What to do when the bobbin runs out in the middle of a seam?
Jon Danniken
has to be rewound constantly, it runs out in the middle of seams, and is a
general hassle. Any good reasons for not just designing a machine to take
the same spool down below that goes on top and be done with it?
Anywho, what should I do when the bobbin runs out in the middle of a seam
(besides cursing)?
Thanks,
Jon
Pogonip
Find an old Eldredge two-spool machine. Instead of a bobbin, it takes a
spool of thread.
--
Joanne
stitches @ singerlady.reno.nv.us.earth
http://members.tripod.com/~bernardschopen/
Karen Maslowski
somehow. I've been trying to get someone from Singer to talk to me about
their new machines, but no luck so far.
It is frustrating to run out in mid-seam, isn't it? We've all gone
through that, though. Usually, I pay attention to the bobbin, and when I
see that it's low I rewind a new one, then use the little bit left on
the old one for handsewing.
Karen Maslowski in Cincinnati
www.sewstorm.com
Pogonip
> One of the newer Singers uses what they call an "endless" bobbin,
> somehow. I've been trying to get someone from Singer to talk to me about
> their new machines, but no luck so far.
>
> It is frustrating to run out in mid-seam, isn't it? We've all gone
> through that, though. Usually, I pay attention to the bobbin, and when I
> see that it's low I rewind a new one, then use the little bit left on
> the old one for handsewing.
>
> Karen Maslowski in Cincinnati
> www.sewstorm.com
>
>
uses it for embroidery rather than sewing. Most people say they use
that lingerie bobbin thread, because it works better. The endless
bobbin itself doesn't hold a great deal of thread, not like a NEB bobbin.
BEI Design
"Karen Maslowski" <sews...@nospam.com> wrote in message
news:592c8$44552e3e$453d8f95$46...@FUSE.NET...
> One of the newer Singers uses what they call an "endless" bobbin,
> somehow. I've been trying to get someone from Singer to talk to me
> about their new machines, but no luck so far.
Karen, I'm pretty sure the Singer XL5000/6000 sewing/embroidery
machines use the endless bobbin during embroidery *only*. I have the
5000, and I love the automatic bobbin rewind for the big embroidery
jobs. I haven't used the 5000 machine for regular sewing at all, I
have the 401As for that. ;-)
The bobbin used for the "endless bobbin" takes far less thread then a
regular bobbin, but it saves having to removed the hoop to rewind a
bobbin, so it's great for that. And you do have to keep and eye on
the big spool of bobbin thread, because it's not actually "endless"...
;-)
HTH,
Beverly
Dannielle
run out of bobbin thread in the middle of a seam. I snip the threads
short, rewind the bobbin, and then begin again right where the previous
seam line ended, making sure to overlap the seams by several stitches,
just as you would at the beginning or ending of a seam with the back
stitch to secure the stitching. I can usually get it to not look like
I have overlapped the threads. However, if overlapping does become
unsightly, it is usually wiser to pick it out and start over again!
Good luck! But watch that bobbin and change it before you run out!
Some people with wind a whole spool of thread onto bobbins so they
don't waste time while sewing, others will just wind a few at a time.
I don't have much space, so I do wind mine one at a time.
HTH!
Dannielle
WB
I'll just put a corollary onto that: If you wind a bunch of bobbins, use
one of them at the top thread spool, paired with the bottom in size and
you'll have a constant visual indication up top of when you will be
running out in both places. JPBill
Karen Maslowski
endless. How can they tease a girl that way?
I thought maybe one of the most annoying parts of home sewing had
finally been made more palatable. Durn. Although I am pretty sure Sue
Hausmann told me there was a Viking that used a spool of thread for the
bobbin, but that was a few years ago.
When I worked on industrial machines we used to load up a new bobbin on
the bobbin winder when we changed them. The bobbin winder worked off the
belt of the machine so that as you sewed the bobbin would wind. As soon
as the old one ran out you had the new one ready to go. It was pretty
nifty.
Karen Maslowski in Cincinnati
www.sewstorm.com
_mL_
i hate when that happens, especially when it's topstitching.
