Why does the sewing machine skip stitches when sewing and what should I do?

Like any device (even without electronic control), the sewing machine skips stitches sooner or later. This problem is quite common, but fixing this problem is not so difficult. Why can the unit skip stitches when sewing and what to do?

A string sewn with a thread to fasten different parts of the fabric is generated during the coordinated operation of the needle and the shuttle. The front end of the shuttle device rushes towards the needle and pulls the thread loop from it. Then the shuttle winds the upper thread around itself and forms a stitch. The shuttle-based stapler is so designed that when it is precisely adjusted, the stitches will certainly not be skipped even once. But over time, the parts get worn, one of them begins to sag, to lash deeper than intended, and the sewing machine starts to skip stitches - at first it is rare and “piece”, then it is already significantly “undermining” the seam.

In fact, the distance between the tip of the needle and the shuttle is approximately 2 mm. For thin fabrics this is less than 2 mm, for thick ones a little more. If you are not completely sure which gap will be ideal, set it smaller (1.5 mm, for example), but not vice versa. A larger gap prevents the shuttle from grabbing the thread, and it flies away from the needle.

Although they can quickly and efficiently fix the work of the sewing machine with skipped stitches in a workshop specializing in the repair of such equipment, the user takes the simplest steps in troubleshooting himself. The most common reasons for skipping stitches are similar for sewing machines of all generations. - at least for Singer, at least for modern models, including Chinese ones.

If we are talking about zigzag-type flashing, first of all they check whether the needle is bent or dull. This "occupational disease" is characteristic of beginners who forget to change the needle when switching, for example, from fleece to tarpaulin. If the needle is so dull that it cannot penetrate matter without tearing it at the point of the hole, or if microcracks could appear in it, immediately change it.

"Wrong" needle when sewing a particular material - a consequence of forgetfulness or inexperience of a novice worker. Despite the marking, outwardly, many sizes of needles are unusually similar. So, for knitting, several blunt needles are used, not piercing and not spoiling the neighboring fibers of matter, but spreading it. Attempting to use a needle that is too sharp can lead to the crushing of individual fibers; near the seam, the fabric will wear out faster and stretch.

Each needle has a landing flask inserted into the clamp of the “leg”, making reciprocating movements. If you insert a round needle into this clamp instead of a cut-off needle (or vice versa), then the “aiming” in the gap where it goes when each stitch is completed will change somewhat. In general, the mechanism will stop working with the accuracy for which it was originally designed.

1. In the best case, the machine will sew inaccurately. The stitches will be crooked, shifted along the same vector.
2. More often the machine will skip stitches - singly or in groups.
3. If the needle touches the presser foot or hook - it will immediately break down, and the mechanism of cheap cars, not being quite powerful, will receive noticeable damage.

The manufacturer indicates in the instructions and on the machine body the standard sizes of needles - if the machine is not designed for sewing thick fabrics. Most machines are equipped with a double stapler rather than a single stapler (like most ultra-compact and portable). The upper thread in them is fed from a bobbin or bobbin from above, the lower one - from the bobbin or bobbin from below, hidden under the foot. A thin thread should not be threaded into a thick needle. It should not be too rigid - like, for example, Soviet cotton threads.

Better to use, for example, kapron option which maintains the integrity of the weave without getting wet while passing through the needle. Also, the thread should not be twisted from the factory - otherwise it easily forms twists that prevent the shuttle from regularly forming a loop. Ideal, according to consumers, the thread should be smooth, not twisted, strong enough and at the same time elastic.

The hole of the needle plate, which was excessively widened during operation, is a “disease” of machines used by more than one generation. A broken hole does not allow the needle to normally pass through the matter - it slips into it, and the loop for sewing does not always form or does not form at all. Poor advancement of the material under the clamping details can lead to skipped stitches and their layering on top of each other, which creates an intertwined seam. A more complicated version is that the lower layers of the fabric move faster than the upper ones, which makes the latter wrinkle, the line takes on an extraordinary curvature.

