Stitches

why is my embroidery machine tearing and knotting my fabric?

It's a Designer I Viking. The sewing machine part of it works great no problems with that. But when I am using the embroidery part of it it sucks my fabric into the machine and knots it up. I am using a 100% cotton t-shirt to embroider on. Anyone have a suggestion on what is going wrong? I use a cut away stabilizer always

Public Comments

1. Try using a Stabilizer behind your fabric ;))))
2. I wonder if you need to drop your feed dogs. I use Brother and we need to be sure they are down. Good luck, Loretta
3. Are you hooping your t-shirt, or floating it on top? For a t-shirt, you may want to use either 2 layers of the tear away, or use a cut a way stabilizer.
4. Check your hooping. Also, is your bobbin inserted correctly? Have you tried a different fabric and/or design? Try using only the stabilizer hooped, and spray adhesive to keep the cotton in place on top of the stabilizer.
5. You are not using enough stabilizer. On T-shirts I hoop sticky stabilizer, put the shirt on it, then put regular stabilizer underneath. That way the fabric doesn't get stretched out of shape. Some fabric need more layers than others. If you can take a class just about stabilizers. I learned a lot from the class I took. I like tear away and sticky stabilizer much better than cut away. Cut away leaves too much. When something like this happens, first try to add more layers of stabilizer. There is stabilizer that is already sticky. There is no need to buy spray adhesive. I have had a Viking embroidery machine for over 10 years
6. The things you need to do are: 1) cut out some cardboard that is slightly bigger than your t-shirt so that when you put the cardboard in the shirt it keeps it flat but doesn't stretch it out. (this helps make it easier to hoop so you don't have to worry about the bottom or top part getting in the way of your embroidery.) 2) Hoop the shirt and one layer of medium/heavy stabilizer rather loosely into the hoop (don't pull it tight, just flat), you don't want it to be too dense (which will make it wad up), and it will need to give a bit to help keep it from puckering the finished project too. Hope that helps!
7. have you tested different fabric or any kind of material, may be it doesn't work on embroidery. - http://www.warwick.com.au/
8. I had the same problem with my huskvarna Rose and I found out that there were "loose" threads within the loops that hold down the thread. Stupid but true. Also, check your bobbin, take out and clean it good. I found my thread between the place that you can place 2 threads like if you were going to sew with a double needle. The piece that gave me trouble was about an inch. :-(
9. I also use the sticky stabilizer when I embroider on t-shirts and golf style shirts. Helps to control the stretch. Check the feed dogs Check that you have changed the foot for the one special for embroidery Clean out the shuttle (where the bobbin rides) use a can of air and blow out all of the fabric dust that accumulates when you sew. It is amazing how the dust can gunk up the works. Try embroidering on plain cotton fabric to see if the machine is functioning correctly. If all else fails take it to the store where you got it and have it cleaned and checked. Hope this helps