Why Sewing Machine Keeps Knotting, Causes and FAQs

When you are sewing, if your sewing machine keeps knotting, it can be very frustrating.

This could make your project take longer to complete or potentially harm your fabric and seams. It might be costly to purchase fabric and thread, so you don’t want to waste any of it.

Understanding the cause of your sewing machine thread’s knotting will both help you prevent it in the future and cure it when it does occur.

Table of Contents

Sewing Machine Keeps Knotting – Causes and Solution

The bobbin is usually at fault for this because it keeps pulling and jamming while gathering a lot of thread below your fabric. Along with the knots, your fabric will probably have a lot of huge loops.

A sewing machine can sometimes keep knotting, and the cause of this problem is often difficult to determine. There are a few potential causes that could lead to machine knotting, including improper threading or incorrect tensions in the sewn fabric.

One common solution to resolving this issue is to adjust one or more of these factors. In most cases, simply adjusting these settings will fix the problem and allow you to continue sewing without interruption.

Here are the possible causes of your thread knotting:

i. Dull Needle

When you sew, the needle’s point is responsible for bobbin thread catches. This causes the needle to make a loop with the top thread and tie a knot.

This procedure, however, might not function properly if your needle is dull, and it’s possible that a knot will get caught there instead of on the fabric as it should.

By replacing the needle on your sewing machine with a new, sharp one, you can resolve this problem.

ii. Incorrect Threading

If you don’t thread your machine correctly, you might experience problems with your thread not functioning properly.

Incorrectly threading the top thread can have an impact on both the top thread and the bobbin thread’s functionality.

iii. Short Thread Tails

When threading your machine and getting ready to start sewing, you should pay attention to your thread tails. This goes for both the top and bobbin threads.

Your thread tails may be pulled back into the sewing machine if they are not long enough, which could result in various types of knotting.

iv. Problem With Bobbin Placement

If the bobbin or bobbin case is not correctly positioned in your machine, you might also experience difficulties.

Your bobbin thread may unwind incorrectly if you put the bobbin in the case incorrectly. Alternately, if your bobbin thread is improperly wound, your bobbin thread and the top thread will not interact properly.

v. Bobbin Size Issue

You could possibly have a problem with your bobbin’s size in addition to problems with bobbin placement.

Although most machines only come with a few bobbins, most sewers use a lot of them to avoid having to constantly replace the thread in their machines, which would be wasteful.

Make sure to purchase and utilize bobbins that are suitable for or tailored to fit your machine in order to prevent this from happening.

vi. The tension is not equal

Tension problems are one of the main problems that might lead to knotting in your thread. One of the most frequent reasons for knotting is tension problems.

Ideally, you should make sure that the tension of the top and bobbin threads is equal.

vii. The tension is not right for the fabric or thread

You can still have a tension issue with your machine even if your tension is equal and you are still experiencing problems.

Your choice of materials may be the cause of this problem. Change your tension if you’re working with a heavier fabric or thread.

iix. Dirty machine

If you don’t keep your sewing machine clean, you could also experience problems with knotting thread.

If you don’t frequently clean your machine, it could become blocked with trash, old fabric, or even thread fragments.

ix. The sewing machine isn’t oiled

You should also frequently oil your equipment as part of regular maintenance.

By lubricating its components, you can keep your machine operating smoothly and keep its parts from wearing out one another.

There are a few ways to prevent knots from happening and to fix them when they do. The first is to adhere to the following guidelines: Always use the correct size of the needle; use a two-step approach when stitching, make sure to backstitch before releasing the fabric; and use a wide variety of fabrics and seam allowances.

Another important step is to maintain proper tension on the machine’s gears. It is also important to be aware of the types of fabrics that are prone to knotting, as well as the types of seams that are particularly challenging.

For instance, very loosely woven fabrics often knot easily, while top-stitched seams can be difficult to repair.