Why does the sewing machine skip stitches when sewing: what are the reasons and how to fix it

A high-quality stitch is characterized by an even seam. But sometimes the machine simply “refuses” to work as expected and skips stitches. If this happened during the transition from the thickening to a thin area and the gaps are single, then usually a simple replacement of the needle with a suitable one is enough. But if there are many gaps in the seam, you will have to conjure a little over a faithful assistant in order to find out the reason for her vagaries.

Why does the machine skip stitches

Sometimes the fabric itself becomes the culprit. To exclude the possibility of this, just put a strip of newspaper under it and check the quality of the line.

If the problem has disappeared, you can safely continue to work "on paper", since such a lining does not affect the density and aesthetics of the seam. Yes, and then remove the newspaper is easy. But if the advice did not help, you will have to take a more detailed study of the working part of the sewing machine.

Possible reasons

Sometimes skipping stitches occurs because the hole in the needle plate is broken. The fabric is pressed into it, brakes the thread and as a result of this, a loop is not formed on the needle. Before you get deeper in search of a problem, you should exclude this.

If the matter is not in the plate, then it is removed, armed with a magnifying glass and study the process of interaction of the needle with the shuttle. Too large a gap between these elements is the most common reason for skipping stitches. In order to exclude or confirm the “diagnosis”, it is necessary to put the machine in the straight line mode and turn it to the position where the shuttle nose is with the needle in the same plane. Next, it is worth inspecting the "working area", paying attention to the following.

1. The abutment density of the hook nose to the needle blade is the optimum clearance of less than 0.3 mm.
2. At what distance above the upper edge of the eye of the needle is the nose of the hook - should be approximately 1.5 mm (the recommended value for thin fabrics is -1 mm, for thick fabrics -2 mm).

In the case when the gaps are observed, you should skip the machine at low speed, looking closely at the side on which the loop is formed from the needle. Occasionally, the poor quality of the thread or its excessive tension interferes with the normal operation of the sewing machine. In this situation, the loop will form on the opposite side of the shuttle.

If, when evaluating the gaps, a deviation from the norm is found, it is necessary to step-by-step exclude possible causes.

How to fix

In the vast majority of cases, the needle is the culprit of large gaps.

If at the time of capture of the thread by the shuttle it is more than a third of a millimeter from its nose, it makes sense to remove it and inspect for curvature. This is easy to do: attach the needle to the plane of the ruler and evaluate the degree of curvature - it should not be. If there is, the needle changes to a new one.

The second most frequent “breakdown” is the wrong flask. It can be round (for industrial sewing machines) or with a different depth of cut (for household). In addition, this element also varies in diameter. The easiest way to avoid problems related to the size of the flask is to take an old needle with you before sending them to the store for new ones.

If the shuttle nose at the time of capture of the thread is above the eye at a distance of more than 2 mm, then the problem most often also in the needle - it is either too long, or did not “fall into place” due to an inappropriate flask.

In the same case, when the gap has changed when using the correct needle without defects, it is best to contact a service center. Attempts to self-adjust the shuttle height by an inexperienced user can lead to more serious problems.

Prevention Tips

The long service life of the sewing machine without a variety of failures in its operation is ensured by attention to detail. You can avoid gaps in the line if:

• choose the right needle for the material;
• take the thread corresponding to the needle number;
• adjust the pressure of the foot on the fabric;
• refuse to use low-quality (twisted or glossed) threads.

And the most ordinary advice: you should always check the sharpness of the needle. Especially if the machine began to be capricious when working with material with which there were no problems before. A dull needle not only leaves ugly holes (it does not push apart, but tears the fibers of the fabric), but also carries the material along with it into the hole of the needle plate. This problem is temporarily solved by using a newspaper lining. However, immediately after completion of work, it is worthwhile to start replacing the needle with a new one.