Watch video on how to change the sewing feet, plus demo decorative stitches, see how the quarter inch seam foot performs on this machine.
Welcome to Week 2 of my PFAFF Tutorial Tuesday. Each week, I'll be showing new features of my PFAFF quilt expression 4.0 sewing machine. The purpose of these tutorials is to familiarize ourselves (self-included!) with the numerous features of this machine. This week, we're reviewing the remaining buttons in the first section of the sewing machine's face plate. I thought I'd have enough time to also cover the various presser feet and how to achieve a perfect 1/4" seam. However, I'm thinking it may be a bit too much information to share with all we're covering today. There are five button options to the left of the graphic display screen that we didn't cover in last week's tutorial. Stitch Restart Button The first of these last five options is the stitch restart button, shown here (2nd button down on left with image of arrow pointing left): If you are working on a project and have to stop in the middle of a stitch, simply press the stitch restart button and you will start sewing at the beginning of the stitch again without having to reset any special settings you've made. This button is a must-have if, for example, you are using a decorative stitch and need to replace your thread in the middle of sewing a motif. The built in stitch restart feature makes it easy to resume right where you left off. Let's say that you are sewing a decorative stitch and see that you only need one more motif for your project. While sewing the last motif, press this same stitch restart button. The stitch will finish and the machine will then stop after your motif is finished! Speed Control The third button down on the left is the speed control button: The speed control button can come in handy for a variety of reasons. Here are a few for you to consider: 1) If you are a beginning sewer, what better way to learn than to take it slow? Simply press this button until you are comfortable with the given speed and you will learn at a pace that is comfortable for you! 2) Another reason to use this great feature is if you are a beginner when it comes to machine quilting. Using this slow-down feature will allow you to build your confidence without worrying you may accidentally "put the pedal-to-the-metal" and mess up a planned quilting motif. 3) How about this . . . you've just discovered how much you love a quilt block with a curve (i.e., New York Beauty, Drunkard's Path, or a simple circle patch you'd like to sew to your quilt top). If you've never sewn an arc or circle before, slowing your machine down to a comfortable pace will take away your fears and allow you to finish your task with finesse. Immediate Tie-off The button on the top right is the immediate tie-off button. When pressed while sewing, the immediate tie-off button will sew a few tie-off stitches, then automatically stop. What a great feature to have, right? Gosh, I sure wish I had this feature when I was making Amy Butler's Alchemy sample quilt for her booth for Fall Market last year. Making all of those triangles would have gone so much smoother! :) Presser Foot Up and Extra Lift Toggle Press the second button down on the right for the presser foot to raise: Once pressed, the presser foot raises up, like so, to a comfortable height . . . (note: needle is down in this image because I had the 'needle down' button engaged from last week's tutorial. This shows you how the presser foot up button still works, whether your needle is up or down!). Press the button a second time, and your presser foot will raise to an extra height . . . This second, higher position will allow you to easily insert and remove bulky projects, such as a sandwiched quilt top. Isn't that fantastic? :) Presser Foot Down and Pivot Toggle The final button we're covering this week is the third button down on the right . . . Since my images on how this button works would simply show the presser foot in the "down" position, I'll share with you that if you press this button a second time, the presser foot will raise to a height where you can pivot your work when needed, then lower automatically when you start sewing again. Thanks so much for learning these buttons right along with me! Next week, we'll be covering the presser feet, as well as how to achieve a perfect quarter-inch seam! Please be sure to ask any questions you may have and I'll address them in an upcoming blog.
The Open-Toe Free-Motion Spring Foot is excellent for free-motion sewing and quilting. This foot is open in the front for optimum visibility while stitching. The spring action keeps the fabric from lifting with the needle as the stitch is being formed. The fabric is guided manually when free motion sewing or quilting. Guaranteed to fit Pfaff Sewing Machine Models: creative 2.0, creative 3.0, creative 4.0, creative 4.5, creative icon, creative performance, creative sensation, creative sensation pro, creative sensation pro II, creative vision, performance 5.0, Performance 5.2, performance icon, quilt expression 4.0, quilt expression 4.2, quilt expression 720, expression 2.0, expression 3.0, expression 3.2, expression 3.5, expression 150, expression 710 Alternate Part Numbers: 821141096
While stitching my Wholecloth I realised that I am not following my own good advice...a bit like Alice in Wonderland. I was starting to stitch some more lines, this time curved ones, in the Twisted Cl
Watch video on how to change the sewing feet, plus demo decorative stitches, see how the quarter inch seam foot performs on this machine.
