Why is My Thread Skipping / Breaking when Free Motion Quilting?

Learn one reason why your thread is skipping or breaking while free motion quilting in this video with Leah Day.
Leah teaches quilting online through free KZbin videos uploaded weekly. Subscribe to our channel so you don't miss out on any of the new videos on patchwork and machine quilting uploaded weekly: / lcvday
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[@Dinky-ob5yy]

I am new to a mid arm, Tiara III. Purchased second hand. I have been in tears today, changing needles, thread, everything I could think off. Had my husband praying and I was too, through the tears. Skipping, thread breaking... girl, then I found this video. You are a genius!!!! I am so excited, bought for experience!! Thank you so much!!!!

[@LeahDay]

You're very welcome. You'll need to take it one day at a time. A longarm is not a home machine and there is a learning curve!

[@Dinky-ob5yy]

Leah Day, you are right again. So much gratitude that I can come to KZbin and watch and listen you master quilters. I play videos all the while I am quilting. Knowing that I will pick up something even though I am not watching, but listening.

[@michellerockenback450]

Thank you! This solved my problem! I was getting so frustrated with my thread breaking. After changing my thread , rethreading my machine and bobbin multiple times, and cleaning my machine (none of which helped) I googled "thread breaking during free motion quilting" and your video came up. I took your advice , and it worked! So simple! Thank you very much!

[@LeahDay]

You're welcome! Quilting on a home machine is always going to require extra thought and trouble shooting. Don't get frustrated, just keep quilting!

[@glendapiacenti217]

I was having a problem with my top thread shredding and breaking. I was also doing long wavy lines from side to side on some long narrow quilt panels. I was frustrated almost to the point of tears because I tried everything I saw on KZbin to try to solve my problem. When you talked about how sometimes your machine doesn't like to quilt in a certain direction, that was the beginning of solving my problem. I discovered that because my quilting foot did not press against the fabric, it was easy for me to turn the fabric with out thinking and without lifting my presser foot! I was causing the twisting of the thread! Eventually it would shred and break. Problem solved. I'm progressing again. :)

[@LeahDay]

That's wonderful! Yes, small things like that can ultimately be the culprit behind huge quilting issues and repeated thread breaks. It's so good you were able to troubleshoot through this issue yourself!

[@DonnaMSchmid]

Great tip! I'm afraid that most of us just assume these types of things "only happen to me!" It's nice to see it happens to everyone -- and to get some tips to fix things!

[@valerieuland4313]

Lifesaver tip! I'll take a little break from my quilting project, and then get back to it, employing your excellent tip. Thanks so much.

[@BarbaraOpett]

I was having this problem today, I did notice when I was going in a certain direction my thread was breaking. It was nice to know this is normal as I was getting pretty worried. Thanks for sharing all your wonderful knowledge! 💗🌸🦋

[@LeahDay]

Thank you for watching Barbara! So happy to help!

[@carolrubin7367]

OMG! I was going crazy with these thread breaks, and now I see it's only in one direction! Thanks so much!!

[@LeahDay]

Glad I could help!

[@silkem8115]

Thank you Leah for explaining this phenomenon - I couldn't fix the problem because the skipping only oocured when I sew backwards - so thanks! Now I will try to avoid this direction! :)

[@chevydude658]

Leah you are a life saver. I jave learned so much from you. You seem like a friend I haven't met yet.

[@rmcrms5]

Great tip! I'm learning fmq now and this is exactly what was happening to me tonight. Thank you!

[@LeahDay]

I'm so glad this helped you! It's no fun to struggle with thread breaks!

[@quiltingnana8940]

Thanks so much! I've been working on a special project and my thread kept breaking... sooooo frustrating! Your suggestion to change needles did the trick and I am again enjoying the quilt I'm making for a very special aunt. You rock, Leah!!

[@LeahDay]

Awesome! So glad I could help!

[@jolene41062]

This was a hugely helpful tip. Thank you.

[@marietteforget7804]

Thanks Leah! 🌺🌸

[@LeahDay]

You are so welcome!

[@doreensherk287]

Even though this is an older video it was enlightening ❤

[@christinamoody4988]

Thanks so much, Leah! That makes so much sense. I like the way you've analysed and described the problem and solution! Thank you x

[@LeahDay]

Wonderful! I'm so happy you found this video helpful!

[@angelacox9385]

Thank you so much!!! You saved the day!

[@marilynjohnson3180]

You have solved my problem. Thank you

[@crobinson8475]

Thank you so much for posting this video!

[@LeahDay]

You're super welcome!

[@hmhinton]

this: your machine doesn’t like going in some directions. For me its going right to left and its worst when using QCT. the machine simply takes a “longer” stitch to the left and the needle just doesn’t drop to engage. going to try for slight angling to see if that helps. Thanks Leah!

