bobbin thread keeps snapping - what am I doing wrong?

[Tangle]

This is probably a totally stupid question. Please take pity - I'm 37 weeks pregnant and normal mental service is not in operation!

I'm trying to make one of these for a friend's DS for Christmas (mine's going to be little less pink ). I've got most of it done and everything's worked OK (although fiddly feet on cord proved interesting to try and steer around). Its broadly put together, turned out and nearly ready for stuffing. BUT before I do that I'm meant to:

"Sew a seam around the edge of the bill using a 5mm seam allowance to create the duck-bill-look".

And this is where it keeps going wrong. I've tried a couple of times and both times I've made it all of about 3mm before the bobbin thread has snapped on me.

So is it something really obvious like I need to reduce the tension on the needle thread or use a longer stitch? Or is it just a reflection of the fact the machine isn't great and sewing corduroy is a pain and I should give in now and do it by hand?

I've done a couple of other bits since it started playing silly games and that's been fine, which is what's making me wonder if its the combination of fabric and machine that's the problem.

Help !

[LaVolcan]

The tension could be too tight or, if the thread is old, it could be snapping because its become a bit brittle.

[nevergoogle]

do the bobbin and thread make a P shape when you put it in?

[Catsmamma]

has the top thread jumped out any where along its path??

My old machine would do this when the thread escaped from the hooky bit that goes up and down.

[coolragdoll]

When my machine messes around I sometimes take all the cotton out and rethread. It sometimes unsticks it.

[Pleiades45]

Tension would be my first guess, if you're using 100% cotton and it is old thread you can try putting it into the freezer overnight and then defrosting. This adds moisture to the thread. Check how the thread is wound onto the bobbin as well. If you need to rewind, then do so but rewind again so that the fibres are lying in the right direction. I've been told this can make a difference. Check your needle as well, if it's struggling to deal with the corduroy then it could be causing the problem.

[Tangle]

OK - I need a big . Turns out the 2nd time I tried to do it it had worked fine, but somewhere between eyes and brain it had all gone horribly wrong again . Maybe a clue I shouldn't try to do things in a rush .

Pleiades45 - please can you elaborate on "rewind again so that the fibres are lying in the right direction". I followed all the rest of everyones suggestions OK, but this one has me thoroughly confused! I was using Gutterman "sew all" polycotton thread, and the machine doesn't give me an option on which way to wind the bobbin

Thanks for the suggestions, though. I find it very easy to miss the obvious, sometimes - and having a big bump doesn't help!

[LatteLady]

Glad to hear that it is all OK. Couple of other things, when you change your bobbin, run a small paint brush around the inside of your machine where the bobbin fits in... you will be gobsmacked by how much fluff will come out. Next always check how the machine is threaded, it will slip out on occasion so re-threading is always good. Finally on the bobbin holder (the little gizmo that you stick your bobbin on to) there is a tiny screw which may also need tightening, give it one turn anti clockwise, try it on a test piece and adjust as necessary.

[dearprudence]

Stupid question, have you taken the bobbin out and re-threaded it?

[Pleiades45]

ok, what I was told is that when the thread is made, it has a 'pile' which we don't see. It is wound onto the reel ready for use in the machine, when we wind onto the bobbin we reverse the direction of the pile which is ok because it's being used underneath in the opposite direction. If the tension of your bobbin is loose or tight and you need to rewind onto another bobbin you end up with the pile in the original position as it is on the thread spool. So you need to wind it one more time onto another bobbin to reverse the pile again.

I know this sounds far fetched but, I've done classes with very experienced quilters who insist this can make a difference to how the thread runs through the machine.

Also make sure you've oiled your machine recently.