It has been some 8 months since I exchanged my Pfaff Expression 4.0 for the newer version, the Pfaff 4.2. I talked about my first impression of the machine HERE. Be warned that this is a long blog post. Several readers have in between emailed me and asked questioned or just inquired how it is going, so I thought it might be useful to give an update. Please be aware that these are my personal views on the machine and as I had said to one reader I am probably a bit biased as I only ever had Pfaff machines. However, I hope that people in the market for a new machine doing their research find this of interest. As reported before, the main difference in the two machines were the new 3 LED lights, the Start/Stop button, the Dynamic Freemotion mode and an improved feed system (Optimised Box feed). I have completed several projects since I had this machine. The Whole Cloth: the new LED lights were an absolute eye saver as I had an enormous area to microstipple Was very happy with this...for once I could actually see where I was going which is important if you are stitching with a blend in thread. The Windmill quilt: used the new Dynamic Spring foot 6D (optional extra) in the Dynamic Spring foot freemotion mode for this and quilted my heart out with Wendy Sheppard's Jester Hat design. Dynamic Spring foot 6D I love this foot...it is round and the visibility is very good which was important in trying a new design because I had to stop and look ahead a number of times as I was not that familiar with it. I read a comment somewhere that the foot was particularly fiddly to attach. Yes, true...it has this little groove in the part that attaches and I struggled initially as well, but it is really just a matter of getting used to putting it on. Bit hard to explain but once you know how it attaches, it goes on as easy as any other. Dresden Plate: Excellent feed when sewing the small spokes together on the bias. This is actually the piece where I really noticed the improvement of the feed system. No veering off to the side at all. The individual pieces were 4.5" and the machine stitched them together like a dream. Stitched around the Dresden Plate with Monafilament thread first and then echoed with beige thread. Not sure whether I am imagining things but I felt that this machine handles my Monafilament thread a bit better (maybe because they attached this little black rubber thingy on the lever that goes up and down when you stitch, holding the thread in place?). The Chicken Quilt: Used both the IDT for straight line stitching and one of the decorative stitches for the center of the quilt. The decorative stitches (254 of them) is something I have to use more often. The machine comes with a number of quilting stitches that can be used in sashings or blocks. As I am so used to FMQ I hardly use them, but if you want a quick and no fuss finish this is very handy and looks great. I posted about a selection of decorative stitches HERE just to give you an idea. More FMQ: I did mainly do feathers since I acquired this machine and there were some adjustments that I had to make. Please see the post FMQ on the Pfaff 4.2 I am used to stitching my feathers with the Springloaded foot on the Springfoot freemotion mode. I did find that the open foot created some issues on this setting, i.e. it did not perform the way the Pfaff 4.0 had performed...I had thread breakage and skipped stitches (unheard of!)...after further exploration and a talk to the technician at the shop I was able to solve this by using the Springloaded foot in the Dynamic freemotion mode (depending on batting, one of those Genie Bobbin washers was also helpful). As for the Springfoot freemotion mode I found that it is best to use a closed foot for this to work properly. Since that I have not had any issues whatsoever...it seems that this new machine is just ever so slightly adjusted differently to the previous model...once you figure this out and adjust your habits accordingly there should not be any issues. I have stitched with various threads and needles...Aurifil 50/2 (needle 70/10) and Aurifil 40/2 (needle 80/12), Signature thread 40/2 (needle 90/14) and Rasant Ployester thread (needle 75/11). Which FMQ foot to use for what? Different designs will need a different foot. For anything that has to go a bit faster I now use the Dynamic 6D foot and the corresponding FMQ mode. For slower work like feathers I use my trusted Springloaded open foot, however now on the Dynamic freemotion mode. I do not