TENSION - Not Yours, The Thread's

When machine tension is right, your machine sews beautifully. When it's not, you can pull your hair out. Getting it right is tricky. Most of us know the basics. The bobbin thread should be the middle one-third of the back of your stitching. This is easy to say, not so easy to achieve consistently.

There are several factors that can affect your machine's tension. Upper tension is obvious~ the first thing you should check. The easiest way to check your tension is to sew out three uppercase Is. Check the balance of the upper thread to the bobbin thread. If you don't have enough bobbin thread, check to see if the upper thread is too loose. This will also indicate that your bobbin thread is too tight. Check both to see if they are within the guidelines of your machine. Do not adjust the bobbin thread more than a quarter turn of the screw at one time. Turn the screw counter clockwise to loosen the tension and clockwise to tighten it (Righty-Tighty - Lefty-Loosie). After adjusting, check the tension again by sewing out the three Is.

Thread type can also affect your tension. If you are using rayon thread, your tensions will have to be a little looser because the tensile strength of rayon is not the same as that of polyester. Polyester can stand a tighter tension and needs a tighter tension to avoid looping.

Your needle may also affect your tension. If you have a dull needle it may not be picking up the bobbin thread exactly the way it should.

Speed can also affect tension. If your tension seems a little too tight, slow the machine down a little and see if this changes it.

Also check your needle depth as well as timing of your machine if none of the above adjustments work.

Once you get the hang of adjusting your machine's tension correctly, YOUR tension level will drop as well.

Oklahoma Embroidery and Design (OED)