Every embroidery enthusiast wants to reduce or completely have no thread breaks since it decreases your production rate and takes most of your time away trying to fix the broken thread. Thus, it’s always important to have little or no thread breaks. However, there are several reasons why a thread can easily break when in an embroidery machine. This ranges from the thread’s age to your machine’s maintenance. Continuous thread breaking when doing your project is very annoying; thus, finding and resolving the issue early on is important.
The foremost step in finding the cause of the thread-breaking problem is trying out different threads. This will help you determine whether the thread you’re using is of inferior quality or too old. Moreover, you can also determine if the problem is with the machine.
What Is Thread Breaking In Machine Embroidery
A thread break occurs when a line of stitches at your machine embroidery snaps because of incorrect stitch length, too much pressure, poor quality thread, etc. As a result, the needle will fall out of place and no longer sew. This will make the fabric raggedy and loose instead of professional-looking and tight.
Several reasons cause embroidery thread to break. Let’s look at a number of them and how you can stop it from happening.
Common Causes of Embroidery Thread Breaks And How To Fix It
Quality of the Thread
One of the main reasons for thread break is probably the thread you are using is of poor quality or maybe too old. An embroidery thread that’s too old often dries out, making it more fragile. Moreover, you can revitalize old thread with the help of thread lubricant, although the best thing is to substitute it with a new one. When your thread breaks repeatedly for no good reason, the thread needs to be discarded and replaced.
Remember that weaker or delicate thread material is likelier to break than a thread made with heavier materials. Thus, when purchasing your thread, you need to test multiple threads, which will help you get the best quality embroidery thread. Threads made of 100% polyester are always of the best quality. Remember to keep your thread away from high heat and direct sunlight.
Needle Problems
Issues related to the needle also can lead to your thread breaks. Always remember to replace your needle when it bents or gets old. Moreover, burrs at the needle eye can shred, eventually breaking the thread. Your needle’s eye size is also a factor to consider, as a very small eye will slice your thread leading to repeated thread breakage. In addition, as you replace the needle, always ensure it’s properly positioned. Your needle’s eye should be facing forward, and your needle’s scarf should face the machine, which means the smooth side should face the back. Always purchase quality organ needles as they will always offer the best quality embroidery job, which reduces thread breakage.
Improper Threading
This is another major cause of thread breaking. Before you start sewing, always ensure that your embroidery machine is well-threaded. Your thread is likelier to break when the upper thread misses the point or it’s not passing smoothly via the thread guides. Don’t forget to thread via the thread break sensor wheel, as it can lead to defective readings. Moreover, as you sew, always ensure your thread isn’t snagging on the cone’s base and trace the sewing thread’s path. Also, ensure that the thread isn’t catching on anything since friction at the edges can also lead to a break.
Burrs
Always check your sewing machine for burrs, scratches, or knicks. These small imperfections snag the thread, which leads to thread breaking. Burrs are mainly found at the needle plate, normally caused by breaking the needle. To prevent this problem, always ensure your stitching section is free of sharp edges or nails.
Thread Tension
A high level of bobbin tension or thread tension can easily lead to thread breakage. You need to loosen the bobbin or tension knob to solve this issue. Before you start sewing, always ensure your machine’s tension is properly set. Too high tension pulls your thread too tight, which leads to a break. Moreover, you should test and adjust your machine’s tension regularly.
Bobbin Threading
Another common cause of the thread break is bobbin threading, this occurs when the bobbin thread gets jammed at its feeding mechanism or in between the feed dog and the needle bar. This error is more common to beginners and occurs more when you utilize more than a single color of thread at your sewing machine. In addition, the error also happens when the bobbin gets stuck, maybe after dropping it. Always ensure that your bobbin is threaded well and the bobbin is wound perfectly. Clean your sewing machine regularly to ensure it is in a good position.
When the bobbin case has too much fuzz, this may hang up your hook speed, making the threads entangle. Due to this, the top thread will keep on breaking. To overcome this, you must regularly clean your embroidery machine to ensure it’s in the perfect working position.
Picker
This section of a sewing machine assists in holding the fabric firmly as you sew. With this part, your stitches will remain in a single place. When your embroidery machine loses its selector, it will be able to move freely and move beyond stitching sections which results in thread breaks. If the picker is adjusted very far, you could have recurrent pop-outs, and a thread will break where it pops out of the needle’s eye. In such a case, buy another picker from a genuine supplier. Check your machine’s manual to fix it yourself or have a technician.
Poor Digitized Designs
Sometime designs are auto digitized or poorly digitized by designers, they cause density issues, high dense designs and chosen material should be checked to minimize thread breaks, you can ask your digitizer about thread breaks and if they can fix the issue, they will check the design and adjust settings and send back files to you, provide your digitizer the information about the apparel you are using, placements as well as thread you are using…
Solutions for Fixing Thread-Breaking Issues
When faced with thread-breaking issues in machine embroidery, you must try some remedies to eliminate this frustrating issue. Below are some ways you can fix thread-breaking issues and continue making your beautiful designs.
Check Tension
Begin by checking your machine’s tension settings. Gradually change the upper thread tension as you test the stitches at a scrap fabric until you get the sweet spot where your thread will flow smoothly, minus excessive looseness or tightness.
Ensure the Thread Route is Clear.
Always ensure no stray needles or threads will block your thread’s route or disrupt the progress.
Use Best-Quality Thread
Get the best-quality thread that’s designed precisely for use in machine embroidery. Poor-quality threads are prone to breakage because they have weak fibers. Purchase a sewing thread that’s smooth, strong, and it’s designed to survive the embroidery demands.
Check your Needle
A damaged needle or worn-out needle causes thread breaks. Depending on your fabric, you need to replace this kind of needle with a new one of the right size. In addition, change your sewing needle frequently since a dull needle leads to thread breakage.
Clean and Maintain Your Machine Regularly
Always keep your embroidery machine clean and well-maintained. Remove all the debris and lint from the thread path, tension discs, and bobbin area. Moreover, lubricate your machine as the manufacturer’s guidelines instruct to ensure smooth operation.
Conclusion
Repeated thread breaking when doing your project is frustrating. Thus, it’s important to check this issue’s possible causes before you change your mind. Since several factors contribute to thread breakages, understand each to avoid having this same issue every time.