Can't Machine Quilt...Why Does Machine Skip?

[dandar]

I sew quilt with a brother (older embroidery machine) they are quite touch about the needle....I have found if the needle is dull and/or wrong needle for the fabric it will skip stitches like that. usually has nothing to do with the tention..may have to loosen it a bit.. make sure feed dogs are in down position i like to make several small stitches then extend my stitches to what ever longer stitch i want to use for the project. this helps to tie the stitching instead of back stitching..

 

[dandar]

Try a different needle. Clean out dust from lower part where the little spool goes. . Check for pieces of thread that may be stuck there. Looks like you do have the adjustments down pact, Experiment on some scrap cloth. When stitch comes right then you succeeded. WISHING YOU BEST. I am not a seamstress, but my mother was. As a result, I picked up sewing. I just do it occasionally and mostly for repair. Have done it since childhood. We had pedal manual machines. I still have moms machine as memento. Am way better at sewing than my wife. She will admit to that.

ooo definitely the dust...that really causes havoc in the bobbin area

 

[speckledhen]

Thanks for your input.

The dust is out, trust me. This machine is really touchy about that. So far, with feed dogs up and stitches at 3-4 mm, it's working great! I can do it! It's not skipping at all, just have to keep a steady pace. I'm probably not really ready for free motion quilting, need something to follow, but just that little tidbit about the longer stitch length helped tremendously. I'll have to get some more cheapie batting to play with so I can do the feed dogs down free motion stuff.

I've seen some folks have those extra large extension tables they buy for their machines and/or they use a silicone spray to help slide the fabric-do either of you have one of those huge table things you attach to your machine? I have a regular table that came with mine but not one of the expensive super large ones.



ETA: Tried feed dogs down. Can't get fabric to even move a smidge. With them up, works great. I also have one of those darning feet in addition to the walking foot, maybe that is what you need for free motion? This one:

 

[sunflour]

Hey @sunflour ! Look at this! Not great, but I think I may be getting somewhere! Thank you! This was set at a 3 mm.

This looks great….the real secret once you got your stitches going is to relax and go slow… I know this is practice, but this would be a keepie.

 

[sunflour]

Thanks for your input.

The dust is out, trust me. This machine is really touchy about that. So far, with feed dogs up and stitches at 3-4 mm, it's working great! I can do it! It's not skipping at all, just have to keep a steady pace. I'm probably not really ready for free motion quilting, need something to follow, but just that little tidbit about the longer stitch length helped tremendously. I'll have to get some more cheapie batting to play with so I can do the feed dogs down free motion stuff.

I've seen some folks have those extra large extension tables they buy for their machines and/or they use a silicone spray to help slide the fabric-do either of you have one of those huge table things you attach to your machine? I have a regular table that came with mine but not one of the expensive super large ones.



ETA: Tried feed dogs down. Can't get fabric to even move a smidge. With them up, works great. I also have one of those darning feet in addition to the walking foot, maybe that is what you need for free motion? This one:

I don't use an extension table…have a Singer Xl 1000, drop the feed dogs, attach the embroider darning foot = looks a lot like that but metal. Instructions said to use zig zag at narrow width, long stitch, but mine does better at straight stitch, 3-4 mm……If you are doing free hand, don't worry relax, but don't try to move the quilt fast. Don't worry if it's not perfect, when all is finished only you will notice. Your sample you posted with feed dogs up is working. Maybe your feed dogs are really down?? When you set the feed dogs if they are down, the surface on the sewing plate area is smooth. When they are up, you will see and feel the dog teeth sitting up. Regardless, your sewing example looks great. The rule is try not to cross lines and not go too long in one direction. Front to back is easier, sideways go really slow. But personally I like loops, swirls and love to break the rules...

Good luck on a real project. Try using latex or rubber gloves to hold the item, or those curved with open end holding things for machine quilting, to keep the layers together.

Break the rules….start at a side, not the middle like most say. and work slowly across and out and around. I have done a full size quilt without the extension…but your arms and shoulders will tell the tale!!

Don't give up. Quilting by machine gets results much quicker than by hand.

Of course, I still need thimble practice, cannot get the hang of non-motorized stuff….

 

[speckledhen]

I don't use an extension table…have a Singer Xl 1000, drop the feed dogs, attach the embroider darning foot = looks a lot like that but metal. Instructions said to use zig zag at narrow width, long stitch, but mine does better at straight stitch, 3-4 mm……If you are doing free hand, don't worry relax, but don't try to move the quilt fast. Don't worry if it's not perfect, when all is finished only you will notice. Your sample you posted with feed dogs up is working. Maybe your feed dogs are really down?? When you set the feed dogs if they are down, the surface on the sewing plate area is smooth. When they are up, you will see and feel the dog teeth sitting up. Regardless, your sewing example looks great. The rule is try not to cross lines and not go too long in one direction. Front to back is easier, sideways go really slow. But personally I like loops, swirls and love to break the rules...

