Sewing Machine Thread Tension - Updated

Learn how to correct thread tension so that your stitches come out perfect no matter the type of fabric you're sewing with. This tutorial shows you how to adjust upper and lower thread tension to solve your stitching woes.
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Sewing machine used was provided by Spiegel.

[@opheliamaples]

I've been hand-sewing for years and have bought myself a sewing machine to speed things up, but the thread tension issue has been driving me bonkers! Thank you for the video. I was about ready to throw my machine out the window 😅

[@nashr5519]

I was feeling the same way you did😂

[@MyFictionalChaos]

Sewing machines are kind of complex from what i gather. It is a lot more than just the tension. You think the machine speeds up the process but there is a lot of troubleshooting and learning

[@opheliamaples]

@@MyFictionalChaos So true. It's a whole new skill-set. Hopefully, once I get pass this learning period, speed and ease will pick up. Fingers crossed!

[@dorosweet]

That's me right now the only difference is I feel like throwing on the person who sold it for me

[@anncoleman9555]

It

[@fatemafaith5450]

I keep coming back to this video whenever I have tension problems. Thanks a lot, it’s the best and most informative video on KZbin

[@TisEyerish1]

Thank you...this was a wonderful tutorial! I am 73 and have been hand-sewing since age 6, and using a sewing machine since age 12. I'm sure you can appreciate how many different types and models I've used during the course of my life, but you have taught me things in this video that I never knew. For example, I never knew there was a little spring looking part on the front-loading bobbins that the thread should go through! My mother never showed me that! She made just about every dress my sister and I wore when we were kids...and girls wore dresses more than pants back in those days! I now have a somewhat computerized machine in that it offers 60 different built-in stitches but I am unable to program it. I have been having a lot of difficulty with the upper tension (it is a top loading bobbin, so I now know I don't need to worry about it, thanks to you :) ) Watching this tutorial once had me adjusting it in the blink of an eye. So, again....thank you from the bottom of my heart!

[@whitemagehealing8126]

This is the ONLY place I have seen someone show me what is happening using two different color threads and explain the different scenarios. Most places just say, "your tension is too tight or loose", when I'm trying to look up why I keep getting tangles. So, I always ended thinking, "Well which one is it!? Loose or tight?!" This video very clearly showed me what each means and how to fix it! Thank you so much!

[@literallyselina]

The different colored thread is huge. Every other example uses the same color which is NOT helpful!

[@dingusmcscrungophd5219]

I've been sewing for years, self taught, and I had no idea you could adjust the bobin tension!

[@emmielou72]

OMG! I am starting to sew again after approximately 40 years and couldn't get my old, but barely used Husky Viking to zigzag. You showed the exact issue I was having and I fixed it! I couldn't believe it because tension is such a major sewing issue. Now I may also dust off my beloved Singer 201! Thank you!

[@waltermessines5181]

You took the tension out of getting the tension right. Congrats.

[@brandonm6751]

Nice, Dad

[@jeimi749]

I am ready to buy a new machine! Omg. Thank you!!!

[@HouseScraper]

when you are just begging to sew thank goodness for videos like this to help you out.

[@staatskids8245]

.

[@ladams1221]

Love that... "just begging to sew"... I know that feeling, well 😊

[@brettepruitt8960]

This is the best tutorial I’ve found on tension. This is my #1 aggravation concerning my machine. I had stitching problems about 2 years ago, tried to fix it myself and ended up taking it to a repair shop. I brought the machine home and it still wasn’t fixed, I took it back, and it was finally fixed, The repair cost $100, Now, I’m having the same problems all over again. If I can’t fix it myself this time, I’m getting a new machine. The one I have is around 50 years old, not worth putting another $100 into it. So, here goes!