Karen Maslowski
topstitching, or doing some other stitching that will be visible. If
you're just sewing a regular seam, it's unnecessary to bother with
making it look "perfect".
Karen Maslowski in Cincinnati
www.sewstorm.com
Sharon Hays
"Jon Danniken" <jonREMOVET...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:4bkllmF...@individual.net...
Jon,
Get the cussing out of the way first. ;) (I go with my Dad's rule on that
one. When something goes wrong, you get one really good cuss word...then
you have to start fixing the problem. lol) This is an easy fix.
Frustrating, but easy.
1. Cut the thread from the needle where the bobbin ran out.
2. Remove your work from the sewing machine.
3. Wind a new bobbin. (this is a good time for more cussing if you're
still really frustrated.)
4. Put the bobbin back in the machine.
5. Pick up your work, and align it so that you will be stitching over the
top of the last few stitches (from before the bobbin ran out.)
6. Finish sewing your seam. Viola!
No need to backstitch or zero stitch. Stitching over the top of the last
few stitches will hold everything together just fine.
Sharon
--
Never try to teach a pig to sing. It's a waste of time and just annoys the
pig.
Jon Danniken
Thanks Danielle, and thanks as well to the other excellent suggestions. I'm
glad to know you have had success with just starting a new seam and
backstitching over the one that ended prematurely. The stuff I'm making is
outdoor gear, which let's me not have to worry so much about appearance
(mainly interested in functionality and strength).
Thanks again,
Jon
Jon Danniken
Thanks Sharon. You know, the thing that irks me so much about things like
this isn't so much that it happens, but it's that it's such a glaring
problem which has been an issue for, what, as long as there have been sewing
machines?
You'd think this would have been solved like centuries ago! :-)
Jon
BEI Design
Karen Maslowski wrote:
> Well, harumph! I'm truly disappointed to know that it isn't
> really endless. How can they tease a girl that way?
<smirk> ;-)
Beverly
HC
Bronwyn ;-)
BEI Design
Karen Maslowski wrote:
> And I will further add that this is only necessary to do when
> topstitching, or doing some other stitching that will be
> visible. If you're just sewing a regular seam, it's unnecessary
> to bother with making it look "perfect".
UNLESS: The item/garment in question is going to be submitted to a
jury of PACC judges, or the State Fair. I haven't actually applied
for PACC, but if ever I do, you can be sure all seams will look/be
"perfect". ;-)
Beverly
BEI Design
>
> Thanks Sharon. You know, the thing that irks me so much about
> things like this isn't so much that it happens, but it's that
> it's such a glaring problem which has been an issue for, what,
> as long as there have been sewing machines?
>
> You'd think this would have been solved like centuries ago! :-)
"Centuries" (at least more than 2 1/2 centuries) ago, they were still
using needles and thread:
http://inventors.about.com/od/sstartinventions/a/sewing_machine.htm
http://www.moah.org/exhibits/virtual/sewing.html
The problem is, the needle thread must pass *around* the "bobbin"
thread, here's a link to show how that happens:
http://home.howstuffworks.com/sewing-machine2.htm
so making the bobbin a great deal larger would probably create its own
set of problems. But, IANAE (I am not an engineer).
HTH,
Beverly
Pogonip
Here's a picture of the bobbin case on the Eldredge Two-spool sewing
machine -- http://www.geocities.com/claw.geo/sidv-el2.jpg
http://www.geocities.com/claw.geo/eldr001.jpg
--
Joanne
stitches @ singerlady.reno.nv.us.earth
http://members.tripod.com/~bernardschopen/
Kate Dicey
I always wind several (up to six, depending on the project) before I
start. If it runs out mid seam I just stop, change the bobbin, and go
back and stitch over the last inch or so of stitching. Never comes
undone, doesn't show from the outside, adds no bulk to the seam.
Yes, some of the old treadles are double reel machines, and industrial
machines sometimes use two 5,000m-10,000m cones. :)
--
Kate XXXXXX R.C.T.Q Madame Chef des Trolls
Lady Catherine, Wardrobe Mistress of the Chocolate Buttons
http://www.katedicey.co.uk
Click on Kate's Pages and explore!
