Thread: Sewing machine woes...

Dearest bhuzzers,
for a while now my sewing machine has decided to violently protest against my amateurish attempts to use it. The upper thread keeps snapping, I've broken several needles, and the lower bobbin thread makes unsightly loops and clusters on the reverse side of the fabric. I've tried playing around with tension, different needles, types of thread, kinds of stiches and even fabrics, with no success, so I turn to you, the gods/goddesses of sewing, for aid!
Please?
xx
Athena

I'm no expert, but I think it would help if you give more info about your sewing machine... brand name, model number... :)

Is the bobbin thread going in the right direction? Mine has to go into the bobbin casing counter clockwise. Try flipping the direction of yours and see if that helps.

What lylagus said.

Then...

Double check everything. Double check the threading, both top and bottom. Does the top thread actually go in between the tension disks or does it just look like it does? Check that again...

I've spent more time screaming at sewing machines and sergers because I thought the thread was in between the disks when it was really just sitting on the lips...

Is the needle installed in the correct direction?

It sounds like an upper threading/tension problem at first blush. How are you breaking needles? If the bobbin isn't properly installed, the needle can hit it and break on some machines.

Was the machine working correctly and suddenly didn't? Or was it taken out of storage and immediate problems ensued?

Troubleshooting machine problems via the Internet is always an interesting proposition...

My machines act like that when they are not kept cleaned and oiled.
I also put drops of silicone on my thread and bobbin because my treadle machine is over a hundred years old and appreciates a bit of help.

Ditto what others said about making sure bobbin is positioned correctly and thread threaded correctly. Even after 45 years of sewing I sometimes space out.

Although it could be a malfunction of the machine, this sounds like it is almost certainly a problem with the way it is threaded, or the way the bobbin is placed, or the way the needle is inserted.

Make sure you have the needle inserted the correct way. The top of the needle should have a flat side and a round side. The flat side generally faces the back of the machine.

Make sure you have the machine threaded correctly. Do you have the manual that came with it? If not, get online and find one for download or for sale.

What kind of fabric are you trying to sew? Until you get the machine working properly, it would be best to to the test sewing with a piece of light to midweight cotton.

See if your local sewing machine shop does repairs- if so, take it in and ask them to give it a service.

Many sewing machine shops will also give lessons on how to use them effectively, so you could maybe take a lesson or two with them, so you can make sure you are using it right, and you can ask questions about those areas of information you are lacking.