[@Iliftmyeyestothehills]

This. Is. SO. Helpful!!! I was having trouble with my thread tension and the manual for my machine wasn't as helpful as I had hoped. I thank you for such clear info. Your a natural at teaching sewing and I am so happy I found your channel and I have subscribed. 👍🙌😊

[@sassypritchard7517]

This is definitely the best explanation of thread tension I’ve seen! Thank you so much!

[@Tigris178]

Oh my goodness where has this been all my life. This is an amazing explanation. I’ve avoiding my sewing machine for YEARS because I’m still intimidated by the troubleshooting- but this gives me simple variables to work with and a basic direction to go!! Thank you so much!!

[@sexyqueen1225]

Thank you so much, I watched so many youtube videos but none help me but your video did. The screw on my bobbin was too loose and as soon as i tighten it my 4 months problem was solved. Your video saved me so much money.

[@carolseverson600]

I was desperate I had this huge project and couldn't figure out why my tension was off and I couldn't seem to fix it you are a big help thank you so much

[@ItsViolaRose]

This is my worst issue! Thanks for this vid!

[@erikaaragon4756]

Thank you so much for this video! I just started sewing and I'm so excited about it but my tension was ruining everything. After watching this video it's perfect and my stitches look great. Thank you so much for this video and all of your videos! ❤️

[@ProfessorPincushion]

yay! I'm so glad you can get on to the fun part of sewing :)

[@user-mi7xu4nt8v]

Love it, Straight to the point No Hem hawing Just sewing and flowing Time is of the essence

[@SheenfulLife]

Omg thank you so much! I was stuck for so long as why my zig zag stitch was not working. You are the best!

[@bccabernet]

Another great video from the Professor! I have an old Husqvarna Optima 630 machine (since 1990) and the dial suggests a tension of 6 for straight and zigzag stitching. I didn't realise that we should adjust it to our fabrics (and thus our thread tex). It's been left on tension 6 pretty much since I bought it. But I didn't understand why my zigzag stitches sometimes looked so much nicer underneath. Now I know I should be adjusting my tension according to different materials rather than different stitching. TY.

[@dianahuertas6539]

Thank you!!!!! I was so frustrated and starting to get slightly discouraged. This helped fix my issue :)

[@ProfessorPincushion]

yay, so glad it helped :)

[@66charbaby]

Professor Pincushion ⚫️⚫️thank you so much , you helped me so much

[@georgetimoteo6336]

lllllL)

[@lmonroe9169]

You just saved me time and money, thank you!!!!

[@ArtGirlJan]

Bless you!!! That’s the first time I have ever heard of adjusting the tension on the actual bobbin. That fixed it!

[@nicolecourtney8688]

Me too!

[@kenbarker9235]

This tutorial was very well done. It was concise and the presenter spoke clearly. Thank you. Ken

[@orscrub3161]

well i’ll be doggone! i never knew about the screw on the bobbin holder! it worked!! thank you so much!!

[@daveleclair9201]

Finally someone has explained it and was a great help

[@soniamohammed420]

Thank you so much. Your video was easy to understand. I was able to fix my sewing machine. Now onward! May the force of sewing be with you!

[@kyliedehaven]

Thank you so much!!! I am currently in China working on a Chinese sewing machine where I can't read the manual, so most of my issues have been solved up to trial and error at this point. It was super helpful seeing the way wrong stitches looked, so that I could diagnose my problem visually. Didn't really even know what tension on a sewing machine was until this point, so thank you from a previously frustrated, novice sewer!!

[@ProfessorPincushion]

I'm so glad you found our tutorial helpful

[@daisybliss762]

This is the most detailed, perfect and didactic video I've ever watched in my whole entire life of sewing. Ure grate in ur work. And I thank God for coming across ur channel and would definitely 👍 and subscribe to it🤩🤩🤩

[@ChiliBird147]

The clearest advice on thread tension! Easy to understand thank you.

[@pamholland7005]

Thank you for posting this. I've been sewing for many years but, never understood how the tension worked and always dreaded having to adjust the tension. This is very helpful.