Good luck on a real project. Try using latex or rubber gloves to hold the item, or those curved with open end holding things for machine quilting, to keep the layers together.

Break the rules….start at a side, not the middle like most say. and work slowly across and out and around. I have done a full size quilt without the extension…but your arms and shoulders will tell the tale!!

Don't give up. Quilting by machine gets results much quicker than by hand.

Of course, I still need thimble practice, cannot get the hang of non-motorized stuff….

Couldn't have done it without you! Finally! Even if I just do crosshatching, I'll be so happy to get something done faster than it takes to do it by hand, though I do prefer the look of fine hand quilting, generally. My poor hands are really not getting any better with age, though.

 

[dandar]

yes with feed dogs down position and using a darning foot for free motion u have to move the fabric by hand which i think give u better control of curves etc but practice practice practice is the real thing here....also go to you tube and type in free motion quilting or quilting there is all kinds of videos u can watch...very good ones!! Or there is videos at craftsy.com also that are very good to watch that teach u alot so they may help to...if the project is small sometimes i use my walking foot otherwise the darning foot but u have to be very careful of the bottom layer...practice practice practice.....sometimes i will trace a pattern from fabric or a book on to either tracing paper or freezer paper( wax side down) and if u press freezer paper with dry iron it will temporarily stick to the fabric and i use that to quilt with i just sew through it and tear it off...tracing paper is lighter and it just tears right off also....if i need to see where the stitching is going specifically i use the tracing paper i do a lot of machine quilting on my household machine so if u would like some extra tips be glad to help i love to quilt by hand but do to a back injury i am not able to do it anymore...
I also have done queen size quilts on my brother and DO NOT use one of those extension tables, but a pile of books or phone book at the end of your arm on machine works just as good if not better. lol...have fun and keep practicing!!


phone call doodling makes great free motion...i usually start my quilting at the side or straight stitch my boarders then start on the quilt top itself...if u are going to try some phone call doodling make sure to not make circles very small and keep your corners free and not sharp..hearts and leaves and circles of all sizes work great....

also a large childs coloring book works great for ideas to make quilts from if anyone wants nice applique patterns...lol

 

[speckledhen]

I've seen quite a few youtubes, they look so easy, but my machine just didn't cooperate, didn't understand the settings. Maybe I can try again, knowing what I know now. I've used freezer paper to make quilt patterns years ago, so I'm familiar with it, but I've never done paper piecing where you tear it away. I can see how tracing paper would make it easier to see where you're going on the fabric because you can't see through freezer paper. I have an entire roll of freezer paper, though. I just have to get used to making the motions/designs, as you say.

I am doing an ugly little project now to practice just doing regular lines with the walking foot. I had some 9 patch blocks that I didn't use in a bed quilt years ago because the red color in them was all wrong, so I just put them all together in a little 28x46 lap type quilt and put it away. Yesterday, I pulled it out and decided it would be good just to crosshatch quilt on. Walmart still had some of that same exact red from years ago on their discount shelf so I got a yard for the back, a crib quilt size cheap batting and I'm working on it just to use as a chair throw.

Some of the straight lines are not so straight-just using a walking foot itself is really different for me, as you know, in that I have to control it more than a regular foot, it moves more freely, and I have to go really slow and steady, a strain on the shoulders and upper arms; the upside is that doing it by hand would go much slower than this and has its own challenges(plus the finish line is much further away), so I'll keep trying, get the straight lines down by the time I get this little project done and try free motion on something else. I have a couple of 12" blocks that aren't in anything I could sandwich and use for practice.

My first practice project

 

[wyoDreamer]

I leave the feed dogs up when I machine quilt. I find that it helps me keep the stitches more even. It is also really helpful to use the embroidery foot that you posted a picture of. I have a metal one and a plastic one, I use the metal one more often but only because I use it more often so it is easier to find. lol
I have a couple of those practice quilts handing around as animal blankets. They don't mind that the stitching is not straight or that the circles cross.
I am such a cheapo that I have a hard time changing out the sewing needle, but it really makes a difference. One rule of thumb is a new needle for a new project. I keep the old ones for sewing on craft fabrics, like burlap and such.

 

[speckledhen]

I leave the feed dogs up when I machine quilt. I find that it helps me keep the stitches more even. It is also really helpful to use the embroidery foot that you posted a picture of. I have a metal one and a plastic one, I use the metal one more often but only because I use it more often so it is easier to find. lol
I have a couple of those practice quilts handing around as animal blankets. They don't mind that the stitching is not straight or that the circles cross.
I am such a cheapo that I have a hard time changing out the sewing needle, but it really makes a difference. One rule of thumb is a new needle for a new project. I keep the old ones for sewing on craft fabrics, like burlap and such.

I'm not sure I have another needle, only what came with the machine. I know not long ago, I bent one and changed it out so it's not very old. Have to see if I have anymore. My son had a Brother, too, a lesser model than mine, and I have his supplies here so maybe there is another needle in his stuff, will check that.