my sewing machine keeps tangling my thread.?

Question

I know it would be hard trying to figure out the problem through the internet but here is what's up. Can anyone give me reasons why thread might get tangled up in a sewing machine? I fixed the tangled thread but it would tangled up again. I set the tension to a different setting, but it would still tangle up. The obvious sign is a problem with the bottom thread because when trying to connect the top thread and the bottom thread, it sometimes would not get the bottom thread through. Ohhh, and I got a brother sewing machine model SQ- 9000
BTW, I'm a newbie to sewing ^-^, thank you for you're help!

Answer 1

I do not think you need an "epistle" to figure this out, so this will be short and to the point.



You need to start with the manual. Open it as you are sitting in front on the machine.



Now, read and apply each step of every feature.



The first will be bobbin winding. When finished, make sure the bobbin is placed into the bobbin case so the thread is feeding counter clockwise and be sure the thread is slipped through the guide on the side of the bobbin case. Pull out a couple inches to make sure.



Second will be threading. Always be sure the presser foot is up.



After threading, hold onto the end of the upper thread then lower and raise the needle so it picks up the bobbin thread. Take the ends of both threads to the back of the machine and the bobbin thread has not popped out of the guide on the bobbin case.



Make sure the tension is set according to the recommendations in the manual.



Place a folded scrap of fabric under the presser foot and lower the needle into the fabric. Stitch a few inches to see how the stitching looks. Do this test each time you change any of the settings.



If you have been sewing a fabric with a lot of nap (such as fleece) lint can accumulate in the bobbin case and surrounding area. Refer to the maintenance section and follow the instructions carefully to insure the correct placement of the bobbin case after cleaning. Lubricating will be addressed if it is required by the user.



If you need a manual, you can download a free copy at Brother - http://www.brother-usa.com/manuals/default.aspx?PGID=3&R3ModelID=SQ9000

Answer 2

It seems so obvious that the problem is the bottom thread because that is where the tangle is, but that's not always the case.



Work on these in the order listed. After working on each step, retry stitching a small piece of the similar materials and see if it is working correctly. Don't try to do several steps and then test. That is a recipe for failure.



(1) When did you last change the needle? You may have a bent and / or dull machine needle. If you have not just changed it within a few machine hours of trying this stitching, then change it.



(2) Is the tension is correct? Depending on your machine, it may be a dial on the front, a stick on the top, or if you have a new machine it may be on a touch screen setting. It looks as if the bobbin thread is too loose, so try to get the machine back to 'standard' settings.



(3) Is the bobbin wound correctly? If you have a bobbin case that carrys the bobbin, make sure that the bobbin has been inserted in the correct direction. It should unwind clockwise for most machines. Look at it, and if it is already clockwise, switch it over. Hopefully, no one has touched the little tension screw. If they have, then you need to try to readjust it, but it is not something you really want to play around with until you are more expert on the peculiarities of your machine.



(4) If you do not have a bobbin case - the bobbin is a drop in, make sure that it is feeding correctly. Get out your owner's manual and double check that it is right.



(5) When was the machine last serviced? If it is electronic - has someone been 'messing' around with the settings? Again - this is an area where your owner's manual is your best friend. If you don't have it available, go on-line --- almost every manual for any kind of machine - newer than about 25 years old - is available on line these days.



Hope this helps, and again, be sure to check out the machine between each step! You don't want to over correct for the issue and cause new ones.

