I am by no means an expert on frame quilting. I’m still in the “hmmm, I think I could try a flower now” stage. I have a short arm machine (Janome 1600P-DB) on a Little Gracie II frame. When I started using this, it was absolute agony. It didn’t work. I got a mess of thread, or the thread broke, or some other catastrophe happened, so I ignored the monster in my basement for four months. Finally I did some research, asked some questions, and came up with this list. It is not an exhaustive list, so if you have any suggestions to add to it, please let me know.
TROUBLESHOOTING IDEAS – THREAD BREAKS, NEEDLE BREAKS, AND LOOPS ON THE BACK
If you’re having a problem with thread or needle breakage, loops on the bottom, or skipped stitches, try the suggestions below.
1. Set your bobbin tension first, then your thread tension. The bobbin should be loose – if you hold the tail of thread in your hand it (and maybe give a little flick) it should unspool easily and drop all the way to the ground. Loosen the bobbin tension a tiny bit at a time until you get this. Load the quilt and sew through a small practice piece (the size of a sheet of paper, but all three layers). Use different colored thread top and bottom so you can see what’s happening. If the top thread pulls through to the bottom, tighten the thread tension. If the bottom thread pulls through to the top, loosen the thread tension.
2. Make sure your needle is big enough. You need at least a 16, preferably an 18 needle for frame quilting. Too small a needle will often lead to thread breakage. It’s important that you get the right needle for your machine.
3. Be sure the needle is inserted correctly and all the way up. Check your book for the correct way to insert the needle.
4. Use good quality thread, and make sure the size is appropriate for the job (and for the needle). The higher the number, the finer the thread. I was able to use my Aurifil 50 thread with a 14 needle until I got the larger needles. If you use 40 or lower thread (I’ve used 28), be sure to use a 16 or 18 needle. Some variegated threads are reputed to be more likely to break – I haven’t experienced that myself yet. Try different brands – some people love Aurifil, Superior, YLI, Coats & Clark, and some people hate Aurifil, Superior, YLI, Coats & Clark. You need to try them for yourself to find out what works.
5. The quilt should not be too tight on the frame. You should be able to poke a finger up from the bottom and grip it through the quilt on top. The side clamps are there only to keep it straight, not tight. I’ve even quilted several passes without using the side clamps, and everything worked fine.
6. The take up rail should just barely clear the bottom of the machine. You should be able to slide a finger under the bar, but that’s about it. You’ll need to adjust this as you get further into the quilt.
7. I’ve heard that you should only quilt left to right from the front of the frame (when you’re doing free motion quilting) and right to left from the back of the frame (when you’re using pantographs or templates). When you finish one pass, clip the thread, return the carriage to the left side, roll the quilt to the next space, and start again from the left. If you’re having trouble moving one direction, try this. If you’re able to quilt in both directions, don’t worry about it.
8. Set the foot pressure dial (on the top of your machine above the needle) to 0. Set the stitch length to 0 also, since you’re moving the machine – the machine isn’t moving the fabric.
9. Check that your feed dog cover is securely in place. Some people tape it down, others remove their feed dogs entirely if the machine will only be used for frame quilting.
10. DON’T FORGET TO PUT YOUR PRESSER FOOT DOWN! This is the number one cause of thread looping on the back.
11. If you are going fine for a while and suddenly the thread starts looping or breaking, check in the bobbin area for a stray piece of thread. A tiny piece of thread caught in the works will muck up everything. Use a flashlight and a long pair of tweezers and get right down in there to look. You might even want to take off the needle plate and check in there – I once had a foot long piece of thread get wound around a shaft in there.
12. Make sure your carriage moves smoothly in all directions, and the vibration is minimal. If there are any problems, check that your frame is level side to side and front to back. Check that there aren’t any problems with the rollers or rails.
13. If you change your thread or your batting, you should do a test before starting. You may have to adjust your tension, including bobbin tension.
I just purchased the Next Generation Quilt Frame from Grace. It will hold a king size and we have it set up in our diningroom right now. My sewing room is under construction so this is easier right now. I am really lucky because both my husband and neighbor are really great at setting things up and they got it level and it works great. I am O.K. at meandering right now and starting to work on using a pantogapgh to follow. I just want to tell you that reading your site was great! Thanks for all of your imput. Monica Boisvert
i am looking to purchase the pfaff gnd quilter and next generation frame.I am totally new with this part of quilting. I have quilted in the past but this machine is new to me. I played with one at our local sew ctr and liked it very much. My only concern is the distance between the needle and frame (9in)of machine. When I attempt to do a quilt as large as a king or queen, do you have such a huge roll between the needle and sew framethat your are not able to finish the very end edge of the king/queen quilt? how big is your actual free hanc sewing area on the quilt when you have such a large roll there. I failed to ask these questions while I was there and I find it better to ask someone who has done this already. thanks for a ANY input anyone has. p
Pam, I did a 108″ quilt on my frame, and I managed it by turning the quilt midway through. Quilt from the top to the halfway point, then take everything off the frame, turn it around, and roll it back on. The “bottom” part (the backing, top and batting that has NOT been quilted) will all be rolled onto the top bar. The “top” part that has been quilted will roll onto one of the other bars. Roll it back so you are in the middle where you left off, then work backward, unrolling it from the top bar for each pass.
Hi ,Sandy,
I talked to you around March 20 or 21 about your Basket Case. Could you please contact me at the email address above.
Thanks,
Donna Nix
can you tell me if you can quilt with your frame and machine the stitch in the ditch.
It’s difficult, but I imagine it’s possible. You could put something on the frame to keep the machine from rolling forward and backward. It would be fairly easy to sew a straight line left to right. You’d have to take the quilt off and reload it sideways to sew the “up and down” lines. By turning the quilt, they would be sewn left to right. You could also try using a thick template, but you need a special kind of foot to work with the template.
Could you share how you made your leaders and the source of the ticking used? I am the new owner of a used Sturdy-Lite frame and want better leaders than what the previous owner gave me (muslin). I guess my specific question in addition to where you bought the fabric would be: did you put a ‘casing’ at the pin-on edge? Thanks in advance!
Now, i am not a quilter, so most of this stuff is beyond me…but that equipment in the pic sure looks massive!
Hi, I have had the machine and Inspira frame for many years but find thread issues with all I’ve tried as have most others with it. What thread do you use and are you also unable to sew other previous stitching as in loop designs? My frame is set up 110″ but quilts to 108″. Also I don’t use clamps on flimsy, just batting & backing. If you need more clamps they are sold for about $16 each thru the company but are actually 39 cent tarp holder clamps from the hardware store. Gigi.