use the Sensormatic FMQ foot a lot other than for quickly trying something out or using the Echo FMQ foot which is used with that mode. My main complaint with that setting is that when you stop and take off again, it forces you to make one more stitch into where you stopped. I find that quite irritating. Also, I rely a lot on listening to the machine stitch when FMQ...this foot lowers and raises with each stitch making quite a distinctive sound and then when you gather speed it floats across the surface. Don't mind the floating for a fast design, however the sound on the slower speed is irritating. Mind you this might just be me. And yes, I have started to use more of the functions again on the machine (got a bit lazy with the other machine) - definitely using the tie off again (On Pfaff 4.0 this did not work that well) - using the programmable function, saving particular stitches and sequences of stitches and functions - using Stitch Restart a fair bit - Stop/Start button: have used this while chain piecing, but also recently tried this out for FMQ. For FMQ you definitely need to be able to do the design in your sleep as even on the lowest setting I feel it is a tad fast. Nevertheless, this was a lot of fun and I could use this for stippling allover...noticed that I was able to stitch the design much larger as I only had to concentrate on the moving of the fabric. As the machine rattled away at a constant speed I had to keep my movements fairly wide and open when stippling resulting in a larger scale design. This could be useful. Also, some people find the Bobbin Empty Alert irritating...when the bobbin gets low the Alert will sound and the machine will stop. There seems to be the assumption that you have to stop and change the bobbin...I do not do this, but keep on sewing until it is finished, as sometimes there is a bit of thread left. So, all in all I am very happy with the machine and did not expect any different as it is very close to the Pfaff 4.0 which I had for some years. For me the improvements delivered and made this machine perfect for the sorts of things that I sew and quilt. Karin
Watch video on how to change the sewing feet, plus demo decorative stitches, see how the quarter inch seam foot performs on this machine.
A new toy was delivered to me the other day and I couldn’t wait to get the Pfaff Quilt Expression 4.2 – out of the box & into the studio. I was just like a kid at Christmas, all wide eyed and excited. Only a sewing machine could make me…
Full review of the awesome features and functions when Quilting with the Quilt Expression 4.2 including video on engaging feed dogs and IDT
A new toy was delivered to me the other day and I couldn’t wait to get the Pfaff Quilt Expression 4.2 – out of the box & into the studio. I was just like a kid at Christmas, all wide eyed and excited. Only a sewing machine could make me…
Watch video on how to change the sewing feet, plus demo decorative stitches, see how the quarter inch seam foot performs on this machine.
The Open Toe Foot is ideal for satin, applique, taper and decorative stitches. The tunnel on the underside of the foot feeds smoothly over the stitches and the open front gives greater visibility for accuracy. Genuine Pfaff Non-Stick Presser Foot Guaranteed to fit Pfaff Sewing Machine Models: Group C Models: Select 150, Select 1520, Select 2.0, Select 2.2, Select 3.2, Select 4.2 Group D Models: Select 4.0, 4.2, 3.0, 1548, 1546, 1540, 1538, 1536, 1530 Tiptronic 6270, 6250, 6232, 6120, 6122 Tipmatic 6150, 6152, 6122 Stretch and Jeans 6091 Freestyle 1527, 1522 Group E Models: Creative 2124 Classicstyle 2029, 2027, 2025, 2023 Quilt expression 2046, 2044, 2042 Expression 2036, 2034, 2028, 2026, 2024 Tiptronic 2040, 2030, 2020, 2010 Group F Models: Creative 7560 Group G Models: Creative 7570, 7562, 7550, 7530, 2170, 2144, 2140, 2134 Performance 2058, 2056, 2054 Quilt Expression 2048 Expression 2038 Group J Models: Creative 2.0 Creative 3.0 Creative 4.0 Creative 4.5 Creative Performance Creative Sensation Creative Sensation Pro Creative Vision Expression 2.0, 3.0, 3.2, 3.5, 150 Performance 5.0 Quilt Expression 4.0, 4.2 Group K Models: 140S, Ambition 1.0, Ambition 1.5, Ambition 610, Ambition 620, Ambition Essential, creative 1.5, Passport 2.0, Quilt Ambition 2.0, Quilt Ambition 630 Ungrouped Models: Passport 3.0, Performance 5.2
I often get comments on FMQ on the Pfaff Quilt Expression 4.2 and previously also on the 4.0. Unfortuantely some quilters are No-reply blogg...