Kate Dicey
> Use prewound bobbins.....they hold 175 metres and last much longer!!
>
> Bronwyn ;-)
They don't fit all machines, and they don't come in a big range of
colours. Nor do they come in a choice of different weights of silk,
cotton, and poly, or in polycore... :(
HC
and there are quite a few more colours available. ;-)
Bronwyn ;-)
Kate Dicey
> They come in several sizes and I've got 10 colours here at the moment
> and there are quite a few more colours available. ;-)
> Bronwyn ;-)
Yes, but much of my customer sewing is silk, for which I need silk
thread... I've only ever seen those bobbins in polyester.
It takes very little time for me to fill a few bobbins, and I keep about
100 on hand for the HV machine. The HV bobbins are fairly roomy, too.
I never see what the fuss is with filling bobbins: I just do a whole
pile at the start of the project.
I'm still thread hunting for my latest: got a lead on 1000m cops of silk
thread: almost cheap enough to consider for the serger! :) Certainly a
good move for silk rolled edges, if not neatening, and for the needle
threads if not the loopers...
Karen Maslowski
totally unnecessary to use anything but high quality polyester or
poly/cotton thread for silk, except for topstitching!
In fact, the thread manufacturers themselves will tell you this. I can
understand using it for rolled edges, or for hand sewing, but not for
seams.
I've been teaching a class on sewing with wool, and almost every single
class someone asks if they have to use silk thread to sew wool. No
wonder they're so afraid to sew with what I consider the easiest of all
fabrics to sew!!
Karen Maslowski in Cincinnati
www.sewstorm.com
Kate Dicey
> No, no, no, Kate! You do not "need" to sew silk with silk thread! It's
> totally unnecessary to use anything but high quality polyester or
> poly/cotton thread for silk, except for topstitching!
I know it's not strictly necessary, but I prefer it. Remember, most of
these garments are special occasion, luxury, occasional use items, not
fling in the wash and use every day silks! :) I LOVE machine sewing
with high quality 100 weight silk thread like Kinkame or the YLI stuff:
it looks so good, and just melts into the seams, especially on fine
chiffons and crepe de chines. It also means that the seams behave the
same way as the fabric in cleaning, and are less likely to fade to a
different colour.
>
> In fact, the thread manufacturers themselves will tell you this. I can
> understand using it for rolled edges, or for hand sewing, but not for
> seams.
I also love it for hand stitching, hems, buttonholes... If I cannot get
silk, rayon or poly machine embroidery thread works well for these
purposes, but I wouldn't use them for seams.
>
> I've been teaching a class on sewing with wool, and almost every single
> class someone asks if they have to use silk thread to sew wool. No
> wonder they're so afraid to sew with what I consider the easiest of all
> fabrics to sew!!
I usually sew wool with good quality cotton thread. Wools just behaves
beautifully when sewing... But one of the nicest fabrics I've ever sewn
was a wool and cashmere mix. Yummmm! Now I did sew that with silk
thread...
Karen Maslowski
experience, something that is hard to communicate to those who have not
had the pleasure. :)
Karen Maslowski in Cincinnati
www.sewstorm.com
Kate Dicey
> Don't you love to sew with such wonderful fabrics? It's such a sensual
> experience, something that is hard to communicate to those who have not
> had the pleasure. :)
Yes - and I love cutting it too... That first deep cut into silk at £50
a metre... :) :) :)
Phaedrine
"Jon Danniken" <jonREMOVET...@yahoo.com> wrote:
> Who's the idiot that invented the bobbin anyway? Seriously, the darn thing
> has to be rewound constantly, it runs out in the middle of seams, and is a
> general hassle. Any good reasons for not just designing a machine to take
> the same spool down below that goes on top and be done with it?
>
> Anywho, what should I do when the bobbin runs out in the middle of a seam
> (besides cursing)?
Some things that no one mentioned:
(1) Always have a supply of empty bobbins so you have enough to wind
multiples of the same thread. The first thing I did when I got my new
machine was buy 50 bobbins for it.
