Hi , 

We're coming up on Halloween and I have quite the fright to share with you:

Have you ever seen your thread do this when free motion quilting?

It looks like a tension issue - and a really scary one at that - but no matter how much you crank your tension dial, it won't go away.

What is going on? Let's Troubleshoot this Together!

Typically thread loops pulling like this are a sign of a massive thread tension issue with your sewing machine. It could also be a sign that you forgot to drop your foot before starting to quilt.

With a modern home sewing machine – if the foot is not in the down position, your top thread will not be under tension, and ugly stitches and big loops of thread will follow soon after.

But notice that the loops of bobbin thread are only showing up in specific spaces.

The tension issue is not consistent. Notice that it seems to be happening in the same shape - the same curve repeatedly in this quilt sandwich.

This is a key to troubleshooting this free motion quilting issue - taking a close look at the stitches and figuring out what is the actual culprit.

Click here to read the rest of the article and learn how to overcome ugly stitches.

Get the Best Deal Ever on a 19-inch Longarm!

The Qnique 19X longarm is being discontinued and is currently on sale at the fantastic price of $4499.00. 

This makes the 19X the most affordable longarm with a 19-inch harp space. Space is the key because it's something that can never change on a longarm.

I consider this a "Goldilocks" size - big enough to quilt a 15-inch quilt block in one pass and fast enough to keep up with growing quilters!

Click here to learn more about the Qnique 19X.

Last Chance to Save on the Christa Sewing Cabinet

September is almost over and a lot of great deals will be ending on Sunday, October 1st!

The Christa cabinet, designed by my friend and fellow free motion quilter Christa Watson, is on sale for just $999. This table is specially designed by Christa to work great for walking foot and free motion quilting big quilts.

This cabinet unfolds like a Christmas present for a maximum size of 71 5/8” wide x 40” deep x 29 3/8” high. 

But just like all Arrow Sewing Cabinets, the Christa can fold back up to look like a normal cabinet and fit a much smaller space of just 56 1/2” wide x 22 5/8” deep x 29 3/8″ high.

This is not the only sewing cabinet we're carrying that magically unfolds! Click Here to check out our whole collection of sewing furniture. 

Speaking of Christmas, did you make sure to sign up for the 2023 Quilter's Christmas Advent Calendar? Through the month of December, you'll get a little gift via email with a fun quilting project to create. 24 quilting projects total makes for a lot of quilting fun!

Click Here to learn more about the Quilter's Advent Calendar.

That's it for this week, . Do you have any horror stories about your early days of ugly stitches and thread breaks? If you have a photo you'd like to add to this post and make it a bit scarier, definitely send it my way in a reply to this newsletter!

Let's go quilt,

Leah Day