[@ProfessorPincushion]

I'm so glad you found it helpful :)

[@MissIsobell]

Thank you for this! My zig zag stitches were going wrong but I couldn't work out how to trouble shoot it right. I now know it's the bottom tension that's causing problems!

[@prettyrainbows9714]

Intimidating it is not, maddening it is. I've been at it for months trying to get this sewing machine to sew nice even stitches lets see if this video helps

[@mirabellabiage4690]

Pretty Rainbows did it help?

[@annabrogno8643]

Pretty Rainbows w

[@youngshin8860]

Anna Brogno m

[@reble_uwu3405]

Some say she’s still getting maddened by s these machines

[@palillo2006]

Are you still working on the machine tension?

[@riomabbayad6796]

Crazy how much goes into this craft. Thanks!

[@katmonkey03]

This video was so helpful!! I thought my machine was broken! Thank you so much it's my grandpa's so it really means a lot that I'm able to use it thanks to you! 🥰🥰🥰🙏

[@couhby]

Thank you for posting this. I ran into a frustrating tension problem and your sewing video helped me to figure out the solution. I really appreciate your help.

[@ProfessorPincushion]

glad to help :)

[@tellepaterson3884]

Thank you so much for this tutorial, my tension had been driving me nuts and this helped me fix it.

[@jackieswe]

Thank you for the understandable and effective explanation!!👏👏

[@savannahengelbrecht1934]

Thank you so much. So many videos later! Thank you for covering the drop in bobbin too

[@BbyPigeon]

I didn’t know you could adjust the bobbin tension! That fixed my problem so thank you so much!!

[@GS-en2vs]

Thank you so much!! This was so helpful for me as my stitches were very loose and I didn’t know how to fix them.

[@kahnekenhawigarrow4828]

Wow, I actually came across this by accident & you fixed a lot of my problems & I want to THANK U FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART❤️‼️

[@marielockhart3299]

Thank you! I was so frustrated and your bobbin tension tutorial was all I needed😀

[@4evertwirl]

This video was a God send. I bought a used machine and I was getting so frustrated with my top and bottom side of fabric stitching not being the same. I loosened the screw on the side of my bobbin case (as suggested in video) and viola problem fixed! Thank you! Thank you!

[@MileyonDisney]

Spiegel sure makes a beautiful machine! Thanks for another great video.

[@josieb2015]

Awwww!!!! Thank you so much for clear explanations, this is the best video so far, I have just fixed my stitches, 💃🏽

[@ellahandy2002]

THANK YOU SO MUCH you have SAVED my sewing machine! I felt like smashing it on the ground, it kept getting caught up or the top thread was too tight and the bobbin thread was way too loose. It looked HORRIBLE. But thanks to your video, all is well! I didn't even know you could adjust the bobbin tension, turns out that was my problem.

[@manuela6633]

OMG THIS IS SUCH A LIFESAVER 😭😭

[@lennylabae8667]

Wow thank you so much may GOD BLESS YOU

[@ulicornprocreateartclub2617]

I love the way you shape your nails. Great video. Totally saved me millions of units of frustration. Thanks.

[@whosdatgirl1]

This helped!! My issue was the tension in the bobbing case!! Tightened that and voila - all is well. Thank you xx

[@martinrichards1735]

Excellent tutorial. Thank you for the clear explanation.

[@dawnbabich2931]

Thank you so much for posting this!You have saved me from hours and hours of torture.❤🎉

[@wanroo]

Thank you soooo much for this clear and helpful tutorial!

[@lionolam]

thank you i didnt know you could change the bobbin tension, one tiny turn and its fixed!

[@carolegentry6538]

Thank you for this video. It really helped me figure out the tension.

