So there you were one Sunday afternoon, minding your own business sewing along.
After a large amount of work you pull your project out of the machine to admire the stitches and turn it over to find thread. Everywhere.
Loops on loops on loops of loose stitches.
Completely unusable.
You curse at it, maybe throw it at something. Walk away for a while, maybe even a couple of days, before you come back to start the stitch ripping.
Sewing machine tension claims another victim.
9/10 sewers agree, sewing machine tension is the most likely thing to cause you heartache when it comes to a sewing project.
Today I’m going over everything tension related. What causes it, how do you know its the problem, and how to fix it quick.
Why sewing machine tension matters and sewing machine tension chart
Tension matters in sewing because without correct tension, your stitches are more likely to break and compromise the longevity of your project.
A stitch is made of two pieces of thread winding around each other, if one side is too loose or the other side is too tight, you will likely see the looser of the two sides pulled to the opposite side.
This not only gives you an ugly stitch, but it also gives you a stitch that is easily snagged and ripped. This scenario is often referred to as eyelashing as the pulled through stitches resemble a set of fake eyelashes.
In addition to weak stitches, if the tension is really off, you may find that the thread gets caught up in the sewing machine, completely binding up the bobbin leaving you unable to actually sew until you’ve cut it apart and restarted.
Getting your sewing machine tension right (or at least close enough) can make or break the overall lifespan of a sewing project.
If you’re finding yourself fighting with your sewing machine and you suspect a tension issue, be sure to check the sewing machine tension chart below for a quick fix guide on how to troubleshoot the issue and get back to stitching.
| Stitch Defect Scenario | Cause | Adjustment Needed? | Tension Dial Adjustment/Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thread Snapping | Top Tension Too Tight 1. Thread Snagged On Machine 2. Thread Too Thin/Brittle 3. Tension Set Too High |
Maybe | 1. Rethread Machine 2. Try Different Thread 3. Lower Tension Setting |
| Bobbin Thread Pulling To Front | Top Thread Too Tight | Yes | Lower Tension Setting |
| Top Thread Eyelashing On Back | Top Thread Too Loose | Yes | Raise Tension Setting |
| Machine Binding Up | Top Thread Too Loose 1. Machine Is Mis-Threaded 2. Tension Set Too Low |
Maybe | 1. Rethread Machine 2. Raise Tension Setting |
| Skipping Stitches | Top Tension Too Tight 1. Thread Snagged On Machine 2. Tension Set Too High |
Maybe | 1. Rethread Machine 2. Lower Tension Setting |
How to know if your tension setting is incorrect
So what are the usual suspects when it comes to incorrect tension settings? Turns out there is a host of different issues you might come across that all lead back to your tension settings being incorrect.
- Your sewing machine starts skipping stitches
- You find a birds nest of thread on the back side of your line of stitching
- You are finding loops pulled through on one side of your stitching (known as eyelashing)
- You find that your thread keeps snapping on you randomly
- Your sewing machine binds up and refuses to continue stitching
These are only a few of the common examples, so don’t be surprised if you find some wild ways that sewing machine tension messes around with your project.
When you face a sewing machine problem, whether its on the chart below or not, give some of the tension tricks a try and see if it doesn’t end up solving your issue.
What does correct thread tension look like?
A stitch is created by winding the bobbin thread around the top spool thread. Correct thread tension should hide the place where they wind around each other within the fabric where the needle pierced.
Realistically you shouldn’t be able to see where the two threads meet, on either side.
Check out the sewing machine tension chart below for a quick reference guide.
What should your sewing machine tension be set at?
Your tension settings can change based on a few things, but in general, start with your tension on the middle number of your tension dial.
This will set you to a default setting that you can start from to adjust things.
If you are switching projects and the fabric thickness between the two projects is drastically different, you are likely going to need to change your tension settings.
Changing thickness of materials is going to alter how physically tall the stitches are which means it is going to be a tighter stitch in order to keep the stitches your desired length.
