The Avid Embroiderer Presents - Shredded Thread. My Freebie will make you laugh!

When you have threads breaking without rhyme or reason, it’s time to bring out the big guns!

There are likely 5 or 6 different ideas, and they each have their benefits. But, (there is always a “but,”) I experienced breakage for over 15 years. That is no exaggeration, let me briefly explain my specifics in no particular order:

I am uncertain of the photographer for this thread, but we certainly have seen them in person!

  • Every time I got it back from the shop, it worked perfectly. Therefore, I thought I was using the wrong type of needle.
  •  There was no telling what I would have when I embroidered. Some of my embroideries had a dozen or more ‘breaks, ’ & some had just a few.  I asked on the Internet for suggestions. I was told to use a larger eye needle, get #60 weight thread, toss my old 40-weight thread, and slow down the machine, The most upsetting response was that I was not following the instructions which the group had given to me. I spent an hour crying in the fetal position. Rethread from the spool and be careful not to miss a position.  I moved the tension on the spool & bobbin up and down the dials! It made no difference.
  •  I had always used the spindle already on the machine. I was told to place my thread on a Thread stand. I have an old one, but the newer ones have more features, & include three standard spools with the option of placing two cones on two spindles and one standard. That is a great idea! Mostly, these are around $10 to $15. Here is a very convenient style: 
  •  For zero dollars, use a coffee cup. It is helpful for metallic thread. I suspect that increasing the distance the thread has to travel gives it a short time to relax & be a bit softer. 
  • For tension issues, you can use the tension testing designs that make it more apparent for everyone to understand. * See the tension tests at the end of this blog. You will want to keep your format handy!
  • It did not matter which brand of thread I used, likewise for the needles.
  •  Check for the density of your design. Heavy density causes the needle to work harder; therefore, it pulls the thread along with the hole it creates in a smaller space.

Now, for what worked!!!

  • &  I used my cell phone, opened the video feature, and started the machine. I was stunned, I could see the needle moving slightly from the center position it belonged. It was modest, but seeing the video was easier than seeing the needle in real time.
  • &  Upon tightening my needle, I have not had a single break! Well, there was once when I didn’t tighten the thumb screw enough. But NO MORE broken thread. 


Thank you for joining me today.


Tension Tests:

TensionTestDST.zip (372B)

TensionTestEXP.zip (248B)

TensionTestHUS.zip (351B)


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