Saturday, March 08, 2008

Shhh...

... I'm hiding from my sewing machine. :(

I still haven't gotten the tension problem fixed! If the thread is wonky on the bottom, I'll make a 1/10th of an adjustment on my tension dial and then it's wonky on the top! And we're not talking about little pokies, but where the thread completely dominates one side.

The whole mess has given me a headache and I've mentally pictured myself chucking the machine down the stairs. :P

Honestly, I think the timing is off. I think it all began when I was working on the quarter square triangles two months ago. To make sure I got the SCANT 1/4th seam allowance needed, I moved my needle to one notch over to the right. I'm guessing somehow sewing in that position over and over, and maybe even turning my machine off while the needle was still over to the right could have hurt things. I don't know. I don't see burrs or indications that my needle is hitting anything in the bobbin area.

At this point I still have a little more tweaking left with the tension (been fiddling both with the bobbin and top tensions) and for like 3.2 seconds it'll free-motion with good tension... then go out of whack. I just can't hold a consistent tension. I've cleaned and poked and prodded around the bobbin casein area for any flaws or problems. I long ago lost track of how many needles and re-threadings I've done. I've even used different bobbins (in case one was bent/out of shape). I'm really getting stretched thin on ideas and options.

Can anybody point to me how I could fix the timing on my Bernina 150 QE? Or should I be looking to see when I can fit a ride to Tucson for some shop time?

On the bright side... I don't have any deadlines or quilty commitments. I can survive without my machine. :)

Leah

6 comments:

Valerie said...

Wish I could help with your Bernina...as a matter of fact I wish I had a Bernina! I hope the problem is nothing major. :)

I have tagged you for an award, if you feel like playing along!

Shelina said...

I'm so sorry about your sewing machine problems. Hopefully it will take care of itself soon, and avoid a trip to the repair shop. Mine did that once, so I like to hold out for that possibility when I can! The only thing I would try that you haven't mentioned is changing thread.

Chrissie said...

Oh! What a bummer! and everything was looking so wonderful! I sure wish I could give you a helping hand, but I'm totally lost when it comes to mechanical difficulties. I sure hope you can get that problem fixed soon!
God bless you, Sweetheart!
Chrissie

Rose said...

After removing the thread and the bobbin, I would walk away from the mess for a while to begin with. Then go back and start from scratch after making sure there is no lint or string caught in the bobbin race/area. This is one of those times that it is probably something simple...let us know what you find out.

Sheree said...

I don't have a bernina but I have a husqvarna that was doing the same thing. Try moving your needle over a little further to the left again. Sometimes when you move the needle left or right to get scant seams the needle doesn't want to go back into the normal position like you want it to. That might help.

QuiltingFitzy said...

OK..here's my thought!

I bought bobbins that were supposed to be for my machine. They must be one millimeter smaller or something because I cannot use them in my machine without getting an irregular tension problem. Could you have a bad batch? Maybe buy few more from the dealer?