Perfect Thread Tension Every Time

comments (1) October 17th, 2008 in tips & tricks, garment construction

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submitted by April Mohr
from Threads #113

I perfect my tension setting for the fabric in my project by cutting a 6-to 8-inch square from the fabric, preparing my machine with the thread and settings I plan to use, and stitching a straight line diagonally from corner to corner across the square. Then, with a stitched corner in each hand, I stretch the square along the stitching line until I hear or feel a thread break. If both the top and bobbin threads break in exactly the same place, the tension is perfect. If only one thread breaks (usually in two places) that thread's tension is too tight, indicating that I should either loosen the tension for that thread or tighten the opposite tension. Most of the time a very small adjustment does the trick.