Thread Tension for Quilting
by Sharon
I want to free motion quilt a cream colored area with cream colored thread on top and blue in the bobbin to match the backing. Will that work? On my practice piece the blue poked through in a few places. How do I prevent that or what other options do I have? ANSWER Your top thread tension is too tight. Loosen it up a bit and that should help. When sewing machines leave the factory, they have preset tension settings. These settings are based on the fact that both the top and bobbin threads are identical in weight and fiber content. Now, it's perfectly fine to use varying thread weights in your projects. But, you'll have to make tension adjustments. When you see uniform stitches on both sides of your fabric, you'll know the tension is right. Here's a thread tension chart (with diagrams). It addresses thread tension problems, and shows you how to correct them. Very nice, indeed. Thanks for your question! |