(2) Consider a machine with a bobbin sensor so you can have a look at
it before you commence sewing. I just loved the sensor on the Bernina
1630. It would flash off and on and was hard to miss. The one on my
Bernie 200A is a sound.... and I don't like it.
(3) Most times you can just line up the needle perfectly with the
previous line of stitching, backstitch one or two and continue. But for
topstitching that must be perfect this is what I do--- a technique I
learnt from doing machine Sashiko: If necessary, pick out enough of the
stitching so that you have a bobbin thread that is 3" long. Then thread
the top thread in a regular needle and push it through an existing hole
to the other side. Tie off the ends on the wrong side in a square knot.
Then, making sure that you start with at least 3" tails, line up your
needle so that it will be in exactly the last hole of the last stitch
made by the machine needle and continue your stitching without
backstitching. When you are done, go back to the place where you
continued and push the top thread to the wrong side and tie it off in a
square knot. This may sound like a hassle but it really does not take
much time at all. And the advantage is that you get a perfect line of
stitching. But I'd only do that where the top-stitching will really
show.
Phae
--
I fear me you but warm the starved snake,
Who, cherished in your breasts, will sting your hearts. (Henry VI, Shakespeare)
Doreen
<snip>
> (3) Most times you can just line up the needle perfectly with the
> previous line of stitching, backstitch one or two and continue. But for
> topstitching that must be perfect this is what I do--- a technique I
> learnt from doing machine Sashiko: If necessary, pick out enough of the
> stitching so that you have a bobbin thread that is 3" long. Then thread
> the top thread in a regular needle and push it through an existing hole
> to the other side. Tie off the ends on the wrong side in a square knot.
> Then, making sure that you start with at least 3" tails, line up your
> needle so that it will be in exactly the last hole of the last stitch
> made by the machine needle and continue your stitching without
> backstitching. When you are done, go back to the place where you
> continued and push the top thread to the wrong side and tie it off in a
> square knot. This may sound like a hassle but it really does not take
> much time at all. And the advantage is that you get a perfect line of
> stitching. But I'd only do that where the top-stitching will really
> show.
>
> Phae
>
To take Phae's tip one step further: Borrow a variation of the technique
quilters use. After tying the square knot--or an overhand knot, which
may be a little quicker--thread both ends in a needle, poke it in the
hole the threads came out of (still working on the wrong side) and run
the needle an inch or so between the fabric layers. Bring the needle
out of the fabric and tug on the thread ends until the knot pops into
the hole. Clip the thread ends. Presto, no visible knot on either
side, and no evidence that the line of stitching was broken.
I keep a #7 Darner needle handy for this. #7s have a long eye, making
it relatively easy to pass two threads through at once, and they are
just thick enough make a hole that the knot can be popped through with
very little effort.
Doreen in Alabama
Nann Bell
(in message <dd70a$445558dc$453d8f95$25...@FUSE.NET>):
> And I will further add that this is only necessary to do when
> topstitching, or doing some other stitching that will be visible. If
> you're just sewing a regular seam, it's unnecessary to bother with
> making it look "perfect".
>
> Karen Maslowski in Cincinnati
> www.sewstorm.com
Just what I was going to say! I always check my bobbin before beginning
topstitching, etc. If I'm doubtfull that I have enough, I pop in a new
bobbin. Oh and I always keep an extra bobbin wound - both to save the
frustration of doing it in mid-seam and to make it a tad easier to get thread
for anything I want to do by hand during construction.
--
Nann
remove the Gator cheer to email me
Simply the thing I am shall make me live --- William Shakespeare
Nann Bell
(in message <44560a19$0$23162$ed2e...@ptn-nntp-reader04.plus.net>):
> I know it's not strictly necessary, but I prefer it. Remember, most of
> these garments are special occasion, luxury, occasional use items, not
> fling in the wash and use every day silks! :) I LOVE machine sewing
> with high quality 100 weight silk thread like Kinkame or the YLI stuff:
> it looks so good, and just melts into the seams, especially on fine
> chiffons and crepe de chines. It also means that the seams behave the
> same way as the fabric in cleaning, and are less likely to fade to a
> different colour.
