Tension Headache?

[Shirley MacLaine]

Okay! So I'm very new to the world of sewing. I got a machine recently and I've gotten around in the last couple of weeks to playing with it, following along with my book, practicing my straight stitch and stuff. I'm pleased with how much I've improved buuuuuuut... I can't seem to make one full pass without at least one loose loop on the bottom. I've tried like every tension setting and it doesn't seem to change (well, except to get worse on the other settings :P). I'm not sure... what I am doing wrong? Is it something I might be doing? Is it the tension?

 

Any helpful thoughts would be really appreciated!

[Bethella]

It sounds like a tension issue to me, but I'm not an expert by any means. What type of machine do you have? What type of fabric are you using? And what type of thread are you using?

[Shirley MacLaine]

It's a Brother XL-3750. I did some reading around last night and it seems some other people have had tension problems with the same machine right off the bat and there's a couple suggested fixes I'm going to try later.

I've just been cutting up old sheets and frankensteining them back together in different ways :P And I've just been using black polyester thread.

[Mango]

Two other things you might try are making sure you have the name-brand-for-the-machine bobbins (my Janome gets upset if I give her non-Janome bobbins and starts eating thread. It's like sewing machine pica.) and try a different brand of thread- I've had both of these affet things even though they probably shouldn't...

[dawbs]

I'll say tension too...but I suck at fixing tensions and can offer zero in way of advice. I swear and throw things and call my mom when this happens.

Although, I will say, making sure I'm using a NEW needle and the correct needle for the fabric helps. I forget to change mine until the tension gets wonky.

There is also tension within the bobbin itself or the bobbin feed that can be adjusted, apparently.

I'm sure you can google something better, but I forget about that tension:

http://brothersewingms.blog.com/2010/05 ... n-tension/