[@dakotawarner9414]

Omg thank you for the information about thread nesting, i never knew how to fix that

[@Denise-Lynn]

I was struggling and this video saved me. Thank you!!! ❤

[@gabriellaandersen8121]

Thank you, thank you thank you!!!! I fix all my problems. Amazing tutorial, clear and easy for us beginners.

[@thecraftlanding3594]

I am your biggest fan. Thanks so, so much!

[@eileenfb1948]

All my drop in lower thread bobbin/spools have an adjusting screw which, in this situation I adjust last rather than first. Love your videos.

[@LQOTW]

Holy smokes! I knew I was no great shakes at sewing, but you've helped me, today in no small measure. Thank you!!! Subscribed!

[@ProfessorPincushion]

thanks for subscribing!

[@GEexplores]

Thank you, I have watched several videos trying to figure out my loose stitch problem and none of them showed me the tension on the bobbin case.... This solved my problem! Thanks again!

[@ProfessorPincushion]

yay, I'm so glad you were able to figure out your tension problems :)

[@ahikernamedgq]

This was so helpful. Thank you! I had no idea that you could adjust the tension on a bobbin!

[@aiannajun]

Finally, problem is solved. Thanks for the very detailed answer.😀

[@leonelyzaguirre1686]

Thank you so much!! My mom was about to have a tantrum but thanks to this video we were able to fix it.

[@leesawillard4104]

You’re a great teacher, thank you.🙂

[@gemulostar1367]

Thanks a lot for this frustration killer tutorial. I just watched it and , like a miracle, the tension problem on my machine is solved.😍😘

[@katielove9932]

No one every explained that to me before. Thank you for the information.

[@MosquitoBait]

Thank you for clarifying some of my doubts 😊

[@sandrafranklin6216]

Thank you, this was very helpful!

[@joyplaz]

Great tutorial! You just saved my sewing project, thank you!

[@ProfessorPincushion]

glad to help :)

[@shirleywainwright5733]

This is a great video. She was extremely helpful, and as she said my manual was not as helpful. Thanks

[@Amybozhemoi]

oml im learning how to sew _by youtube_ wow [its my on of my new years resolution to learn to sew and cosplay]

[@ProfessorPincushion]

nice! I hope you're learning a lot :)

[@echotheneko7346]

Omg I learned how to sew for cosplay too!!

[@mionrea]

how's it going???

[@zwnrcc]

This video helped me a lot. Thank you!

[@georgedennison3338]

This is the most complete explanation of thread tension, adjustment and the mechanisms involved I have ever seen. Your descriptions & techniques are clear, and easily understood. I think you are the only one who might be able to answer a couple of more advanced tension related questions I have. I have an early model Viking which my mom used for many years, and I inherited. I worked and maintained her machines for many years. I started when I was still in my teens, (I'm now 63). 1. A problem I have occasionally is when I switch from straight stitch to zig zag, or from zig zag to straight. I would say about 30-40% of the time, when I switch stitches, I end up with a tangled bottom thread. As long as I have the tensions adjusted correctly for the thread and fabric I'm using, I don't have any problems, with 'birds nests'. But, I can have the tensions dialed in perfectly, and still occasionally have the problem when switching between stitch types. Is it an occasional problem because I don't have tensions as perfect as I think? IE: too loose for one stitch, and correct for the other? 2. I sew very little 'conventional' material. I use the machine mostly for upholstery sewing, but the project I'm working on right now is polyethylene tarps. I've always been able to heat weld them in the past, but the new tarps I bought for a large project just will NOT weld, so I am sewing them. As with many things I sew, there isn't a lot of reference info for what I'm doing. The poly tarps actually sew quite well, but I would like to tighten up the stitching more than it presently is. Can I force the machine to sew a slightly tighter stitch by adjusting the bobbin slightly tighter, then adjust the top tension a bit tighter to compensate? I can, and will experiment with this, but I'd like to double check my thinking on this, before I invest a bunch of time experimenting, (it's not the time of year to delay tarping projects; it's only going to rain more, not less, at this time of the year.) Thanks, GeoD

