What Could Be Wrong With My Sewing Machine????

**dolphin** · 04-18-2005, 01:34 AM

Help!!!!

Every 10 to 20 stitches, my machine is skipping two or three stitches. Sometimes it's even a longer skip!!!

I'm machine quilting a small quilt and my machine doesn't have a walking foot. It seems to be doing very well, not bunching or pulling the fabric underneath but it is definitely skipping.

What could be the problem? Am I pulling? Am I going to fast? Is it just too much for the machine? Could it be the tension?

Any ideas?

**KatieInLa2** · 04-18-2005, 08:51 AM

Put a new needle in and see if it helps. Use at least a 14 sharp or quilting needle.

**Michele Annette** · 04-18-2005, 09:16 AM

Yes, Skipped stitches are usually caused by a needle that is the incorrect size for the fabric. Good Luck!!

**dolphin** · 04-18-2005, 11:45 AM

Awe, thanks ladies. I'll give that a try today.

**SewCrafty** · 04-18-2005, 05:30 PM

Yep, that's my thoughts too Carolyn. Let us know if it works.

**dolphin** · 04-21-2005, 01:44 AM

I changed the needle to a 14, no luck.
I re-threaded the needle and the bobbin, no luck.
Messed with the tension, no luck.
Changed to a different spool of thread, wahlah! Success!

I do have a tension adjustment on my bobbin and and the instructions say everytime I use a different size thread I need to adjust the bobbin tension. I've never messed with it before. I guess the tread was too thick or something. I'm stumped as it's the same kind of thread I always use but it is pretty old so maybe that was the problem.

Anyway, no more skips.

**Michele Annette** · 04-21-2005, 02:26 PM

Great! I'm glad something worked!

**dolphin** · 04-21-2005, 02:39 PM

Yes, but it's too bad I didn't notice it till I had done most of the machine quilting. I was sewing at night with brown thread and on mostly brown fabric. I spent all day yesterday searching for and repairing all the skipped threads. I found a couple more this morning. It sure was alot of extra work.