The Joy of Quilting with Your Long-Arm Machine
31
KathyQuilts.com
Make sure you check out the “Troubleshooting” pages of your instruction manual
under the section of “Thread Breaking” for causes and solutions to your problem
Machine Needles
It is important to know the different parts of the quilting needle to be able to achieve a
beautiful stitch with your machine. Poor stitching is often the result of a needle that has
either been installed in the machine incorrectly or needs to be changed. The needle
could be installed incorrectly when it is not in the machine all the way, it is not straight,
or the scarf of the needle is facing the front of the machine head instead of the back.
The Block Rockit comes with 11 needles. You can
also purchase extra size 16 and size 18 needles from
KathyQuilts.com. These are generic needles and will
work in any quilting machine. A size 18 needle will
work best on thicker quilts (including denim) as it is
larger than a size 16.
Needles wear out as you quilt--replace them often
if you are doing a lot of quilting. If you hear a
“popping” or “clunking” noise as you are quilting, it is
time to change your needle. This means your needle
has eitherdeveloped a burr on the end, which can
cause the stitch to be thrown off, or it has been bent
or dented. It’s important to take note on how your machine sounds when it is stitching
well and use that as a guide for when problems arise. You will be able to hear when
something is not right pretty quickly and fix the problem as soon as it happens. Watch
our video on YouTube.com for a quick example of changing your needle.
TIP FROM KATHY:
Use a 16 when you’re quilting on a batik fabric because the weave
will not come back together around the thread as you stitch, so you’ll want a smaller
needle. Polyester batting will wear a needle out faster than cotton. Wool batting is
wonderful on your needle and seems to make them last longer.
HELPFUL VIDEOS:
Changing Your Needle
Checking Bobbin Case
NEEDLE