Several types of matter (leather and leatherette, nubuck, suede, velveteen, velvet) initially cannot move freely.To assist with the promotion of any of these types of matter, use a special foot with additional rollers pushing these materials with a noticeable effort. By inserting another foot with a teflon layer, you can independently stretch all several layers to be stitched into one. In a household sewing machine, “difficult” matter is difficult to process - industrial, professional machines that use much more powerful mechanics, more massive needles and a thick capron as a thread serve for this.

Excessively slipping fabric also causes skipped stitches. Gaining more than planned speed, it prevents the shuttle and the needle from making a standard length stitch. Uneven sliding can completely ruin the seam. All machines have spring-loaded staples, ensuring the tension of the upper thread. The tightened tensioner, along which the thread passes with a noticeable effort, leads to skipping stitches.

The curve line, of course, should immediately be dissolved and reshaped. Even when pieces of matter are sewn together reliably, but unevenly, a curved seam is left only in rare cases when it is a draft, additional one. As a result, the sheathing of the upcoming product is required to be “covered” with the final layer. Defective, worn needles should be replaced on time. First of all, when the machine is set up correctly, and the mechanism is working, the needle is pulled out and carefully examined for the presence of a broken eyelet, notches on the tip and in its "body" base. The slightly curved needle can be straightened and used further. But a significant bending and grinding is already unforgivable: the needle will continue to spoil both the seam and the fabric.

Replace HB thread with synthetics - it is smoother. Make sure that the artificial thread is used in both bobbins. CB threads are good only with manual sewing - and not with any fabric, but only with some of its types, for example, all with the same CB material.

If the above reasons are eliminated, but the repeating seam curve could not be fixed, urgent measures will be required: disassembling the shuttle stapler and inspection, checking it for integrity. The drive itself may fail - unstable speed due to the wear of one or more parts. A decrease in the speed of the mechanics is also possible due to the use of poor-quality grease, which eventually turns into sticky sticky resin. If you do not have experience repairing mechanisms and devices, then repairing a machine will require calling a wizard.

For electronic models, which are controlled using several or more buttons from the panel (or remote control), the cause may be a software failure, partial or complete failure of the control board. In this case, a complete diagnosis is necessary. A failed electronic board can be reflashed again - at the level of its firmware. The faulty is replaced with a new one - exactly the same or similar, from a compatible model of the machine.

In addition to the timely change of worn needles, thread replacement and checking the mechanical settings of the machine, Prevention consists in timely cleaning and lubrication of rubbing parts in contact with each other. Most often, industrial machine oil is used as a lubricant, which, in addition to sewing machines, is used to lubricate hinges, door locks, various gear mechanisms and gears made of metal and plastic - like those used, for example,in a tall standing watch.

If there is no such oil in the kit (it was supplied in Soviet cars), you can try, for example, graphite grease or solid oil, lithol, engine oil, as well as the WD-40 compound used by cyclists to lubricate chains and sprockets. Do not overdo it - excess oil or grease at the first start splashes all the insides in the lubrication zone.

Never use edible oils and fats. - they evaporate faster, and soon you will disassemble the machine again due to the lubrication of the parts. Before lubrication, be sure to clean the parts from black deposits formed by used oil, dust and metal powder particles scraped off the gears. Do not “drive” the sewing machine for many hours and non-stop at maximum speeds when stitching hard and dense fabrics in several or more layers. In addition to the engine, the rest of the mechanics can overheat, which leads to the drying out of the same lubricant, premature wear of parts.

Even if you see a machine from the Soviet years of the pre-war years of production, inherited from your grandmother, no matter how strong the steel is and the engine is reliable, nevertheless, such equipment is afraid of everyday and many-hour “shock” loads. Since this is a home model for episodic or regular, but not constant use, it is unlikely to sustain such a rhythm.

When the hostess (seamstress) works as a “homeworker”, daily making custom-made items of clothing and accessories, she will immediately buy a semi-professional model. Such machines are close to the conditions of the “sewing” workshop and are designed for daily, shift-by-day, and not one-time work for half an hour or an hour once a week or a month.

See what follows if a sewing machine skips stitches.