Good morning to all of you stitching geniuses out there. Yes, I'm talking to you!! :) I need some advice, because my frustration level is high right now.

When I embroidery with my Bernina 630. I thread the thread through the hole in the finger on the bobbin case. It embroiderys like a charm when I do that. When I sew normal things I do not have to do that. See if that helps. I hope I explained that so you understand what I am saying. Good luck

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by justonlyme 16 Aug 2013

I watched a video on that, and thought it was a fantastic idea. This was when I was searching for answers. Anyway, I had a look at mine, and it doesn't have one. I have the drop in type of bobbin case, where the bobbin just nestles in. Thank you though.

Have u tried buying bobbin thread and winding your own??I do this to save money plus and my machine works well .I use a bobbin thread that looks like thin fish line (no lint) plus the white 100% poly .If my machines sews like your picture i adjust the tension down 2 numbers like 3.75 to 3.25 and i keep watching till it sews well .I never have this not work:):)hugs Carolyn

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by justonlyme 15 Aug 2013

I think you must have a happier machine than I have. I do buy my own bobbin thread and have used the monofilament clear thread too. I think it is about time that this machine goes back to the shop with a firm demand that it not be returned until perfection is achieved.

like dragonflyer does, I also use a good serger thread that doesn't have lint flying off. only I use a beige/cream instead...white shows up more and the cream blends in better....My brother 4500D does not likecoats and clarks, I have a little problem with sulky also...I notice when I wind my bobbin, I have to hold it to get a tighter wind. this helps me get better performance...I run machinery at work and winding spools for a living...if the level winds aren't good then it raises all kinds of problems including your thread not pulling off right..(and no I do not respool thread..I make medical cables for hospitals, dentistry ultrasounds and so on but its the same technique)
CAN YOU TRY WINDING EMBROIDERY THREAD THE SAME AS YOUR TOP TO SEE IF IT YOUR THREAD OR TRY MEASURING OUT THE SIZE OF THE GOOD BOBBIN THREAD AND TRY WINDING AND USING A THREAD WITH THE SAME THICKNESS AND SEE IF THAT HELPS...
otherwise this is all I can think of trying...like others said each machine is a character on its own and you just need to keep trying till you find what can work for you that's available...try surelock serger thread and see if it will help...deanna

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by justonlyme 15 Aug 2013

Thank you for your suggestions. I too have a 4500D. Cantankerous thing, isn't it?? The owner of the store told me that this was supposed to be their "frustration free machine". HA!! I will try rewinding the good bobbin thread on to one of my bobbins to see if that will work. I've tried just about everything else I can think of, and nothing works. By the way, the "good" thread is made by Coats. So they may have several different levels of quality going on there.
Serger thread was a complete bust; literally. I rethreaded the machine about once every 50 stitches.

I have used NEBS plastic sided and Metro plastic sided in both of my brothers. I do not use the purple dot bobbin case (the one designed fo 60 wt) for any embroidery (even tho my dealer says your should). I have very good luck with the green screw bobbin case (the one designed for 40 wt) with the "top hat" pin for prewounds. Not sure what machine you have or if you have two bobbin cases but if you do, give it a try.

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by justonlyme 15 Aug 2013

I will try to get a sample of the NEBS bobbins and see if that works. I do use the green dot bobbin case, which was set for my thread. Thank you.

Deanna, the picture on the right seems to indicate that the upper thread tension is too tight, pulling the bobbin thread to the top of the design. My first machine I purchased many years ago is a Brother. It's still working well after all these years, using NEBS prewound (clear plastic sided) bobbins ONLY, since a couple of days after I bought it. Love the NEBS; would never wind my own, except for colors needed, and have found I use white most of the time.
This issue can be frustrating, so hope you get it resolved soon. A lot of time and expense goes into embroidering, so a poor stitchout of a design is the pits!
Hugs, Angel

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by justonlyme 15 Aug 2013

I agree with you; it looks like the upper tension is too tight. But when I loosen it, it makes matters worse. I tried tightening it to see if perhaps my machine was wired backwards, but then it wouldn't stitch and the threads just broke.
I will look at NEBS bobbins. In fact, I think I'll order a whole bunch of samples and see if anything works for me. Thank you.

I use the prowounds from Metro..but I also use serger thread (which is 60wt) for bobbins I wind myself...get a good quality serger thread to help avoid excess lint..for me, the cheaper serger threads have more lint...If your machine is still under warranty, I would park my tushie on their sewing floor with my machine with the dealer and say...okay, not leaving until it's fixed or you give me a new machine...also, has it been back to the factory yet for them to look at? I had miserable problems with Janome 11000SE.,.Janome replaced it twice with a new machine..finally gave me a refund and I bought the Baby Lock Ellisimo Gold...which I love...turned out to be a blessing in disguise as I never would have gotten the Baby Lock if the Janome 11000SE hadn't been soooo bad...