Answer 3

Brother Sewing Machine Bobbin Threading

Answer 4

Tangled bobbin threads are a common problem and often the result of several easy to make mistakes. Before you try anything else, clean out the needle bed area and the tension controls. lint builds up in the upper tension, and the lower bobbin and feed dog area can accumulate lint, broken pins, metal scrapings from sewing over pins, insects, and all sorts of weird stuff. Clean it out thoroughly, oil the machine and if that doesn't help here's a few more things to try: First: Be sure that you have threaded the upper tension discs correctly. You must raise the presser foot while threading and you must be sure the thread is engaged in the discs when the foot is lowered. If you look at the tension dial you can usually see the discs, if you raise and lower the foot a couple times something will open and close, be sure the thread is caught in that part of the dial. When you thread the machine, lower the foot, and tug on the needle thread. It should have tension on it an not come spilling out. If it's spilling out with the foot down then you need to turn up the tension. Second: Be sure the bobbin is threaded correctly. If you have a separate bobbin case thread needs to go through a little slot with a little screw before it goes into the machine. There should be just the ever-so-slightest bit of tension on the bobbin thread, but it should still easily pull out. If it's very tight then the bobbin screw needs a tiny bit of loosening. turn as little as possible until there's only a light grab on the thread. Conversely, if the thread comes reeling out with no grab, you need to ever so slightly tighten the screw. turn to the right for tight, left for loose. For a drop in bobbin it too needs to go through a tension check slot. These almost never need adjusting, but if it's either held tight or if it reels out with no tension you might need to do a very slight adjustment on the tension screw. Be very very careful when adjusting bobbin tensions, only a millimeter or less is needed. Be sure that you have drawn the bobbin thread up to the surface of the machine, don't leave it hanging in the shuttle race, it will get knotted up with the shuttle hook and pull the needle thread with it. Be sure you are using the correct needle for the fabric. A needle that's too large or small will give you trouble. Be sure that the needle isn't bent or twisted and that it is inserted correctly into the machine. Change the needle and be sure it's in correctly and see if that helps. If you sew for a while and the needle bends again then take the machine in for repairs, something else is wrong. Don't sew over pins. Metal can flake off and get into the bobbin and shuttle race hook area. Hitting a pin can also through off a machine's timing or worse. pins can also fall into the feed dogs when they break, it doesn't need to be the whole pin, it can be just the point. Whole pins can also get drawn under the needle plate and you won't even notice. (been there, done that one) Finally, be 100% sure that you are leaving a thread tail of several inches behind the presser foot. If the tail is too short both threads will be drawn down into the shuttle race and the hook will tie everything up in knots. I've done this one on occasion and you'd think I would know better, but sometimes my concentration slips. If none of that helps and you are still getting banging noises then a trip to the mechanic might be in order. There might be a timing issue or the needle shaft might be bent or something else. It could also be dirt in an area accessible only to the technician. If the loops disappear and you get banging noises then a trip to the shop is definitely in order, sewing machine should purr like kittens, not bang like old steam engines. Something beyond the scope of a home repair might be going on. Hope that helps, the bottom-knotty problem is quite frustrating and it happens to all of us, experienced or not.

Answer 5

pattiann is correct; "make sure the bobbin is placed into the bobbin case so the thread is feeding counter clockwise and be sure the thread is slipped through the guide on the side of the bobbin case.". That goes for front loading and top loading bobbins. When I first started sewing I was making a multi-tiered skirt, and kept having problems with thread breakage and nesting. A check into my manual revealed that I was winding my bobbin incorrectly, and inserting it incorrectly. It showed inserting it so the thread is going/feeding counterclockwise; that was a Singer machine. The machine I am using now is a Brother.



BTW, (no offense intended to anyone) pattiann, I do like your shorter version; your non-"epistle"...lol.



"BTW, I'm a newbie to sewing ^-^, thank you for you're help!"



adoara, being as you are a newbie to sewing, here are 2 Yahoo groups I will recommend to you to help you as you learn. The first one I am the owner, aka group mom, of; the second one, I am a regular member of.



http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SewOnandSewForth/



http://groups.yahoo.com/group/sewingroom/

Answer 6

Dig out your manual (if you don't have it, it's here: http://www.brother-usa.com/ModelDocuments/Consumer/Users%20Manual/UM_SQ_9000_EN_2439.PDF



We're going to do the whole "setting up a sewing machine from scratch" thing, and along the way we're going to cure your machine of its colic. My guess is you've just got a misthreading problem, but the machine may be dirty and the needle may be damaged or backwards, too.



Take all the thread off of/out of the machine. FIrst thing we're going to do is to clean the machine because lint from crummy thread or fluffy fabrics or little bits of thread that you didn't get out on previous jams can cause more jams.



Use the handwheel to raise the needle to its highest travel point. Turn to p. 70 in the manual.



