Tips for using a vintage sewing machine (tension and thread jams/nests)
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- Опубліковано 15 жов 2024
- in the this video I show you how to understand tension problems, what can effect tension, what causes thread jams/nesting and ways to stop it happening
Brilliant explanation, thank you so much! Reminded me of some of the problems my Mum had sewing when I was a kid - she would have loved you back then! Tension was always a head scratcher but you have explained it so very well, thank you! 🙏🤩
Thank you so much 🥰🥰🥰
This has answered a lot of questions so thank you for all the info. Also for the comments section, for i too have had a rogue thread strand which caused skipped stitches and a lot of head scratching until i finally located and removed it. The only plus side was that my machine got a thorough cleaning out and oiling in the process 😀
Ah yes, it amazes me the trouble a teeny piece of thread can cause, but does mean the machines gets a good clean ❤️
Amazing explanatory video. Thanks for the video 🙏
The tension meter was a great purchase (I bought one from Phil too). I've used it to check the bobbin tension on all my machines, including my 128k shuttle. It's far more accurate that the "drop" test 😁
Oooh tension meter, isn't that to do with adjusting the tension in your bobbin thingy? Have you a video on that too?
@@viviennebolton4358 yes! It's made by the Featherweight shop (I don't have a video, but they do on their channel). It works for all bobbins, great little tool 🥰
For cross wound spools I found that a thread stand helps. I used to have a thread jam all the time with crosswound spools till I got a thread stand.
I love using a thread stand or a thread post. I have found that the 201 and 221 both prefer it, but my 66k handles cross wound threads beautifully. The 201s and 221s are a little more fussy 😁
@@sewythingy My 66 gets cranky with the cross wounds.
There is one other "mystery" thing that can happen to cause thread nests that seem to happen at random - often when you're part way through your stitching and when everything has been fine. And that is not properly threading your machine. If you don't get the thread properly "in between" the tension discs or you forget to take your thread through the take-up-lever you can get some good stitches and then - Wham! Jam! Makes you want to say D...ash it all! If you've missed these things (and they can be so easy to not notice) then you can spend a huge amount of time twiddling with the tension settings, putting your needle down first, holding your thread at the start etc and still the mystery, intermittent loopy jams happen at random. You can think your machine must be broken. I highly recommend if ever you're stitching along just fine and then have problems you stop and ask yourself "have I rethreaded my machine recently - and was having no problems before that?". If the answer is "Yes" then nearly all the time it's because your top thread is not threaded properly through the entire threading path.
Absolutely! I learned that the long way round.
One of my machines had an angry take up spring which would randomly unhook the thread, but wouldn't notice it straight away. I've since changed the spring and it doesn't happen anymore.
With owning one machine it isn't too bad to get into a habit of threading correctly, but does become more difficult when you have multiple machines where the needle is threaded different ways, some like crosswound and some hate it. The joys of tension problems eh! So many variables 😁
@@sewythingy So true - I once had a devil of a time trying to figure out why I was getting lots of skipped stitches all of a sudden. It took me an embarrassing amount of time to realise I'd threaded the needle right-to-left instead of left-to-right. I felt equal parts relieved and silly when I realised what I'd done wrong. :-)
I've done that loads of times putting my needle in the wrong way. I've now written it down for each machine so I don't make the mistake.
The worst one was my featherweight.... It randomly started skipping the odd stitch and hated more than 2 layers of fabric. Took me months to find out it was a tiny piece of thread that had got caught behind the bobbin cradle. It can't have been more than 1/2 inch long, but that pesky tiny bit of thread had me scratching my head for so long. Argh!