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by justonlyme 15 Aug 2013

Would you like to come with me to the store?? :) Apparently I'm too nice. I have had this machine in so many times, and they even replaced a very bad version of it early on. But now they are refusing to do anything more than repair. And twice, during repair, they lost my machine; once for almost 2 months. Machine is still under warranty. Otherwise I think I would sell it and walk away.

I once had the same problems. I have a brother. 2 things gave the solution : like graysewist wrote : i adjusted also the little tension sew on the side of the bobbin case, and I looked at all the sutff I once got with my machine and there was a second bobbin case with a green mark on it. Re- read the manual and it seems that if you don't use the original Brother threads you need to use this one. No probs for me anymore. Hope you find a solution too.

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by justonlyme 15 Aug 2013

I use the bobbin case that is made for embroidery thread, and have also had the bobbin case professionally adjusted for my particular thread. So far, no positive results. :( Thank you for your suggestion.

When the bobbin thread shows it is usually a matter of the top thread tension being to high. I always lower the tension one step for embroidery (for sewing the default tension is right), but I think you have tried that out already.
A it happens both with prewounds as well as self wound bobbins I don't think you will benefit from using another winder. But like Sue said the thickness of the thread may make a difference.
I am not much help, am I. I hope someone comes up with THE solution!!

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by justonlyme 15 Aug 2013

I tried adjusting the upper tension down, so that in theory the upper thread should be pulled underneath. The more I messed with it, the worse things got. This really has me baffled.

Have you thought of a separate automatic bobbin winder Deanna? It's a separate unit from the sewing machine. I use a very fine bobbin thread and have had no trouble with it so far. Also make sure your bobbin in situ is in the right way. I had one in the wrong way once and you should have seen the nesting on the design it was frightful, like a mad woman's nightmare!

I've included a link here with different weights of bobbin threads. I think you might have to do some trial and error. Love Chris

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by pennifold 15 Aug 2013

I also wind my bobbin thread twice around the little silver dial on the top of my Husqvarna Designer 1, just before it goes onto the bobbin winder. Love Chris

by justonlyme 15 Aug 2013

Would a bobbin winder be more precise than the bobbin winder on the machine? I have a very high quality bobbin thread from Thread Art. It is my favorite of all that I have tried. I will try adding some extra tension while winding to see if that improves the situation. Thank you.

I have a Brother 4000 that will ONLY behave with Brother bobbin fill. It seems that almost everyone else with this same machine can use whatever bobbin fill they like with no problems BUT NOT MY BOY. After much frustration and many dollars spent on other brands, I now only buy Brother and he works perfect. I think some machines are just picky. Sorry i can't help. Lyn. xx

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by zoefzoef 15 Aug 2013

Lyn, see my remarks. Maybe you have a secound bobbin case too ?

by justonlyme 15 Aug 2013

Mine is a Brother 4500D. I wonder if perhaps they do this so that we will have to be brand loyal??

Have you tried adjusting very slightly the small tension screw on the side of the bobbin case? If you hold the end of the thread once you pull the bobbin case out of the machine and let it drop, you'll be able to see how fast it travels away from your hand holding the thread. Maybe compare the pre-wound to the ones you wind yourself. Also do you keep a couple of fingers on the thread as you wind your own bobbins to increase the tension a little? They seem to feed a bit better under more tension while they are spun. Best of luck!

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by justonlyme 15 Aug 2013

I've always been concerned about adjusting the bobbin tension myself. That seems like a road, once traveled, cannot be reversed; probably because I've never done it before. But at this point, I may give it a shot. Thank you!

by justonlyme 15 Aug 2013

I got brave and changed the tension on the bobbin. It helped a little bit, but not significant enough to be proud of the results. The upper thread also started breaking. :(

Yes I can see your problem, and it is the ballance between the top and bottom thead, the pre round ones must be tighter, so the thead on the bottom is not coming of so quickly, How to put it right should be easy for a trained eye, Is this a new machine and still under waranty, if not try a different shop.
Hugs Pam

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by justonlyme 15 Aug 2013

I have a 5 year warranty on my machine, and it has been worked on countless times. It is still under warranty.

Bobbin thread varies in thickness. My Janome machine is very fussy and I get similar issues if the thread is too thin. Janome bobbin thread is fine, but very expensive so I've experimented and found that overlocker thread works well.

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by justonlyme 15 Aug 2013

What had me puzzled was that the threads truly seemed to be the same size. I put them all together and compared them under a magnifier. If it is as easy as using thicker thread, then that would be a super easy fix! I'll give that a try. I have nothing to lose, right? Thank you!!

by dragonflyer edited 15 Aug 2013

I'm with Sue on the serger thread in my bobbin when I don't use prewounds...usually when I need colored bobbin threads to match the top thread...