Oh, I've done so little sewing with silk, mostly just my wedding dress. But
this paragraph has me longing to run out and splurge on some silk and start
soemthing! Good thing for our budget that no silk is available anywhere
nearby. LOL
Joy Beeson
<jonREMOVET...@yahoo.com> wrote:
> the thing that irks me so much about things like
> this isn't so much that it happens, but it's that it's such a glaring
> problem which has been an issue for, what, as long as there have been sewing
> machines?
Quite a *lot* longer, as you'll discover if you do any extensive hand
sewing.
Thread lengths are finite. Sometimes it catches me by surprise,
sometimes I see it coming. No big deal.
Factories deal with it by serging everything, and taking the thread
off huge cones hung point-down over the machines.
(Well, they were point down in the only factory I ever entered, very
briefly over twenty years ago. What struck me most strongly at the
time was that there were rows and rows of little old Amish women in
caps and gowns -- making cheerleader costumes. That, and I wanted the
scraps of the brilliant satins!)
Joy Beeson
--
http://joybeeson.home.comcast.net/
http://roughsewing.home.comcast.net/ -- needlework
http://n3f.home.comcast.net/ -- Writers' Exchange
joy beeson at comcast dot net
Joy Beeson
wrote:
> Use prewound bobbins.....they hold 175 metres and last much longer!!
Which is fine and dandy for embroidery, but seams hold better when the
top and bottom threads match.
Which reminds me that I have a box of pre-wound bobbins that I bought
just because nylon thread is hard to find and I might want to sew
nylon someday -- I think I actually could put one of these things in
my bobbin case, if I used about a sixteenth of an inch off the outside
first. But it's much thinner than my bobbins are; it might get
sideways in the case. Better, I think, to re-wind it onto my regular
bobbin -- the label on the box says "63 yards per HemBob", but
comparing the volumes suggests that it would fit with room to spare
even when fluffed up by the re-winding.
"HemBobs(R)" suggests to me that they were meant for a hemming
machine. It's just a pancake of thread, without any protection from
friction, which suggests that that machine doesn't spin the bobbin in
the case the way mine does.
(What do we call those cops of thread that are wound free-standing
like cones, but are little cylinders?)
------------------
Fifty bobbins (mentioned elsewhere as a minimum number) seems like a
lot of bobbins to me. I count only ten empty bobbins in my box. Of
course, there are at least half a dozen more clipped to, bagged with,
or tied to various spools of thread, two almost-empty bobbins, one
bobbin double-wound to use for easing and temporary overcasting, one
filled with basting thread from the cone over the machine, five filled
with DMC Cordonnette in three sizes and two colors, and four filled
with unidentified thread to be used up in basting. And I forgot that
there are six in the box of silk thread.
Maybe fifty isn't such a large number after all. But I no longer fill
bobbins ahead of time, not even the DMC thread that comes on balls --
I used to try to wind a whole ball onto bobbins when I wound a spool.
(I have some old wooden spools intended to hold 500 yards; even with
hand-drill winding, I can get a 472-yd ball onto one spool. (I think;
it's been a looong time since I did it; even when it's your default
thread, 472 yards is a lot of thread.) )
My machine bobbins hold about forty yards of #50/3 cotton, or so it
said in the manual, and I have space left over when I wind a
hundred-yard spool of machine twist onto a bobbin.
Phaedrine
Joy Beeson <jbe...@invalid.net.invalid> wrote:
> Factories deal with it by serging everything, and taking the thread
> off huge cones hung point-down over the machines.
>
> (Well, they were point down in the only factory I ever entered, very
> briefly over twenty years ago. What struck me most strongly at the
> time was that there were rows and rows of little old Amish women in
> caps and gowns -- making cheerleader costumes. That, and I wanted the
> scraps of the brilliant satins!)
Ammon's daughters in a factory with machines and cheerleader outfits....
isn't that interesting. Perhaps they were Mennonite? Go figure!
