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Modern Art Quilters
Sewing Machines and Other Tools for The Best Quilting Results...

SEWING MACHINES FOR BEGINNERS (and more advanced students!)

by Helen Howes ONGOING SERIES: PART 9 - TENSIONS!

Now, I have lost count of the number of times I have been told "My teacher told me never to adjust the tension" - this is like buying a Mercedes and attempting all journeys in third gear only. All that happens is that your sewing is less pleasing and your patchwork is weakened.
Now here's a typical tension unit

and you can see that there are two discs, like dinner-plates back to back. The thread needs to sit nicely down between these plates in order to be nicely controlled. So, if you look, when you lift the presser foot on your machine, you will see the discs move slightly, as they open up. This allows the thread to nestle. So, Thread with the foot UP - every time.

Then, when you lower the foot, the tension is applied and you are ready to sew. On modern machines the tension unit may be hidden inside, but if you peer, you will see the movement.

Ideally the threads should meet exactly in the middle of your work like so

not like this

If the tension is at all uneven, your seams will be wonky. And the current fashion for pressed-open seams in patchwork makes this even more obvious.
So, if you have little bumps on top of your work, lower the tension on top slightly (towards the lower numbers) and if underneath, make it a little tighter. In all of this, make sure the tension is not so tight that the work puckers..

Now, sometimes you will find you get HUGE loops on one side or the other. If on the bottom, it's a Top Thread Problem - take the thread out completely and redo, paying attention to the bit above about the foot. If on top, the bobbin is probably unthreaded, make sure it has some "pull" on it. If this does not fix the problem, check there is nothing caught in the thread path - sometimes a little bit of thread or fabric caught up in the path will completely discombobulate your machine. Poke it gently with a pin...
So, be patient, check every time you rethread. I once had to completely unpick a student's quilt because she had not at any point looked at the back. The top thread was so loose that the stitches pulled right out from one side to the other. easy for me, but what a waste of nice thread, time, and energy..
Happy sewing!