Ca y est, c’est la fin des vacances pour moi, et un peu la rentrée sur le blog, que j’ai laissé de côté pour prendre l’air quelques jours en Espagne, pour me ressourcer en famille…
Watch video on how to change the sewing feet, plus demo decorative stitches, see how the quarter inch seam foot performs on this machine.
Finally getting around to write about tapering on the Pfaff Quilt Expression 4.2 Tapering lets you decrease or increase the width of a stitch at a particular angle to create symmetrical or asymmetrical tapers. This is a fun program that I also had on my previous machine... see the little bag that I made some years ago. It is a fun thing to play with but takes some time to get used to and get the hang of it. For my next pillow for the 2015 FMQ challenge over at Quiltshopgal I decided to use my Heather Feather Accuquilt die (design by Sarah Vedeler) that I purchased a good year ago. As Sarah Vedeler is this months' expert this seemed like the perfect opportunity. When I made the bag above, I had instructions from the Pfaff site...must admit that I have not used this function since then as I hardly do any applique work. So out came the manual... This is what the screen looks like when you hit the F1 button and then long press on one of the angles which brings up the whole program Now I remembered that I had some difficulty last time with working out the different directions of the angles and this time was no different. I decided to spent some time on this to get my head around it once and for all. The way this made sense to me is as follows - the top row provides for asymmetrical angles to the right - the middle line is for symmetrical tapers at various degree, i.e. your sewing comes to a point - the bottom row provides for asymmetrical angles to the left Playtime If you look at my sample (top left) and take the first taper at 45degrees that is marked 'top' for the top row, you would go into the program and press 45 degrees once only for the taper at the end. As you can see you would be stitching along and then press the reverse button to activate the taper and the machine will taper the stitch at a 45 degree angle. If you then set your beginning taper at 45 degrees and turn your piece at a 45 degree angle and start again you will get a perfectly aligned corner to the right. Very neat! You can see I then did a 60degree symmetrical taper, another 45degree taper to the left and so on...also tried the 30 degree taper on the right side of my sample but that takes some practice to align properly. The other thing I wanted to show you is the versatility of the program...it can be used on many of the decorative stitches and create quite spectacular designs, i.e. the Greek Key stitch that also featured on the bag above (now some of those tapers do not line up because of pure sloppiness on my part). Some people have commented on the net re the tapering and how hard it is to judge distances, i.e. when you should start your taper. Agree with that...it certainly takes some practice and knowing how this works. For example, the Greek Key design in the middle. I started with the beginning taper at 45 degrees, then the machine moves on to the next stitch and that is when you have to press the reverse button, i.e. you need to be clear about when you are on the stitch before the taper. For some of the stitches this will be easy to see however like for the Honeycomb or the stippling stitch it will not be as obvious. Just discovered that I can get the machine to help me with that by using the Sequence function. If you look at the far right side I stitched out the Honeycomb stitch with tapers at each side. I went into the Sequence program and decided that my stitch would consist out of 6 units of honey comb. I then put a Stop behind each of the six units (I had 3 of them). When stitching this sequence, I started with the beginning taper and when the stitch reached my 6 units, it stopped. Then did the next 6 units and activated the taper, as I was in the stitch before the taper, stopped again and did the last tapered down version of the Honeycomb...while a bit labour intensive, this certainly helped in working out exactly where I was and when I had to press the button...will play a bit more with this. Anyway after all this, I managed to stitch down my plume shape with the 60 degree symmetrical taper Not totally lined up but it worked very well, just needs a bit of practice. With the satin stitch you do get a feel for when you need to start activating the taper. And here is what I am working on Hope this helps Karin
Compatible with Pfaff Sewing Machine Models: creative 2.0, creative 3.0, creative 4.0, creative 4.5, creative icon, creative performance, creative sensation, creative sensation pro, creative sensation pro II, creative vision, performance 5.0, performance icon, quilt expression 4.0, quilt expression 4.2, quilt expression 720
Ca y est, c’est la fin des vacances pour moi, et un peu la rentrée sur le blog, que j’ai laissé de côté pour prendre l’air quelques jours en Espagne, pour me ressourcer en famille…