Phaedrine
Joy Beeson <jbe...@invalid.net.invalid> wrote:
> On Mon, 01 May 2006 17:22:41 +1000, HC <happyca...@yahoo.com.au>
> wrote:
>
> > Use prewound bobbins.....they hold 175 metres and last much longer!!
>
> Which is fine and dandy for embroidery, but seams hold better when the
> top and bottom threads match.
Absolutely. Prewound bobbins are filled with extra fine thread, aren't
they? My machines won't take prewound bobbins... ok the Janome will but
not Berninas. Regardless, I never buy them.
[...]
> ------------------
>
> Fifty bobbins (mentioned elsewhere as a minimum number) seems like a
> lot of bobbins to me. I count only ten empty bobbins in my box. Of
> course, there are at least half a dozen more clipped to, bagged with,
> or tied to various spools of thread, two almost-empty bobbins, one
> bobbin double-wound to use for easing and temporary overcasting, one
> filled with basting thread from the cone over the machine, five filled
> with DMC Cordonnette in three sizes and two colors, and four filled
> with unidentified thread to be used up in basting. And I forgot that
> there are six in the box of silk thread.
>
> Maybe fifty isn't such a large number after all.
Yes I'm the one who said 50. I guess it depends how much one is sewing.
My new machine isn't yet 2 months old but I've already filled over 25
bobbins for projects I've done. I've been a busy little bee lately I
guess lol. For several of those projects I used contrasting threads to
embellish.
> ...But I no longer fill bobbins ahead of time, not even the DMC
> thread that comes on balls -- I used to try to wind a whole ball onto
> bobbins when I wound a spool. (I have some old wooden spools intended
> to hold 500 yards; even with hand-drill winding, I can get a 472-yd
> ball onto one spool. (I think; it's been a looong time since I did
> it; even when it's your default thread, 472 yards is a lot of
> thread.) )
>
> My machine bobbins hold about forty yards of #50/3 cotton, or so it
> said in the manual, and I have space left over when I wind a
> hundred-yard spool of machine twist onto a bobbin.
>
> Joy Beeson
--
Joy Beeson
<hanbell...@earthlink.net> wrote:
> Good thing for our budget that no silk is available anywhere
> nearby.
<evil chuckle>
BEI Design
"Joy Beeson" <jbe...@invalid.net.invalid> wrote in message
news:kkig52pf0cdoidcco...@4ax.com...
> On Tue, 02 May 2006 14:28:20 GMT, Nann Bell
> <hanbell...@earthlink.net> wrote:
>
>> Good thing for our budget that no silk is available anywhere
>> nearby.
>
> http://www.dharmatrading.com/
>
> <evil chuckle>
I'll see you, and raise you:
<eviler chuckle>
Beverly
Kate Dicey
Nann Bell
(in message
<Phaedrine.Stonebridge...@news-50.dca.giganews.com>):
> In article <ccse525tgdjt5pqh9...@4ax.com>,
> Joy Beeson <jbe...@invalid.net.invalid> wrote:
>
>> Factories deal with it by serging everything, and taking the thread
>> off huge cones hung point-down over the machines.
>>
>> (Well, they were point down in the only factory I ever entered, very
>> briefly over twenty years ago. What struck me most strongly at the
>> time was that there were rows and rows of little old Amish women in
>> caps and gowns -- making cheerleader costumes. That, and I wanted the
>> scraps of the brilliant satins!)
>
> Ammon's daughters in a factory with machines and cheerleader outfits....
> isn't that interesting. Perhaps they were Mennonite? Go figure!
>
>
We live in a part of Michigan that has lots of Amish and Mennonites. There
are several Amish-owned businesses. We've been told by their owners that
they are allowed to use some modern things in their businesses that are not
allowed in their homes - such as telephones, credit card machines, electric
lighting, etc. In fact, there's an Amish-owned hardware store in the area
that sells many things not permitted in Amish homes - but also sells many
quality hand tools that have been replaced by power tools elsewhere.
So, I figure the women might be allowed to use electric machines to sew
cheerleader outfits at work, as long as both are left AT WORK.