Ann The Gran Community

Hi Everyone, I am so new to machine embroidery.  I am frustrated and almost ready to quit.  I have a Brother Quattro and so far I have just been doing designs on pieces of material.  Several times I have been doing a design and all of a sudden the material will SUCK down into the machine.   I will have to turn the machine off and cut the material out.  When I pull the material out and the bobbin, I notice my top thread (Sulky) is wrapped around the bobbin.  I am using cotton material with a stablizer.  I have contacted Brother with unsatisfactory results.  Has anyone else had this happen?  Anyone know why this happens?  Also, any tips on machine embroidery on knits?  I use stabilizer but it still seems to shift.  Please take pity on me since I am new and need lots of help or maybe I am beyond help.

Thanks, Robin

Welcome to ATG.

When the fabric catches or the thread creates a "nest" it is usually because the bobbin case and surrounding area needs to be cleaned.

Turn off the power, remove the needle and throat plate.

Remove the bobbin and bobbin case - take note of how the bobbin case fits into the machine so you can put it back correctly.

Clean away any lint or thread snips with the brush that comes with the machine or you can use a cotton swab.

Replace the bobbin case and throat plate. 

Be sure the bobbin is inserted so the thread feeds from the spool in the correct direction and through the proper guides.

Replace the needle with a new one.

Knits need to be stabilized so they do not shift.  You can use sticky back stabilizer, or tear away and temporary spray adhesive for fabric.  Sulky or 505 are two brands I have used.

Thread your top thread with the presser foot in the "up" position.

 This techniques and tips site may also be of help - http://www.emblibrary.com/EL/elprojects/holder.aspx?page=techniques

Hello Robin and Welcome to the wonderful world of machine embroidery (ME) and AnnTheGran (ATG). ME is the most fun craft, it is beautiful, and creative!

Ditto to everything Pattiann said and a couple things more - Congratulations on your machine, it is a really great one!!  May I humbly suggest that you read two of my writings??  The first would be to read the forum post for the PE-700II machine.  While it is a different machine, the process is much the same and there are tips that will be valuable for you. 

Next, you may want to read my Blog Post "What I wish I had known when I began Machine Embroidery."  It is also full of tips that will make your transition to the ME world.  Threads, needles, stabilizers and designs are just the beginning.  Believe me when I say that we are all still learning.  There is much to understand so that we can have projects that we are really proud of and the learning can be frustrating - but you already figured that part out. . . .

I recommend that you read topics here at ATG that sound interesting to you, then play with your machine.  When you finish with that, read some more.  We all welcome your questions here at the Forum and happy to help (see Pattiann's excellent info).  But you can find many answer right here at ATG before you can ask.  Many sites have some of this and that, but ATG is the best site for help, learning and excellent information.

Enjoy your new craft and show us some of your projects.  Don't forget to include some of your problems, we want to help.

Pat, The Avid Embroiderer

That material sucking down could also be a problem with your stabilizer not being taut enough.  It needs to be snug but not stretching your fabric.  Stretched fabric results in puckering - - -

Pat, The Avid Embroiderer

I just remembered what it means when the upper thread is wrapped around the bobbin/bobbin post!!

That means you are using a bobbin that is too tall.  Your machine possibly takes an "L" and you are using an "M" which look a lot alike!!  Side by side you will see that the "M" is about 1/16" to 1/8" taller.  Make sure you are using the bobbins that came with the machine.

Pat, The Avid Embroiderer 

Pat, do you really mean the size "M"?  It is way too large (in width and heigth) to fit into a home embroidery machine.

Combos come with class A/15 bobbins and a bobbin center pin for lifting size "L" prewounds.

Some companies now have prewounds in A/15, so a center pin is not needed.

Here is a chart - http://www.allstitch.net/content/what-size-bobbins-will-work-in-my-home-embroidery-machine-1026.cfm

This is interesting (site name and the info) - http://www.cigarcityarts.com/articles/bobbins.html

For those who do not know what a bobbin center pin is, it is a metal disk with a small shaft (pin) in the center.  It sits in the bobbin case under the size "L" prewounds to lift them to the heigth of the size 15/A bobbin. 

Embroidery only machine usually come with size "L" bobbins.

It would not surprise me, if next line of home embroidery machines uses size "M" bobbins or some other letter of the alphabet.  All the more to keep us on our toes! 

Pattiann

You are so correct!  I am not sure what I was thinking!  Thank you for clarifying that.

However, the winding of thread around the bobbin is generally caused by the bobbin being too high.

Pat, The Avid Embroiderer

Robin,

Sometimes the bobbin thread will slip out of the tension slot of your bobbin, if it is clean. As Patti said keep it clean and always make sure it is in the tension slot good. The thread will also do that if it is not in the tension slot good on your machine head. Check these two items before placing any fabric on the machine.

bsue

Robin-I sure hope to hear about your experiences after working further with your Quattro.  It is not unusual for any one 'new to machine embroidery' to have many problems.

My feeling is that this machine, which is really quite new on the market, should not be having such issues.  I made an assumption that this machine was relatively new out of the box.

I am also wondering what you meant about 'unsatisfactory results' from Brother.  We are all interested in your issues and want to help.  Please let us hear further from you.

Thanks, Pat, The Avid Embroiderer

Try turning your fabric up and down...it sounds like the grain of the fabric is the problem...I had that happen with a knit material...there's give in the fabric...stretch...If you currently have the stretch going across the width, then turn it so that it is up and down, or vice versa...hope it works...