Skipped stitches and tension problems

by Janet L
(Ohio)

Question

Can anyone help me with skipped stitches and thread loops on the back of the quilt as I free motion quilt with the Bernina 820 on the Bernina frame?

I have cleaned the bobbin area each time I change bobbins and oiled about every other bobbin. I love it when it is running smoothly but am getting very frustrated trying to do a baby quilt and have about three quarters finished and having problems.

I have loosened the tension to 2 or 2 1/2 and it usually works for me.

Reply

We'll break down your question into its two parts.

Before anything else, change to a new needle. Because of their fine points, needles are easily damaged. And a damaged needle leads to poor stitch quality and skipped stitches.

Sewing Machine Tension

Loops on the back of the quilt indicate that the tension is too loose.

This problem can originate in a couple of different areas.

First, make sure that your machine is threaded correctly. That no thread guides or the uptake arm have been missed. Each guide adds a tiny bit of tension to the quilting thread as it winds its way through your sewing machine. Miss a guide and your tension is off.

Next, make sure that the presser foot is in the 'down' position. This one is so easy to miss since most presser feet ride above the surface of the quilt.

Now it's time to actually check the tension.

If you are uncertain if it is the needle or bobbin tension causing the problem, then thread your sewing machine with the same kind/weight of thread in both the needle and bobbin, but a different color for each. (Sometimes when they're both the same color, it's hard to tell where the problem is coming from.)

Most likely, if you need a tension adjustment, it is to your needle tension.

To tighten your tension, increase it a single number at a time and then test until it's balanced—no needle thread showing on the bottom, no bobbin thread showing on the top of your quilt.

If your bobbin tension is too loose, first check the tension spring found on the bobbin case. Floss it out with a piece of thread to make sure there is no lint or remnant of thread holding the spring open. That would decrease the tension applied.


For those with a front loading bobbin like the one pictured, thread your thread through the hole on the little arm—that will increase the tension.

If you have a drop in bobbin, or no arm, first mark your bobbin case with a Sharpie so that you can return the screw to its original position when you're done. Then tighten your bobbin's tension screw, about an 1/8th of a turn and then test. Continue in this manner until the tension is correct.

But again, the majority of your tension problems can be corrected by adjusting the needle tension. Start there first.

Skipped Stitches

I added a great little video to the site about how sewing machines work. It's worth taking a couple of minutes to watch as it shows just how crucial it is that all the movements of your sewing machine are properly timed to make a stitch.

If your needle is damaged—the point is chipped or the needle bent—it won't deliver the thread to the shuttle at the proper time to create a stitch. The result is skipped stitches.

A needle with an eye too small for the size quilting thread you're using could cause the problem by pulling up the quilt sandwich as the needle rises (called flagging) and preventing a loop of thread from forming on the backside of the needle so a stitch can't form.

Did you know?

While researching an answer for another Bernina 820 question, I came across the news that Bernina has issued a new 'Thread Lubricator Guide' for their Series 8 machines. You can find the information here at "Monofilament Thread Problem on a Bernina 820. You may want to check with your Bernina dealer for this is you haven't already.

If you are free motion quilting with monofilament thread, there may be additional information of interest to you on that page.

Skipped stitches, especially, can be such a frustrating problem, because they can be intermittent and hard to diagnose. I hope that at least some of the information here will be of help.

Readers...suggestions? Please add them via the 'Comment' link found just below. Your help is appreciated!

Piecefully,

Julie Baird
Editor