top thread breaking while sewing

[Annabella St. Clair]

Help, does anyone have experience with having the top thread of their sewing machine break every inch while sewing. I am making a bodice and the top thread kept fraying and getting cut about every inch or so. I am sooo frustrated. I bought better, heavier gauge needles but that didn't solve the problem. It does it with doubled and sometimes single layer fabric. What could be the problem?

I did accidentely hit a pin and bend the pin a few days back before this started. Could I have thrown something out of alignment? Does that happen?

Annabella

[Mistress Kristi]

Mine used to do it all the time. For me I was using the wrong bobbin and needle. Now it works like a dream. Try switching the needle. It also could need to get serviced.

[vanessa]

mine used to do that all the time... then i brought it to my satanic mechanic who gave it a tuneup and it ran great after that. he said the timing was off.

hope that helps!

['Nise]

Check the tensions...
love
'Nise

[Annabella St. Clair]

I am called my repair guy today. It's a moveable model so that's lucky. I had it overhauled last October and hardly used it until spring. I've tried changing the bobbins, I bought gauge 14, 16, and 18 needles to get through the fabric. It breaks on single layer broadcloth too. It used to run like a dream. I think when I hit that pin the timing got shot to heck. Thanks for telling me about the timing. Right after I did that the feeder foot looked like it was putting runs in my fabric and then after some initial put together sewing work on the bodice it started breaking thread. Dang! I just fixed my car too.

Thanks everyone,

Annabella

[Drea Beth]

If you still have the manual, check what it says about tension. That's usually the issue I have when I get a lot of breakage. Also, I'd suggest that you take out the bobbin and clean all the dust/fiber out of the machine. Schmutz like that down in the workings makes my machine go heyblooie. (yes, the technical terms!) I use a small paint brush. It always amazes me how much crap gets into the machine in such a short time.

Just my $.02

[Mistress Kristi]

I vote for timing too actually. Now that I think of it that was also a huge problem for my machine. And to clean it out I have one of those canned air thingies. It works great... although I often get schmutz in my eyes... hmmm maybe a paintbrush would be better.