The day I stopped fighting with my sewing machine over thread tension

I spent six months thinking my sewing machine was just finicky with thread tension on leather bindings. Then last Tuesday I was watching a tutorial by a bookbinder in Portland and she mentioned something about using a walking foot for thick materials. I had been using a regular presser foot the whole time! Switched to a walking foot and suddenly my stitches came out even on the first try. Has anyone else had that moment where a simple tool swap fixed everything?

2 comments

2 Comments

alicecraig12d ago

Did you try cleaning out the tension discs first though?

logan52512d ago

Yeah cleaning the tension discs is usually the first thing I tell people to try. Had a similar issue with my machine last year where the thread kept bunching up underneath. Took the discs apart and used a little rubbing alcohol on a q tip to get all the lint out. Made a huge difference for me. Also check if your thread is actually sitting between the discs and not just riding on top of them, that happens more than you'd think.