[@ProfessorPincushion]

For your first problem, I"m not really sure what's going on since it doesn't happen consistently. If it were me, I would talk to the sewing machine maintenance person the next time you take your machine in for cleaning. They will probably have a better idea on what might be causing the issue. For the second part, I don't know what you mean by tightening up the stitching. The tension between the upper and lower should, ideally, be equal to each other. I always think of the bobbin as being the constant and just adjusting the upper tension if needed. I don't know what will happen if you, for example, increase the upper thread tension and increase the lower thread tension. I know if I turn the bobbin screw, the thread doesn't come out as easily so I think the biggest issue you might run into here might be thread breakage as things will definitely get tighter. I don't know if it's an option in your case but maybe just make a shorter stitch length so that you have more stitches per inch. Sorry, if I'm not any help.

[@RAgriculture]

thanks you so much i was about to through my machine because of thread tension

[@tomilayolawanson4514]

This video really helped! I was getting very frustrated with how loose the lower thread was. Thanks alot for this video

[@ProfessorPincushion]

glad to help

[@cranefixeroregon8815]

Thanks so much !! Watched this video and in 5 minutes My ladys sewing machine is running perfect !!! THANKS !!!

[@ProfessorPincushion]

yay! so glad it worked out for you :)

[@jlbeeen]

This makes sense. I have a newer Brother machine and a Kenmore one from the 70s, and I just got the Kenmore serviced, and the tension was way too low to sew fleece with. I couldn't figure out why it was looping at the bottom, but now I have to try this

[@maureenschiemann3967]

Thanks!! I was able to correct the stitching on my machine with ease!

[@Luna-ej4mi]

I just got a new sewing machine (SingerM2105). This video will be of help. Thank you!

[@callistasirjoo6090]

I tried it and it was really helpful, thank you.

[@Strevale]

Great info. I really love the videos where you make something from a pattern from start to finish. I hope you make some more of those videos soon!

[@michelleross9782]

O my goodness!!!! I needed this tutorial 20 years ago & maybe I would be an expert seamstress versus novice still who's terrified to make any clothing.

[@josephineriani9833]

Omg thanks so much I didn’t realise I could adjust the bobbin tension solved my issue!!

[@MrsTabby1963]

Thank you! I realised from watching your tutorial that I had an issue with my bobbin and was able to sort it and continue with my sewing.

[@ProfessorPincushion]

so glad you got it figured out :)

[@viviancovington7813]

Thanks so much. All of the detailed sewing books fail to go over this topic.

[@tiesto1102]

excellent! many thanks and greetings from France!

[@fionahobbs8818]

Excellent explanation - thankyou!

[@rachelbill5228]

I didn’t realize you could adjust the bobbin tension. Thank you so much this helped a lot!

[@ProfessorPincushion]

not all machines let you adjust the bobbin but some do :)

[@freshnewday]

Thank you SO much!!! Adjusting the tension of the bobbin fixed my problem.

[@savannaab5522]

Boben Trimble ing an d not sweing

[@Sgg344]

thank you for suggesting the two color threads to diagnose the issue

[@maryalgar8779]

Super video: lots of info. I had no idea what the top tension adjustment actually did - now I know :)

[@SLAPsSis]

You are soooooo awesome for posting this vid. It's like you were reading my mind lol. I get it now thanks to you!

[@curtisinglis579]

Why does my mach.skipping stitches ?

[@Hesparify]

Great tutorial thanks!

[@donaldcole4017]

omg THANK YOU. so easy to follow.

[@denbp]

This is a life saver!!! I’ve been having this issue for months :^D

[@dancechapelhill]

You helped me. Thank you.

[@christina9089]

Thank you! Tightening the spool cleared up the problem, I appreciate your video, I thought I had a broken machine. :)

[@ProfessorPincushion]

I'm so glad you got it sorted out :)