  Thank you!

Visit my Etsy shop: LoriKennedyShop for all of my books!  They are ALL bestsellers!

 

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11 comments

  • patricia

    Merci Lori pour tous ces excellents conseils. J’ai appris beaucoup de chose.
    Il me tarde de mettre cela en pratique avec mes Bernina 550 et 750.
    Je pensais utiliser le même fil en bobine et en canette, (conseillé par mon revendeur pour éviter de voir éventuellement le fil de canette sur l’endroit).
    Merci pour tout.
    Patricia

  • Lori thanks so much for sharing- I have all your books and refer to them constantly for information or inspiration. When I FMQ on my DSM I do just adjust the top tension which seems to work. However, like you I was fortunate enough to get a Q24 recently- yeah us! The tension is awesome but I do always check bobbin tension on TOWA gauge after changing bobbin and set it to 220. I did NOT Mark the original position with a marker. Dint think to. could you comment. Thanks for all you do to help us become better quilters.

    • A

      You don’t need to mark the position if you have the TOWA. I was thinking of quilters who are using their sewing machines and have no way to see the tension of the bobbin case

  • Genevieve

    Thanks for repeating again and again how tension is important. Sometimes I check the tension on the side on my quilting but I must agree that when I go on and the top looks good I don’t check again . Some time the back is not perfect. I was thinking about buying a camera to see the back while quilting. What do you think about that?
    Have a good day

    • A

      Are you using a longarm? That’s a really interesting idea. Let me know how it works!

      • Genevieve

        Yes I have a Q24 for 4 years and love it. I read about camera on a Facebook quilter group and I thought it could be really an help to control the stitching without having a headache going back and forth under my Q24.

  • |Bev Morris

    Why do I have big loops on the back of my sandwich quilt? Sometimes it is fine and other times it is a mess.

  • Bobbie

    You are truly appreciated, Lori!

  • Becky Grimm

    Thank you for these informative lessons!

  • Thank you so much for this, Lori. You’ve hit the nail on the head twice this week…first with information about bobbin thread (the precise question I had asked myself the night before you posted) and now this one. I’m so glad I found you!

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