You are halfway down a seam, the thread snaps, and you rethread. Ten stitches later it snaps again. Few things in sewing are more maddening.
Take heart, because your machine is rarely broken. Snapping thread is nearly always one of seven small problems, and most of them cost nothing to fix. Work through them in this order.
The seven fixes
1. Rethread the top thread
Lift the presser foot first, then thread from the start. With the foot down the tension discs are closed, and the thread cannot seat between them.
2. Fit a new needle
A blunt or slightly bent needle frays the thread until it snaps. You cannot see the damage, so simply change it.
3. Check the needle size
Thick thread in a fine needle shreds in the eye. If your thread looks fuzzy before it breaks, go up a needle size.
4. Ease the top tension
If the tension dial has been turned high, the thread is being stretched to breaking point. Return it to the middle setting and test on a scrap.
5. Change the thread
Old thread goes brittle, and bargain thread is uneven and full of weak spots. Pull a length and tug it: if it snaps easily, it will snap in the machine.
6. Look at the bobbin
A bobbin wound unevenly, or one made for a different machine, makes the thread catch and jerk. Rewind it smoothly and use the bobbin your machine was built for.
7. Clean out the lint
Fluff packed under the needle plate drags on the thread. Brush it out with the little brush that came with your machine.
Still breaking?
If the thread snaps at the same spot every time, there may be a rough edge on the needle plate or hook that is cutting it. That needs a technician, so give us a call and ask about a service.
The three things worth replacing
Fix number two
Fresh machine needles
From KES 800 a pack
The cheapest repair in sewing. Keep a pack of universal needles in sizes 80 and 90, and change the needle at the start of every big project.
See machine needles
Fix number five
DMC Polyester Sewing Thread
KES 300 a reel
A smooth, even, strong thread that runs cleanly through the machine. If you have been fighting with old or bargain thread, the difference shows in the first seam.
See polyester threads
Fix number six
Genuine bernette bobbins
From KES 250
A bobbin that is slightly the wrong size will still sew, but it causes loops, jams and broken thread. Genuine bobbins are made to the exact size your bernette expects.
See bernette bobbinsBring the problem to us
Bring your thread, your needle and a scrap of the fabric to our shop on the 1st floor of Sarit Centre, and we will help you find what is going wrong.
Shop sewing suppliesOr call us on +254 798 316860
We are Kenya's authorised Bernina and bernette distributor.
Prices correct at the time of writing.
