Troubleshoot Tension Problems on a Grace Qnique Longarm 

Thank you

I just set up my machine and of course tension was awful. But I remembered your advice from this video and checked one thing at a time. Finally got it going well. Thanks again.

I know this video is old but I always check your videos when I’m having tension problems with my brother 15r by Q’unique. I was having tension, problems and frustrated started from the machine cleaned everything up again wiped everything down check the wheels check the tension in the bobbin everything was fine then I realized you said start from the beginning and there was the mistake. Somehow the thread got wrapped around the one bar twice, I had to re-thread the machine turn the tension down and amazingly the stitches are perfect. Thank you again again for this video I appreciate your insight.

Thank you for sharing so much knowledge with us. I just finished my first quilt and wanted to thank you for giving me the confidence to try. I used your method of sashing to sew the blocks together and it looks great! You are a wonderful teacher!

I can’t tell you how much I love these videos! There is so much information packed into them, I don’t know if I can remember it all. Lol. I just ordered my first long arm and (needless to say) I am hyper excited to get it! Hopefully, I can remember enough info to apply when I finally get it. I seem to be binge watching all them in anticipation! Thanks for the lessons in troubleshooting and fixing tension issues that are sure to arise. Take care.

Thank you! I hope you have a wonderful weekend :)

You explain issues so well. Your honesty is refreshing. Thank you! Humidity plays a huge roll as do bobbin winding variations. Bobbin winding inconsistency is a huge issue in my world. My machine came with a wonderful stand alone bobbin winding product. Can I guarantee it winds equally no. A lesson learned. I moved from a domestic to a sit down long arm. World of difference. Wind a bobbin load and go on a domestic. On my sit down long arm the tension changes as I work. Not always the best experience but something I am becoming aware of. Sound of the machine, top stitch quality and most importantly checking the under quality throughout the bobbin have eased my frustrations. Wish the consistency was there your bet. It may come. Thank you again for a wonderful video.

EXCELLENT!!! Thank you.

Thanks. Great tips

That was so helpful thank you Leah my machine is very noisy so will check everything now. Jan

that's funny, I thought I had a poltergeist in my sewing room! lol

I just started on my new Grace co. Q'nique my first time run my bobbin thread was to loose. I read the book and it said to turn the large screw on the bobbin case clockwise a little at a time and check. it worked.

Thank you...I just purchased a q15r...having lots of fun! Could u do a ruler for dummies video showing diff issues u may run into...my first attempt was not very good

Still don’t have a sit down long arm - but good hints in general regarding tension.

Hi, Leah, I'm not sure if this is the correct forum to put this, but I'm hoping that others who are struggling with tension issues can find some hope with my experience. I bought my "previously loved" Q'nique on a SR2 frame about a year and a half ago. I have completed two quilts on it and am on my third. I have struggled with tension issues ever since I got it and even thought perhaps it was just a lemon and that's why the person traded it in for something else. I had it in the shop twice (in warranty, my shop is great) but the issue with taking it to the shop is they can't see what's going on at home. And to have someone come to my house is an hour drive for them. I have watched numerous videos from Grace to try and fix the tension issues but still find myself with looping (eyelashes) on the bottom, bottom thread pulling through to the top, skipped stitches, thread breaks, you name it. I have been so frustrated at times that I wind up on the floor in tears threatening 'Gracie' with taking her out and trading her in on a newer more sophisticated model. I wanted to say thank you for this video. I work in the IT world and making one adjustment at a time is what we do there as well so that we know what fixed it. I finally got my bobbin tension adjusted right and I was having better luck but still wasn't getting the quality that I felt I should be getting. The book only talks about adjusting tension in the bobbin and then the tension dial but says nothing about the place where you adjusted the little guide that was "jiggly". I went to 'Gracie' and took a look. The angle on my guide was different than what you set yours at so I adjusted it and voila, I saw a marked increase in the quality of my stitches. Then after quilting for a few minutes, I noticed that it was skipping stitches. I looked that up in the book and there were a couple of things in there that I checked. The first thing was the bobbin area. There was a ton of lint in there so I cleaned it out and I figured since I was there, I might as well lubricate my machine especially since I hadn't used it in probably a month. The next thing on the list was the needle. Somehow, in my stitching (vibration I am sure) my needle was slightly off (the eye wasn't straight from the front). I fixed it so it was straight and tested some more and I was still getting some slight skipped stitches but not near as many as I was getting before. The next thing on the list was the height of the foot. I keep a ruler foot on my machine as I use the ruler a lot. I checked it and it was a little higher than the book said it should be. I readjusted that (I used a credit card for height measurement) and tested it again and all my skipped stitches are gone, my stitch quality is better than I have ever seen it. The moral of this story is thank you! What you said about "don't try to troubleshoot tension when you are frustrated or angry" really sunk in. I would never have thought to adjust the guide that you mentioned and I didn't realize that there is more than one thing to check as far as tension goes on the top of the machine. I'm very excited to finish the quilt I have on the machine now so I can start doing some very creative things on other quilts. Thank you so much for your videos. I look forward to them but of all the ones that you have done, this one was by far the most educational for me. You are an inspiration. Thank you!!! Deb

