Not my best day ever…First a pic…then a cautionary tale…
That’s what was on the machine yesterday…should have taken me two to three hours…took me all day…sigh*
While I was basting the top I jammed the needle…then the needle broke…damn…changed the needle…finished basting and started quilting…skipped stitches while stitching toward the take-up bar…damn…both the quilt top and the backing were batiks which I have heard can cause this problem BUT I have quilted a couple of hundred batik top and bottom quilts…no problems…check thread path…loosen tension…still skipping…grab my manual (RTFM!) not enough info…I keep hearing “timing, timing, timing” in my head…call my dealer to see if there is something ELSE simple I can check before starting the dreaded timing process (I have had my machine for over 7 years and have NEVER had to time it!)
Darling Josh suggests that I may have to adjust the needle bar and starts to walk me through it…by the third time I ask him to repeat himself, he asks if I have Rick’s Maint. DVD…well, dang! I forgot I had that! Josh tells me to watch the section on needle bar adjustment and then call him back.
The DVD is great by the way…except they have this neat enlarging capability that allows you to see the needle eye on the screen in a way that it is totally obvious and easy to make the adjustment…in REAL life the eye is tiny and tucked into the nice dark bobbin casing at the point where you need to see which way to adjust AND the set screw is …well, anyway let’s just say it freaking impossible to even SEE properly much less tighten the set screw and not shift the bar out of proper position…damn!
So I make what I THINK is the proper adjustment…put things back together…drag my lights and magnifiers out of the way and start quilting again…better, but still the occasional skipped stitches…damn…so I slow down and nurse it through the- quilt…sometimes it goes quite a while before I unknowingly speed up and …arrrrrrrgh!
Maybe it’s a combination of the batiks, the heavy cotton thread AND the needle bar not being exactly right…so I finish the quilt and decide to throw on a muslin quilt sandwich…change to my regular go-to, always works thread and see what happens…I figure if I still skip stitches then at least I know it’s the machine and not the quilt or thread combo that is the problem and I can work on it until my chief mechanic gets home.
As I am changing threads and go to slip the new thread through the needle I notice that the eye of the needle is not front and center…it’s turned not quite a quarter turn to the left (as I am facing it)…no, really?! No…that can’t be it…really?!
I begin quilting on my practice piece…I quilted for over a half hour…perfect stitches…no matter what twists and turns I put it through…no matter how fast or slow I go…un-freaking believable…
So, the moral of the story is – it’s almost never the machine…it’s the operator…if I had inserted the new needle properly…well…you get the picture.
And BTW…WHY doesn’t my quilting machine have a flat sided needle base so I can’t insert it improperly like my DSM has?!
That is my cautionary tale for today…remember to check all the little, simple things first (I thought I did!) before moving on to major adjustments…sigh*
Enjoyed your post today…I hate days like that! It’s good to hear you found the problem and back on track!
Oh no, what a frustrating day for you!!! I had a similar rough hour or two when I first got a little “Featherweight”… no instruction booklet….the needle goes left to right, and I was trying to make it go left to right…. silly me. Just was soooo used to my newer machine. At least you didn’t have to rip out the stitches. Huge job. Beautiful colours in that quilt… soft shades.
UGH!! I hate days like that! Especially when they are at the beginning of the week!!
Boy can we feel your frustration. I have often wondered why the needles aren’t more fool proof. I mean…DSM’s have them so why don’t industrial machines?
Sorry you had such a frustrating day!
It’s always the small stuff, isn’t it? Glad you got it figured out. And it’s nice to know that even you have days like that. : )
Been there! I started stitching after thread came out of needle and couldn’t believe the skips and terrible tension. I was dreading retiming my Gammill too. Luckily i glanced up and realized the thread path was wrong. DUH ! the simplest thing!
Just to add to the ‘oh nuts’ portion of your day, January 17 2012 is a Tuesday.
) Perhaps this means you get two Mondays this week.
LOL! That was my Monday…today – Tuesday has been much better!
T
From my bernina dealer I got a gadget used to insert the needles into a serger, works like a charm for inserting needles into my gammill. The needle thread hole is always perfectly lined up now or you can turn it slightly cause there is an arrow on the gadget and it cost less than $5.
Your quilting is beautiful as always.
Thanks for the info, Terry! I will check that out!!
T