I have had the new Pfaff Quilt Expression 4.2 for about two month. I have posted before about the major differences and my first impression of the machine (see HERE) I must say, I am quite impressed with the finer detail of this machine in comparison to the Pfaff Quilt Expression 4.0 I did a fair bit of work on the machine since January starting with a workout in FMQ...I microstippled the centre of my Whole Cloth quilt which took about a week of constant running in the evening. As previously mentioned I used the new Dynamic Spring foot and was impressed with the visibility that I had and also the new 3 LED lights. Had absolutely no problem with seeing where I was going and this was with a blend in thread that would have normally caused me some grief in terms of seeing where I am heading. I had no thread breakages, no snags on the back or indeed any other problem...just smooth and consistent running...very much like the Pfaff 4.0, except this time with much better visibility. After this I started the Dresden Plate...this was a bit of an ad hoc idea and I just went with it. While doing this, I tested the thread snip. On my Pfaff 4.0 I had stopped using this a lot because it usually caused a bit of thread nest when starting to sew the next piece (even though I have a straight stitch plate)...sometimes it did this and sometimes it did not, so it became a bit annoying as I often had to re-do bits and pieces. The Dresden wedge was the perfect opportunity to test this out again, because when you start sewing the wedges together you start 1/4in down the seam and then go backwards to the edge of the wedge and down again (this is to secure the thread and to avoid the thread sticking out on top). I nearly did not use the thread snip as this was finicky enough to do in the first place and I did not feel like re-doing my seams every five minutes. Nevertheless, I stuck to my guns and used the thread snip. To my big surprise, it did this perfectly and very neatly without any major issues and I saved myself a bit of time cutting all the threads off. Also noticed the different feed system and definitely felt the improvement as the seams of the wedges are cut on the bias, so sewing them together well depends really on how well your machine is able the feed the fabric through. As I said before these are some of the finer detail and both machines obviously will give you a straight seam, but I did feel that the Pfaff 4.2 managed this task with a tad more ease. The next thing I am going to test out on a finished quilt is the tie off. The Pfaff 4.0 and 4.2 have two different tie off options, one for Stitch 1 and one for Stitch 52 which is specifically designed for quilting. The quilting tie off is on the left (Stitch 52) and as you can see gives a very neat and tidy beginning and end and best of all on the Pfaff 4.2, it is completely secure, i.e. it does not come out when you tug on it. Again, this is something I had stopped using on the Pfaff 4.0 because it just was too inconsistent...sometimes it worked and sometimes it did not. This has been very interesting actually as I am re-acquainting myself with some of the functions that I had stopped using on the Pfaff 4.0. Until next time Karin
I can see from my blog stats that people are searching for answers on the Pfaff QE 4.2 and skipped stitches. The machine should not skip stitches during normal straight line stitching so I am assuming that this must be related to FMQ. Yep, definitely also has happened to me and is a sign that something is not quite right. Here are some basic steps that you may want to try: 1. Change the needle. Even if you have just put a new needle in, it could be that the needle is somewhat faulty. Even brand new packets sometimes have faulty needles. 2. Consider whether you are using the wrong needle for your thread. As a general rule, I use an 80/12 needle for 50/3 cotton thread. When using 50/2 cotton thread, and doing slow feather work, I generally use a 70/10 sharp needle. 2. Re-thread your machine 3. Clean out the bobbin case If, after all this you still get skipped stitches check your settings (it is amazing how many times I forget a few steps when setting up for FMQ) - have you set your stitch length to zero? - have you lowered your feed dogs ? Although these first two steps should not really give you skipped stitches, I always go right back to the beginning of the set up. Then check: - are you using the 6D Dynamic foot in the 6D Dynamic Freemotion mode? - are you using an Open toe Springloaded foot in the Spring foot setting? Try using the Springloaded foot in the Dynamic setting because chances are the opening of the foot interferes with the machine grabbing the thread at the right time. - if using the Open Sensormatic foot lower the pivot height in the settings menu. - use Magic Genie Bobbin Washers. These are little teflon washers that you just put into the bobbin case. They will lift the bobbin just that fraction to address the timing issue. - if all fails, take your machine for a service and ask the technician to adjust the timing of the machine It just so happens that I am doing some FMQ with the new Open Toe Springloaded foot. I am participating in the FMQ Challenge that Quiltshopgal is hosting. Check it out HERE if you have not already heard about it. Lots of fun and lots of learning...but more on that at the end of