[aprilshowers]

I was happily sewing away on my roller skate dress yesterday when I got to the part where you sew a basting stitch for the hem. Suddenly, my machine was making things all ruffly. It would have been awesome had I actually been sewing a ruffle but not so great when I wanted a normal flat stitch. When I switch the stitch length back to the default it’s fine. On the long stitch, though, the top thread seems really tight and the bottom really loose. Photo here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lkollett/12039926236/

The long stitch length had worked just fine earlier in the day. At one point, though, I was having problems with my bobbin and threads kept breaking and getting sucked down into the machine. I had rethread the machine several times and it seemed to be working find until I tried the long stitch again. It obviously seems like a tension problem but I am not sure how the tension would have changed from earlier when it was working fine. It also seems unusual that the tension would be different on different stitch lengths.

Any ideas? It’s been 10 months since it was last serviced so I need to take it in soon anyway but would love to make it through “birthday season” 🙂

Thank you!

[Mama_Knowles]

Is the bottom tension too loose? Mine sewing machine will do this to gather fabric if the stitch length is long and the bottom tension is loose. also maybe try locking the stitches at the beginning of the basting stitching row, it should help prevent this from happening too.

~Sharon~

[Nicole]

I think you may have a little piece of thread or fluff stuck in your machine. It only takes a tiny bit to upset things.

Try removing the bobbin case and the holder behind it (held in place by black knobs) and give it a good clean. You could use a hair dryer on low to blow it out.

(I do this regularly but some people don’t like too)

I will keep a-thinking and see if I can come up with anything else.

Good luck

~Nicole~

[Robin]

This is crazy making. This is what happened when I didn’t thread my bobbin correctly. Tension is a mysterious thing to me. Seems like there are so many answers.

Tiny bits of thread or fluff can cause a lot of havoc. Never hurts to clean things out and re-thread it all.