Take out the current needle. When you take out the needle, check to see if the flat back of the needle (the part that goes up in the clamp) is to the back of the machine. If it's not, make yourself a note... flat of the needle to the back of the machine. If it's wrong way around, the stitches don't form properly and the machine can't pick up loops of bobbin thread. Needles that are slightly bent (ever so slightly bent!) or dull (especially if you've heard that "clunk" as it hit the presser foot) also don't sew well.



Also take off the presser foot holder, and finish the steps on pp. 70-71 for cleaning the bobbin case assembly. Use a vacuum, not compressed air, because you don't want to blow lint in further. Make sure you get rid of any bits of thread that have worked their way down. Reassemble per the manual.



Turn to p. 21 of the manual. For our purposes, it's best if we test with a size 80/12 needle (80 and 12 are the same sizes, just different numbering schemes). A size 80 needle will sew virtually every garment weight fabric, and we're going to give this machine every advantage possible right now.

Insert a new needle, flat side to the back of the machine. Make sure it's completely up in the needle clamp and tighten the needle clamp completely. Easiest way is to push up on the needle shaft while you're tightening the clamp.



Next, take a look at the bobbin you took out. Is it smoothly wound, no loops hanging out? If not, strip off the old thread and rewind the bobbin, following the instructions on p. 12-13 Wind bobbins at slowish (1/3-1/2) steady speed-- this helps keep the thread from stretching or stretching unevenly and causing tension problems and puckers. Put the bobbin in the bobbin case and continue to work through pp 14-16. Make *sure* the bobbin is going in the bobbin case right way around (thread pulls off clockwise) (this causes tangles if it's not correct) and that it's under the tension spring on the bobbin case (which will cause little loops of thread on the top surface of the fabric, and sometimes tangles.)



Next is the upper threading sequence, pp. 18-19. Be sure the presser foot lever is UP when you thread the top. Raising the presser foot opens the upper tension so the thread can actually get in there. (I suspect this was your main problem -- it causes no tension on the thread and big loops on the underside of the fabric.). Thread the needle.



Now raise the bobbin thread with the top thread: page 20 of the manual.

Pull both the top and bottom threads under the presser foot and behind the foot, over to the right.



Find a scrap of (preferably woven) fabric to test on. Set up for a straight stitch of a medium length.



If you've played around with the upper tension, set it to 4. This is normal tension for most fabrics, most stitches. If you have to adjust outside the range of 3 to 5 to get nice stitches, chances are the machine is dirty or misthreaded.



Here's how you're going to start each and every seam from now on:



1. Raise the presser foot if it's not up already.

2. Put the fabric under the presser foot, and use the handwheel, pedal (if it's got a stitch at a time function) or needle up/down control to drop the needle into the start of the seam. (If you use the handwheel, be sure you turn the handwheel in the direction that causes the fabric to feed from the front to the back of the machine. Going the other way will cause jams in some machines.)

3. Drop the presser foot. (If the presser foot isn't down when you start to sew, there's no tension on the upper thread and you get thread wads on the underside of the fabric.)

4. Hold the ends of the bobbin and top thread behind the presser foot and take a couple of stitches. As soon as you've got a few stitches made, you can drop the thread ends. This prevents thread wads at the beginning of the seam.



Executive summary:

1) Keep it clean

2) Make sure you've got a good needle, right way around.

3) Use good thread

4) Make sure the machine is threaded properly

5) Make sure you start the seams correctly.



Examples of what misthreading does to well behaved machines: http://www.picturetrail.com/sfx/album/view/22521551

Answer 7

There is the possibility the lower bobbin or shuttle needs lubrication. To do this scrape a 'lead' pencil lead and collect the resulting powder in a soda straw, then while running the machine blow the powdered graphite into the works. Never use petroleum based oil on a sewing machine! Also readjust the top and bottom tensions.

Answer 8

If you have made sure the tensions are correctly set and the machine is threaded correctely with the bobbin in the correct way round and if the machine is missing stitches at the very worst you may need to retime the machine and if you go to www.howtomendit.com ken will help you

Answer 9

Also, check to see if any updates or changes have been released for your machine. For example, I had the same type of thing happening with my Pfaff and there is a modification the company has issued for my machine that fixes the problem. Good luck!