the month when the link up will take place. The new Open toe Springloaded foot requires you to take the shank off which gives great visibility all around. I quite like this foot. New Open toe Springloaded foot Settings that I used As I already am aware that the Pfaff QE 4.2 is somewhat sensitive to the Open toe feet, I placed one of those Magic Genie bobbin washers into the bobbin. This worked fine for the most of it, however I did have about 2 skipped stitches...not a big deal you may think, but if you are in the middle of an amazing feather shape, that does spoil it a bit and is something that I personally find extraordinarily annoying. I then set the presser foot pivot height to -1 which makes the presser foot go down just that little bit lower onto the fabric as it lifts up and down with every stitch. Had no more problems for the rest of the feathers and was quite happy. However, I will mention this at my next service as I do think that needs an eeny-weeny adjustment. I then proceeded to do some other FMQ design in the surrounding area at a higher speed and again experienced a couple of skipped stitches...so now I am changing over to the Dynamic 6D foot for the faster designs, as I definitely did not have that problem with that foot. Now I better get a move on that FMQ challenge piece as we are already half way through the month. Somehow the new year has just descended on me and I am blissfully disorganised...have not linked up to my usual linky hang outs as I keep missing the days or am doing something completely different. Hopefully by February I will be back into some sort of routine. Until next time Karin
Watch video on how to change the sewing feet, plus demo decorative stitches, see how the quarter inch seam foot performs on this machine.
Full review of the awesome features and functions when Quilting with the Quilt Expression 4.2 including video on engaging feed dogs and IDT
Watch video on how to change the sewing feet, plus demo decorative stitches, see how the quarter inch seam foot performs on this machine.
Watch video on how to change the sewing feet, plus demo decorative stitches, see how the quarter inch seam foot performs on this machine.
This extension table measures 11-1/2in wide by 20in long and features a printed ruler. Guaranteed to fit Pfaff sewing machine models: Creative 2.0, Creative 3.0, Creative 4.0, Creative 4.5, Creative Performance, Creative Sensation, Creative Sensation Pro, Creative Vision, Expression 150, Expression 2.0, Expression 3.0, Expression 3.2, Expression 3.5, Performance 5.0, Quilt Expression 4.0, Quilt Expression 4.2, Performance 5.2
The Open-Toe Free-Motion Spring Foot is excellent for free-motion sewing and quilting. This foot is open in the front for optimum visibility while stitching. The spring action keeps the fabric from lifting with the needle as the stitch is being formed. The fabric is guided manually when free motion sewing or quilting. Guaranteed to fit Pfaff Sewing Machine Models: creative 2.0, creative 3.0, creative 4.0, creative 4.5, creative icon, creative performance, creative sensation, creative sensation pro, creative sensation pro II, creative vision, performance 5.0, Performance 5.2, performance icon, quilt expression 4.0, quilt expression 4.2, quilt expression 720, expression 2.0, expression 3.0, expression 3.2, expression 3.5, expression 150, expression 710 Alternate Part Numbers: 821141096
Finally getting around to write about tapering on the Pfaff Quilt Expression 4.2 Tapering lets you decrease or increase the width of a s...
Well I have had my Pfaff Quilt Expression 4.0 for about 6 weeks now and finally am comfortable with free motion quilting with the Sensormatic foot. Originally, I thought I would use the spring free motion foot but actually like this little Sensormatic foot. I had great difficulty at first and I am not happy there is so little instruction in the manual. I have searched the web and sewing forums and as usual have found several places with comments and recommendations. I found that the Pfaff Quilters Forum http://www.pfafftalk.com/chatroom/mvnforum/index was most helpful on this topic. I took advice from these sources and here is what works for me. Foot: Sensormatic free motion foot I had trouble putting on the foot at first. As shown below the top plastic hooky thing goes in front of the needle bar. Feed Dogs: Lower the feed dogs by pushing the feed dog lever on the front of the machine to the left. Settings: Under the Settings Menu (the button with the tool icon) I turn on the Sensormatic Free motion. I change the Pivot Height to -3 and I turn off the Auto foot lift. This will automatically change the thread tension to 5.2 but on my machine I need to increase it to 5.4 or 5.6 depending on the thread that I am using. This will also automatically set the stitch length to 0.0. Thread: I have experimented with embroidery thread, King Tut Quilting Thread and Coats and Clark All Purpose thread. All have worked well as long as I have the same thread in the top and bobbin. Needle: I am using a 90/14 Organ needle; I had been using a 75/11 and experienced thread shredding and since changing to the 90/14, all is well. So now I am quite happy with FMQ on my QE4!!