You may also see tension issues when you are sewing together two materials of different textures like a batting and cotton, or if you are sewing a thin slippery fabric to something more sturdy.
One side ends up finding a more bouncy material (like the batting) which may end up pulling the thread from the opposite side through.
No matter the project, the goal is to find a setting where both the top and bobbin thread are at equal tension so the stitches don’t turn out loose and snag long term.
How do you adjust sewing machine tension?
Before starting to play with tension settings, sometimes its actually best to ask yourself this question first:
Has anything actually changed since I first started seeing this problem? Or am I mid project and all of a sudden have an issue?
More often than not, tension issues are actually machine threading issue, before you worry about playing with the tension dial, always try rethreading your top thread first.
It might be that something external is altering the way your thread moves through the machine and not actually the tension settings on the machine.
If you are confident its a tension setting problem, adjusting is relatively easy. All you have to do is twist the dial on the machine to make the top thread a tighter or looser tension.
If you find your top thread is being pulled to the bottom of your project, your top thread is too loose. Twist your dial to a higher number to tighten the top thread to match closer with the bobbin.
If the bobbin thread is being pulled to the top of your project, or your thread is randomly snapping or skipping stitches, the opposite problem is occurring. Your top thread is too tight. Twist the dial to a lower setting than what you are currently using and it should tighten things up.
Start out making smaller adjustments, otherwise you may find yourself overcorrecting by accident.
Do I have to adjust the tension of the bobbin casing?
While it is possible to change the tension of the bobbin casing, it is generally a worst case scenario solution. Typically only having one factor to change makes solving the problem quicker. By adding in two factors, a change in the bobbin as well as a change in the top thread, there are more combinations of adjustments you can make that overall lead to more confusion and frustration.
Best to commit to your bobbin thread tension and adjust the top to match.
The only case where you might have to adjust the bobbin casing tension is with a sewing machine right out of the box, that just can’t seem to stitch. For whatever reason you’ve maxed out the tension dial and still can’t get a good stitch. The bobbin casing may have been assembled to a tension that the sewing machine is incapable of matching.
Adjusting in this case is worth potentially breaking the bobbin casing in order to get a working sewing machine.
Common causes for sewing machine tension problems
As a rule of thumb, if you find yourself dealing with sewing machine tension problems consider if you may be running into one of these scenarios:
Machine is not threaded right
There are a lot of loops and guides that the thread has to wind through in order to thread the machine. If you are all of a sudden running into tension issue mid-project, double check your thread pathway first.
If you are sewing for a while, you may find that the thread has slipped off the takeup bar, or out of a guide somewhere.
Starting with rethreading is always the best place to start with thread issues.
Thread is too old
If you’ve pulled out an old sewing machine out, or are using thread that has been sitting around for a while, its possible your thread itself is the issue.
Thread is a fiber just like normal fabric, if your thread is often left in the direct sun, or been sitting around for years and years, you may find it has become brittle and prone to randomly breaking from use in the sewing machine. The best fix here is to just find new thread for your project.
Top and bottom thread are different
If you are using different colors for your top and bottom threads, its not uncommon to find yourself using different brands. If the two threads you are using are different thicknesses, you will likely find yourself with tension issues to fix.
The thinner thread likely stretches when used with a thicker thread in a stitch which will lead to it pulling through and eyelashing.
If you are using different brands or thicknesses of threads, expect a tension adjustment to account for the difference between the two.
Thread is caught/knotted somewhere
Similar to slipping out of a guide, occasionally you will find that your thread manages to get caught in places you don’t expect making it difficult for the sewing machine to continue stitching without pulling on the thread.
Its common to find that the thread jumped up and double looped itself on a guide causing the thread to get hung up and break, or caught in the bobbin area.
Sometimes these are easily fixed without breaking thread, however 9 times out of 10 a rethread of the machine will be required to correct the issue.
Change in other sewing machine settings
Changes in things like stitch type, stitch length, or presser foot types may have an effect on your sewing machine tension. The best bet is to identify what setting has changed most recently and try to troubleshoot from there.
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