[@reneefelts7232]

I was about to pick up the phone and call my babylock dealer for a refund! Having so much trouble with loops on the bottom and shredding on the top, and bobbin thread not being picked up at all. So i have spent an entire day trying to figure all of this out . I have improved on some things but still getting loops occasionally on bottom..... I’ll try again tomorrow. Thanks leah!

[@LeahDay]

You're very welcome! It's all part of the process and free motion quilting can be really weird on some machines. It might not break thread sometimes, but it will at other times. Just be vigilant about paying attention to the machine and the quilt and your thread all at the same time to try to pick up patterns in why it breaks. You'll get there!

[@eileenfb1948]

Ah Leah! I've had that problem, so frustrating. Thank you, thank you so much. At last I know why should it happen again.

[@LeahDay]

+eileenfb1948 - Yes, this is really frustrating, but so long as you're willing to shift the quilt more often, you should see a lot of improvement.

[@nanab573]

Great information!

[@denises7388]

Thank you. Excellent advice that I'm going to try..

[@LeahDay]

Wonderful! I'm so glad you found this video helpful!

[@valarina2008]

great video!!! thank you.

[@LeahDay]

I'm so glad you enjoyed this video!

[@jcim6438]

Thanks.

[@LeahDay]

Melanie Gibson - Hmm...this could be caused my a lot of different things. Did you change thread or bobbins? Are you sure your bobbin thread is the same? Check your stitching direction? Sometimes a new needle can be bent and as you're in a hurry to get back to quilting you may have missed a guide as you've threaded the machine. Just a few ideas off the top of my head!

[@barbelschroder316]

Hi Leah, I made a double size quilt on a domestic machine and had the same problem with skipped stiches even when I was making swirls or some thing like this. I recognized that the top thread winded around the needle, everytimes this happened. I do not know why this happened and it was very frustating. And I haven't find a solution yet

[@LeahDay]

At least you know what was causing it - that particular design. Avoid that design for right now, or just minimize how much you use it in future quilts. It could be how the thread is feeding into your machine. I love using a Spool Stand instead of the thread pins on my machine. That way the thread feeds up and into the machine and has less twist than when it spins off the spool.

[@barbelschroder316]

I will give it a try the next time

[@suzannemiller993]

I do FMQ on domestic machines. I find if I start at the bottom edge of the quilt and work upwards the quilt will fall into my lap as it is quilted. Less stress on the quilt and me!

[@ivy-lynnestein8760]

Thank you very much I am going to try that

[@LeahDay]

Wonderful!

[@melindagibson8606]

love your advise.. but I'm still having problems.. I already cleaned.. 2 new needles in a row.. still doing it!! skipped a stitch over 1 inch long!! uhg

[@petuniapetal211]

Same here! I’m so frustrated. Trying to sew straight lines on quilted trivet, and I get long stitches, sometimes 2” long, and if I try to sew over same spot again, it happens again. Don’t know what to do. Have put in a new needle, changed threads, etc. Nothing works! 😫😫😫

[@rondianderson4402]

I'm struggling with this as well and my understanding is that it's an over all tension issue, meaning loosen up the bobbin tension a bit and then balance the top tension to it.

[@petuniapetal211]

@@rondianderson4402 I actually got a great response from another site, and it worked! The suggestion was to use a Denim/Jeans needle (16/100) whilst still using my regular cotton thread (not denim weight thread). The skipped stitches were gone!

[@jennyblackney1007]

Thanks for the tip - however I have done this stitch - swirls - on quite a few quilts now and never had any issues. I did have a brand new needle in this time that is for my machine however it has only just started doing it. The bobbin is fine however it is skipping stitches on the top. Any suggestions would be helpful.

[@kdan4594]

I’m currently doing straight line quilting on my first quilt. I’ve tried almost everything to get it to stop skipping stitches and it’s driving me nuts! I just want to finish my quilt!

[@LeahDay]

Slow down. Breathe. Take a break. Come back to this when you can go really really slowly and break the issue down into very manageable pieces and think through each step very logically.

[@47retta]

What brand is your longarm?

[@saint-lex]

Thankyou for this! My mum was in the exact same position as your dad and she was ready to kick her machine 😂 this really helped!

[@LeahDay]

Wonderful! I'm so happy you both found this helpful!

[@amyweinstein1740]

😄

[@rrjohn5]

Thank you for that! 🤯That never occurred to me and you are spot on. Skipped stitches always happen when I'm pushing the quilt backwards.

[@LeahDay]

Glad it was helpful!

[@shannonleblanc2725]

My long arm quilts really well going to the left and downwards. Moving to the right and upwards not so much. How can I change this so I can move right and upwards? I can't always go left and downwards?

[@LeahDay]

I would bet this has to do with the height of your quilt over the machine bed. See if you can lower your back rail so there is only 1/4-inch gap between the quilt and the longarm. Also check your foot height. Issues like this are usually a result of the quilt and foot bouncing too much which effects the needle and thread.