I have been merrily freemotion-quilting away over the last week. Very enjoyable indeed! Since the last service of the machine which was earlier in the year, I did notice some tension issues, particularly when stitching on the thinner cotton batting. I was not particularly fussed about this as it was very minor. It made sense to me as the technician would service the machine, then try out the tension via the decorative stitches and make slight adjustments, if necessary. I doubt he would have tried the machine on its freemotion quilting capabilities...anyway, every now and then I did notice that the bobbin tension was just a touch looser than what I had come to consider normal. Made a mental note to mention this to him next time. During my recent feathering though this started to become a bit more noticeable. If you look at the left side for the third curl you can see that the top thread is starting to lie on top of the fabric while I was stitching the curvature of the swirl...while this is not a big issue it did, sort of, through my concentration off every time this happened. So it was time to tackle this. While my stitching looked ok otherwise, it was time to have a bit of a closer look. I put some dark brown thread in my bobbin You could clearly see that the bobbin thread was coming through. While this is not entirely preventable, this was just a bit too much and definitively accounted for my top thread lying on top of the fabric particularly when going slightly faster. The Pfaff machine has a drop in bobbin case which is similarly adjustable as in machines with the 'normal' bobbin cases. When I took the bobbin case out and pulled on the bobbin, it did feel particularly loose. If you need to start fiddling with your bobbin tension, I suggest that you make a note (or better still, draw or photograph the position of your tension screw) at where your tension screw sits before touching to change it. Alternatively, you can use a second bobbin case to alter your tension. I have got a second bobbin case and changed this. You will need a tiny screw driver for this My tension screw in the bobbin that I am using was sitting at just after 12 o'clock, so I tightened the new bobbin case to about 10 past 12 o'clock, turning the screw to the right. If you don't know which side I am looking at, here is a photo of the bobbin case in my hand. The closed section of the bobbin case is facing my palm You can see that my tension screw has been set at about 10 past 12 o'clock. Tried this and presto...we are back to normal This is still stitched with the dark brown bobbin thread so the tension is just right, enough to pull the top and the bobbin thread right into the batting. You will probably wonder why I did not talk about the top tension...normally with tension issues, you will adjust your top tension first. In my case I have stitched with the same thread for years (Aurifil) and use the same top tension (usually sitting at about 3.8). In order to adjust the tension, I would have had to make the top tension looser...given the thread was lying on top that would suggest that the top thread is pulling the bobbin thread too hard making it come up through the layers. However going down in tension would mean that my stitching would not look quite right as the top tension would be getting too loose. So the problem was clearly with the bobbin tension. Hope that made sense. Stitched the next section without any problems and was loving it. Almost done with my little wall hanging! Karin
I have been exploring the 3 FMQ modes (Spring freemotion, Sensormatic freemotion and Dynamic spring foot 6D) of the machine. As you may have...
I have been exploring the 3 FMQ modes (Spring freemotion, Sensormatic freemotion and Dynamic spring foot 6D) of the machine. As you may have...
A new toy was delivered to me the other day and I couldn’t wait to get the Pfaff Quilt Expression 4.2 – out of the box & into the studio. I was just like a kid at Christmas, all wide eyed and excited. Only a sewing machine could make me…
Full review of the awesome features and functions when Quilting with the Quilt Expression 4.2 including video on engaging feed dogs and IDT
Full review - Getting the Quilt Expression 4.2 Ready for Quilting: video on IDT system, bobbin winding gear, threading needle, etc
Watch video on how to change the sewing feet, plus demo decorative stitches, see how the quarter inch seam foot performs on this machine.
Full review of the awesome features and functions when Quilting with the Quilt Expression 4.2 including video on engaging feed dogs and IDT
Full review of the awesome features and functions when Quilting with the Quilt Expression 4.2 including video on engaging feed dogs and IDT
