Is Your Sewing Machine Making Bird’s Nests?
Are you getting those annoying tangles or “birds nests” of thread on the bottom-side of your fabric?
These thread tangles usually occur at the start of your stitching but can occur at other times too! The most common cause of bird’s nests is that your bobbin thread has not been pulled up before starting sewing. It’s not enough to have the bobbin thread loose behind your fabric, when starting sewing. Your bobbin thread needs to be under tension too. You accomplish this by holding on to the top and bottom thread while taking a couple of stitches. Newer machines often have the bobbin thread under tension automatically. If you’re providing tension, but are still getting nests, or getting nests in the middle of a sewn section, you most likely have a presser foot problem.
It may seem like a no brainer, but the first thing to check is if the presser foot is engaged. It’s easy to forget, especially when starting on a thick seam. It feels like the foot is down because of fabric thickness. If the presser foot lever isn’t down, the foot is not engaged, your upper tension disks are open and can’t regulate tension as designed. You can also disengage your presser foot if your machine has a knee lift, and you bump it while sewing. This is a common cause of a nest in the middle of the seam or stitching.
Another cause of nests in the middle of a seam is a thicker section of fabric. When sewing a hem, for example, there is usually a spot that is thicker than the rest of the seam. When you reach this spot, there is a moment when your presser foot is basically high-centered, and the result is the same as not having the presser foot engaged.
There is a cool tool designed just for this purpose, the BERNINA Height Compensation Tool. You can also put a folded piece of fabric underneath the back of the foot to achieve the same result.
-
Our Victor Store is OPEN!!
IT'S FINALLY HERE!! Our Victor store is OPEN!! We thank you for your patience while we have gotten our third store...
Read More -
International Quilt Market
After three very long years, the International Quilt Market has finally returned! Alyssa, Sheila and myself (Scott) just returned from...
Read More -
Victor Store Updates from Scott & Alyssa
We are SEW EXCITED to see our sewing family growing! We are progressing with getting our new Victor store ready. We...
Read More -
Carve your Pumpkins with us!
Getting your pumpkins ready for Halloween? Carve a pumpkin with this downloadable Aurora Sewing Center stencil! DOWNLOAD STENCIL Just pick which size...
Read More -
Fun Glow-in-the-Dark Projects with Wonderfil Thread
Want to do something that really stands out this Halloween? This easy project uses machine embroidery and glow in the...
Read More -
Cleaning & Oiling Your Machine
Remove hardware Before you start your machine cleaning, remove the needle, presser foot, stitch plate, and bobbin case from your...
Read More -
We Are Expanding to Victor, NY!
Aurora Sewing Center, which has two locations in the Buffalo, New York area, is sew excited to announce they are expanding their...
Read More -
Wonder Clips
Our staff member Laura LOVES using Wonder Clips when she is quilting! They hold quilt layers together better than just...
Read More -
Customer Appreciation Days
Join us for Customer Appreciation Days!! Deals will be running in-store Thursday, Sept. 1st - Saturday, Sept. 3rd. This event is...
Read More -
Why Do I Need Firmware Upgrades for My Sewing Machine?
Firmware is a software program or an updated set of instructions used in electronic-based sewing machines that are provided by our...
Read More -
Sewing & Quilting Health Benefits
Quilting is not only a fun and creative hobby, but it also has many health benefits that can improve your...
Read More -
Steps to Sew a Faux Button Placket
Step 1. Measuring Your Bodice To start you will need your front bodice piece cut out and laid flat. You...
Read More -
BERNINA District D Dealer of the Year
We have amazing news... DRUMROLL PLEASE! Aurora Sewing Center has been awarded the BERNINA District D Dealer of the Year!...
Read More -
How to Make & Embroider a Rope Bowl
Instructions to Sew a Rope Bowl Step 1. Start fresh I like to clip a clean end to the start...
Read More -
Make a Sewing Machine Cover
Instructions for a sewing machine cover with ties! Perfect for keeping your sewing machine clean while it's not in use....
Read More -
How Long Does a Needle Last?
The general rule of thumb is to change the needle every six (6) to eight (8) hours, BUT who “times”...
Read More -
4th of July Star Bunting
Get ready for the 4th of July early with this patriotic Star Bunting! It's the perfect summer project. Star Bunting...
Read More -
Where does the thread start?
You just purchased a new large spool of Aurifil cotton thread and unwrapped it... now you are looking for the...
Read More -
The Great New York Shop Hop 2022
Join Aurora Sewing Center and many other local quilt shops for "The Great Shop Hop 2022"! The Shop Hop runs from...
Read More -
2022 Williamsville Tent Sale
Come to our Tent Sale at our Williamsville shop! Three whole days to SAVE BIG! THURSDAY, JUNE 23RD -...
Read More
« Newer articles 1 2 3 Older articles »