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.
EDIT: Mom examined it and found that the tension disks aren’t functioning properly. I can’t get the thread in it, and even if I could, it would unthread as soon as I put the foot down. My presser foot is open when it’s down, and closed when it’s up.
I guess I just need to go to the shop now, but any suggestions? Archived post. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast.
I’m very disappointed because I was really getting into projects and had to stop. Any suggestions?
I know it’s the most popular thread because there was no problem when I switched the bobbin to green. Another problem I’m having is that the thread keeps coming out of the needle, forcing me to stop and start over every time.
Toward the end, no matter what I did, I started to get constant bird nests on my back. Nothing changes despite my attempts to adjust the bobbin, top thread, rethread this thing a thousand times, adjust tension, and other things. The size of the bird nests has decreased, which is the only improvement.
The most frequent cause of bird’s nests is when your bobbin thread is not pulled up before you begin sewing, though they can happen at other times as well. These thread tangles usually appear at the beginning of your stitching but can also occur at other times! When you begin sewing, it is insufficient to have the bobbin thread loose behind your fabric. Your bobbin thread needs to be under tension too. To do this, take a few stitches while holding onto the top and bottom threads. Newer machines often have the bobbin thread under tension automatically. You most likely have a presser foot issue if you’re applying tension but are still receiving nests, or if you’re receiving nests in the middle of a sewn section.
Though it might seem obvious, make sure the presser foot is engaged as the first thing to look for. It’s simple to overlook, particularly when beginning on a thick seam. The thickness of the fabric gives the impression that the foot is down. If the foot is not engaged and the presser foot lever is not down, your upper tension disks are open and unable to control tension as intended. If your sewing machine has a knee lift and you bump it while sewing, you can also detach your presser foot. This is often the reason why there is a nest in the middle of the stitching or seam.
A thicker piece of fabric is another reason why nests form in the middle of seams. For instance, there is typically a section of the seam that is thicker than the rest when sewing a hem. When you get to this point, your presser foot is essentially high-centered, and the action is equivalent to not using the presser foot at all.
Are you experiencing those irksome thread tangles or “birds nests” on the underside of your fabric?
There is a neat tool called the BERNINA Height Compensation Tool that was created specifically for this use. To get the same effect, you can alternatively place a folded piece of fabric underneath the rear of the foot.
FAQ
What causes bobbin thread to nest?