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Monofilament thread on the bobbin

My monofilament thread will not wind evenly on the bobbin.

What should do I do?

Reply

Monofilament thread does seem to have a mind of its own when it comes to winding it on a bobbin.

What I do is wind is at about half speed and then use my finger to help guide the thread onto the bobbin. If it gets hot or uncomfortable on your finger, then you might be able to use the 'crook' of your scissors between the handles and the blades.

Do you have plastic bobbins as I do?

If so, then I suggest filling them to only a bit more than half full. The monofilament thread warms and can stretch during winding (that's one of the reasons for the winding at a slower speed). In this state, it packs more onto the bobbin. When it relaxes, the thread literally pushes the bobbin apart.

Not good! AND a waste of thread.

Make sure you're using a monofilament intended for quilting. It should be marked as .004 thick. Anything thicker and it'll be wiry and be tough to wind.

My personal favorites are SewArt and YLI Wonder Invisible Thread. They are the four spools on the right in the photo above. Both are 100% nylon. I do keep both clear and smoke on hand.

Readers, if you use clear thread in the bobbin what suggestions do you have? Use the 'comment' link below to share your thoughts.

Piecefully,

Julie Baird
Editor

Comments for Monofilament thread on the bobbin

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Monofilament bobbins
by: Anonymous

Best advice, buy pre-wound monofilament bobbins from Superior thread. Love their monofilament for sewing, and, pre-wound bobbins of matching thread eliminates the " winding" problem. Plus, the bobbins are full, and at .004 thickness that's a lot of thread.

From the Editor: Thanks for sharing your experience and the positive recommendation!

Good information to know.

~ Julie
Expensive repair!
by: Anonymous

I learned the hard way TWICE to be very careful winding monofilament onto plastic bobbins. The winding caused the thread to heat up. The heat caused the plastic bobbin to shrink up so tight that the bobbin could not be pulled off the winding spindle till I pried it up and off with a screwdriver and in that process I snapped off a piece of the winding mechanism inside the machine. $60 each time to have it repaired.

LESSON LEARNED: Wind slowly and fill only half the bobbin. Feel for heat and stop if it's hot. I also "test" to see if the bobbin is staying loose on the spindle by stopping and lifting it.

Good luck, just be careful!

From the Editor: Totally agree! Thank you for adding your experience! ~ Julie

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