[@SurvivalOfTheBeardest]

Very helpful!

[@LeahDay]

Thank you Eric!

[@dragonflydbetts]

I am struggling so hard to tame this beast :(

[@LeahDay]

Keep going! You can do it!

[@GardenRudiments]

This was my first day trying to learn to free motion quilt. Everything you said is what I have been experiencing. Thank you for this video!

[@LeahDay]

You're super welcome! I'm so happy you found this video helpful!

[@debjacobson9800]

Thank you Leah ♥️

[@sevenandthelittlestmew]

I was taught that the problem happens after the tension knob, so either the thread is catching on burrs in the machine or needle (I usually increase my needle one size to compensate), or the thread itself can have frays or burrs, so... what does it mean when the machine just doesn’t like one direction or the other? Is it a totally different beast with a longarm?

[@LeahDay]

Yes, quilting on a home machine is a totally different beast from quilting on a longarm. A longarm is designed for free motion quilting. A home machine is not. While yes, burrs can be the issue, most times the thread untwists adn then shreds, the issue is the direction you're quilting or how the thread is feeding through the machine.

[@robbingreen8221]

Thankyou for this video, still learning I am sure I am doing ok, its the direction my machine dont like...lol tytyty

[@LeahDay]

You're very welcome Robbin!

[@Gamer-Crafts]

I'm very new to quilting. Coming from a mainly garment making. Very recently started FMQ. Your videos are great help and educational.I have a peculiar problem. Sometimes, when I try to pull my bottom thread to the top of the garment, I notice that one particular cone of thread doesn't lock that first stitch, and the top thread doesn't catch and pull the bottom thread. However, all my other cones work well. I use the same brand, same weight of thread for all my sewing. I also use the same exact thread for the top and bottom threads. Yet this one particular cone never seem to work. My question is, why would such thing occur ?? I change my needle every 3rd day. Clean and oil my machine every week. All my threads work but that particular one. Even weirder, while regular sewing, that problematic thread sews like a dream!!! Thank you very much.

[@LeahDay]

It's good that you're paying so close attention to issues like this! Yes, it happens, but it's hard to say exactly why. I had a super sized cone of Isacord that would loop off big loops of thread that would knot up and cause breaks as it fed through the machine. No other spool ever did that except that one spool! The best thing to do is use it up quick so you can buy a new spool that isn't finicky!

[@Gamer-Crafts]

Thank you very much for your feedback...

[@carathrenL]

Greatly appreciate the info however, how do you 'change direction of the quilt a little' when you are on a long arm. I am having exactly the issue you described, long wavy lines, and skipping stitches when moving back. Any other tips? TIA

[@LeahDay]

I meant rotate the quilt slightly there. Sometimes just a quarter turn can be enough to change the direction of the quilt so the thread stops skipping. Sometimes you'll need to rotate the quilt around in order to avoid it. You just need to play and experiment and see what will work and how much you need to shift the quilt so it will cooperate with you.

[@carathrenL]

Thank you Leah. I was just not sure how to rotate the quilt 'slightly' when it is on the longarm without totally turning it.. You are awesome and a true inspiration to so many of us! :-)

[@jenniferfarsh675]

Another great tip!

[@LeahDay]

+Jennifer Farsh - I'm so glad you liked this video! Feel free to share it with your friends!

[@thecelticglider3627]

Hi Leah, love your videos. I'm new to longarm quilting and having some issues right out of the start gate. My stitches aren't catching the bobbie thread. I'll get a stitch here and there, but basically it's long stretches of no catching, and then my upper thread breaks. It's a brand new needle and the bobbin came wound from the company (Q'nique 15r from Grace). I've adjusted the hopping foot height. Rethreaded multiple times trying the spool on both sides to see if it helped. After adjusting the hopping foot, I can get a few inches of stitches as long as I go slow and in a straight line. If I speed up or make a turn, it doesn't catch the bobbin thread and eventually breaks. This is a brand new machine so all set to whatever the factory settings are. I'm so frustrated and feeling like I just wasted $3000+. I have the Q-zone hoop frame to go with it.

[@LeahDay]

Have you checked your needle? I had this issue crop up for a customer last week and her needle was slightly bent. Skipping is typically caused by the needle not being seated fully into the machine or not facing the right way. Also check the height of the quilt resting over the machine. You can adjust the height on the Q-Zone easily and if it's too high, that could be contributing to your issues. Also keep in mind that factory settings can shift slightly in transit. Your needle may not be in the same location when it left Utah and shipped to you. Work slowly through each step. Here's a video that may help: kzbin.info/www/bejne/bX_NdoyiZceXe9k

[@jasonroach8751]

Electronic controls? Check menu for correct free motion presser foot setting. Woulda saved us hours of frustration and colorful expletives!