Yesterday (after much prompting from The Boy that went something like this, “Are you going to sew now? What about now? You said you were going to sew!”) I finally gave my sewing machine a shot. I threaded both bobbins (multiple times on account of my inability to read directions properly) and cut some fabric to make a pillow. I?pinned said fabric and then proceeded to lose my patience at an incredibly rapid pace.
I’m 95% certain that it is user error and not the sewing machine at fault. It would seem to be doing fine for about anywhere from a 1/2 inch to an inch of proper stitching and I would be elated because LOOK! I AM SEWING! and then it would jam. I’d lift the little lever thingie (technical term) and pull the “pillow” away from the sewing machine and find what looked kind of like spaghetti noodles gone wild, except I was using black thread, so not exactly like spaghetti noodles, but close. (Work with me here.)
This didn’t happen just once. This happened an undisclosed number of times. Undisclosed because I’m a little bit?embarrassed to admit how many times I repeated this process. I am persistent.?Some people might say stubborn, but I prefer persistent because it sounds nicer.
Even B sat down with the directions and the sewing machine to see what?the deal was?after I asked him for help. He is good with mechanical things and a sewing machine is hey! mechanical. After about 30 minutes, I asked him to stop because?he hadn’t gotten anywhere new with it and?it was getting late.
At this point, I might even try to?find the DVD that came with the sewing machine and actually watch it to see if it shows you the proper way to thread the bobbins to avoid The Spaghetti Incident of ’08. I think the DVD is?currently acting as a bookmark?in one of my knitting books.
It sounds like the bobbin tension is off. Find the manual and look for directions to adjust bobbin tension.
And, be familiar with upper tension too. You’ll get it. I know you will.
I used to sew a lot (quilts and such), you’re making me want to work on some UFO stuff!
That’s kinda sorta how my experience went. I don’t recall spaghetti so much as crinkles. maybe I could make a pleated garment?
I agree with Sandy. Definitely sounds like a tension problem.
thirding tension. the “spaghetti noodles” description nailed it. =]
Yep, it’s the tension!
Everyone beat me imparting that wisdom, though.
I had the same problem when I started sewing. I’m a “diving in” kind of gal, which means I RARELY read directions. I don’t have the attention span for it. One of my eyes starts to wander to the side and my brain goes into a quiet numb-y place. Hmm. Maybe there is something wrong with me?
Anyhow, keep at it. Remember knitting? I’m sure you frogged many many things before your first successfully completed project!
There are some things with bobbin tension that you can’t adjust yourself and that it’s best to let a professional do for you, so if after adjusting it according to the manual it’s still acting up on you, don’t feel like it’s just you being stupid. Even straight out of the box, it’s possible that a tune up is in order.
Also – (I’m sure you’ve done this, but just in case not), make sure that with your left hand you hold the two ends of your threads (from the spool and from the bobbin) up and away from the needle when you first begin to sew – that way they won’t get caught up and tangled on the underside of your sewing.
Hope this gets fixed and you have some sewing success soon! : )
I’m so glad I’m not the only one out there with a hateful sewing machine.