Friday, February 3, 2012

Sewing Machine Help!!!!

My new sewing machine is driving me crazy.  I haven't spent this long trying to figure out what's wrong with a machine since I had my cheap little Singer, with it's many, many disasters.

Here's the problem.  The upper thread keeps getting sucked into the bobbin case and causing a mess.  I've read the manual.  I've rethreaded the upper.  I've dusted out the bobbin case.  I've tried other bobbins (and they were working last night threaded as they are).  I changed the needle.  I'm about to start working on thread tension to see if I can figure it out.  I've gone to the brother website and it pretty much tells me what the manual tells me.  But I'm pretty frustrated, losing an entire night of sewing to trying to figure out what's wrong with this machine and why it randomly does this about 50% of the time, and sew beautifully the rest of the time.

10 comments:

  1. Sounds really frustrating! Wish I could help, but I'm pretty lacking in the technological department...I'm pretty lucky that my sturdy Singer has never really had problems except when the timing is off every few months or so (probably from my heavy denim and corduroy use).

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  2. Do they have a number you can call for customer service? Or you might just find a local sewing or quilting, etc. store near you and ask someone who may have experience on these machines to help you figure it out. Good luck!

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  3. Boo! I'm no help either. It took me several weeks of not using my machine and contemplating taking it for repairs to realize that the awful clunking was due to a bent needle...oops!

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  4. Are you sewing too fast? Are you sewing on soft fabric?

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  5. I think I've figured it out... my sewing machine is just finicky.

    I was sewing a layer of ribbon with silk a layer of silk and a layer of satin altogether. I was going really slowly, because the stitch had to be just right so none of the edges showed under the ribbon.

    After much experimentation on a piece of fabric, which included a bobbin breaking, I finally figured out that the machine doesn't like the yellow thread I was using. It doesn't matter that it's the exact same type of thread as the others that I use... it just won't work. So I switched over to a red thread, that's supposedly identical, after taking the machine apart and putting it back together and having it still not work, and now it's working. I managed to sew three whole seams before Sadie woke up.

    Two hours of wasted sewing machine fiddling! I was going crazy!!!

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  6. I have a brother and it's threading thing bugs me too. You have to wrap it around the bobbin the correct direction or else it threads the post underneath the bobbin. I also found the speed helps too. My machine has three settings and I use the medium one. And a tip I picked up from a repair shop...she said to hold the thread as it winds. She said all sewing machines have poor tension so she suggested holding the thread lightly as it winds. Best advice for that darn thing ever.

    Also I've accidentally picked up quilting thread instead of all-purpose and that made a difference. The quilting thread is "sticker" and it gums up the machine.

    I am glad that you've been able to work it out though. Brother's are nice machines but more complicated and very different than Singers (which was my mom's machine but now that she quilts she uses a bernina which are really awesome but very expensive).

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  7. Which model of Singer do you have? I might be able to help.
    http://www.topsewingmachinesreviews.com/

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  8. Before I read your comment above, I was going to ask what type of fabric you were sewing on. I was going to suggest that your tension might need to be adjusted if you were sewing on a light or slinky fabric. I tried to put myself in your sewing slippers for a moment and the word that came to mind from my own experience was... satin. Then I read that you were sewing with silk and satin and thought "aha!" So perhaps it is the tension. Mind you, it's 6:30am here and I haven't had a wink of sleep yet... so I may think differently another time... but that is what's coming to me. Also, you're right about the thread; my machine won't take cheap thread at all so I never skimp.

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  9. I know you have a singer so maybe this doesn't matter but with my elna I have to use an elna bobbin! Just a thought! I hope it is all fixed. On a sidenote I just found your blog a week or so ago and I love it!! I am praying for you and your family!

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