I use Isacord also but had never linked the white waxy buildup with the thread. I'm so glad you mentioned it. How do you clean it from the bobbin area?

First time using my long arm 15R. Why would I be getting large hoops on back side of quilt? Thank you

I'm overwhelmed with my tension issues...I use the towa gauge and the thread is 180-200...the current issue...I see the bobbin thread on top and the top thread on the bottom at the same TIME!!!😬😬 what causes this and how can I correct it? Thank you!

Leah, first I love your videos. Second I have a problem with my Qnique 15 Pro I cannot resolve. I have tested this and the tension is great before I start quilting. Then when I quilt on my quilt, the tension is crazy. It will sewing beautifully for awhile then start the looping in the back of the quilt. I have tried to adjust the tension (the white knob on the front of the machine) but it just spins and does not seem like it moves. It was on 1 and a half, and I turned it several times and it is still on 1 and one half. Am I doing this wrong. I checked the threading first and it was right. Any suggestions on this" Sandy

I’ve had my 15R only long enough to done one baby quilt on it. So now, on my second the tension is nuts! And there is a grinding sound like it needs oiling somewhere, but I’ve oiled it wherever the manual has said to. Even if I get the tension going well, it only lasts for about 12-18 inches of stitching, and usually my thread breaks. I’ve tried loosening the tension so many times to stop thread breaks, but then stitches are terrible. Do you have any ideas?

What is causing loops underneath?

I always say I have gremlins in my sewing room. Good tip to do things 1 at a time.

I'm having a problem with the bobbin. I can't adjust the screw any tighter and am getting thread loops from the top thread. Any thoughts. I did put in a new bobbin spring, but no luck

If you use isacord on top what do you use in the bobbin? Great video, very informative.

I know that this is an old video but…to put another piece of fabric on the frame to test changes the dynamic from the original quilt, right?

I am new to the Q'nique 15R world and am having an issue with skipped/long stitches only when moving the machine from right to left. You have another video discussing that problem but I think you're talking about a domestic machine and free motion. Is there something I can adjust to correct the problem with moving to the left? (Love your videos! They have been SO helpful!) Thanks!

How often do you oil this long arm

I recently purchased the 15R Pro. It is on a QZone Hoop frame. Tension issues persist. As you point out, it is likely user error but I have watched this video several times and am still struggling. I have followed your suggestion to put a test quilt sandwich on the frame and adjusted tension, checked threading, changed needles, changed bobbins, tested my bobbin tension with the drop test. I use Isacord thread and have it threaded as you demonstrated. It does much better when the tension dial is turned all the way to a 1 but it is still not very good. The top stitches look acceptable but on the bottom there are loops, much worse than the pulls you have on your corners. I am using the simple l and e loop pattern. Is it time to call Grace for help?