Troubleshooting - Baby Lock Crown Jewel III BLCJ18-3 Instruction And Reference Manual

Troubleshooting

Problem Cause
STITCHES ARE
The needle is
SKIPPING
damaged, dull, bent, or
installed improperly
Incorrect needle size
The needle has not
been positioned
properly
Fabric is too tight on
the frame
40
Correction
• Replace the needle often, normally once or twice per day for
continuous quilting or at least once per quilt. Use only needles
authorized by Baby Lock.
• Always change the needle if the needle has struck any hard object
such as a straight pin, etc. The tip of the needle can become dam-
aged or burred, resulting in fabric damaged as well as skipped
stitches and thread breakage.
• Always change the needle if it has been hit, bumped or pulled off
center while maneuvering the machine about the quilt. A slightly
bent needle can be a major cause of skipped stitches.
• Check for the proper size of needle
for the work and thread being applied
to the quilting operation. Some bat-
tings and fabrics used in quilting may
constrict or impede the thread passing
through the front groove of the needle.
This diminishes the loop lift required
for stitch formation. Typically, a larger
needle will solve the problem; how-
ever, it has been found that certain
smaller sizes of needles as well as the
use of ball pointed needles solve some
specific problems.
• Position the needle properly to the needle bar. Inspect the position
of the needle to make sure that the needle is at the 6 o' c lock posi-
tion. If you stand directly in front of the needle (facing the bobbin
case side of the machine), you will see the entire needle eye directly
facing you. This is 6 o' c lock position. For most needle and thread
combinations this is the correct position. However, if you find
your thread is shredding, you might try positioning the needle to
5 o' c lock. If it is skipping stitches, try rotating the needle eye to 7
o' c lock. 7 o' c lock is the maximum tolerance for rotation. Make sure
the needle is installed all the way into the needle bar to the needle
stop hole in the needle bar and the long groove is toward the front
(bobbin case side) and the scarf/scooped out part is toward the
handwheel.
• Loosen fabric on the frame. Fabric that is rolled too tight causes
the fibers to separate. This reduces the needle friction on the thread
resulting in a smaller thread loop and may cause skipped stitches.
.