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With this article we are going to discuss sewing machine tension control.
Now, think about it: everything your machine does is designed to give you a pretty stitch and this means a stitch with good tension. As a basic rule good tension means that when you look at the line of stitching the upper and lower stitch looks the same, that is the top and bottom stitch shows the same amount of upper and lower thread and they intersect in the middle of the fabric. There are exceptions to this particularly on zigzag. A good machine will produce a zigzag stitch with the bottom showing more upper thread on each swing of the needle. What this does is to pull the upper thread to the bottom and subsequently give a rounded look to the upper, a prettier finished look. This, however, is the basic rule of thumb. Since a pretty tensioned stitch is the goal of he machine to make then it makes sense that everything on the machine is directly related to that goal. The bobbin has to wind correctly, the needle has to be the correct size and shape, the bobbin case tension has to be properly set, the upper tension must be set properly. There can be no debris in the bobbin case or the upper tension. There can be no needle strikes in the bobbin case or the hook. Timing must be set properly. There can be no defects in the presser foot. and on and on. Look at the articles we've written in this series about these specific items. It is hard for us to tell you the number of times we've had to service machines whose basic problem relates to the items above. You can save yourself trouble and money by doing the jobs we suggest in the articles in this series.
Our next articles on bird's nests and bobbins will give you some other hints.
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