You probably have thread in the raceway. If it was pulling thread from the bobbin it would be attached.

Remove the bobbin and bobbin case--refer to the manual on how to do this. Then with the little brush that came with your machine clean all the dust, lint and thread out and replace the case.

If it is attached and you have to cut it to remove it. Then your bobbin tension is too loose. Dollars to doughnuts though I'll bet it is just that your raceway needs cleaning out.

Thanks. I will check that out, and let you know what I find in there, and whether that's the problem. I can't imagine long pieces of thread in there, though - esp. since the extra threads always match the colour of the thread I'm using at that moment... iykwim?

Dee

I checked the raceway, and it's as clean as a whistle... OK, so my bobbin tension might be too loose then? I've got the bobbin thread and top thread looking good when they're stitched (knock on wood), but I'll fiddle around with the bobbin tension and see what happens. Just have to check to see how I do that. lol.

I put my machine away for the summer/fall; and now it seems like I'm learning everything over again. : P

I just thought of something. When you cut your thread what do you do with what you cut off? Could it be getting under the fabric on the bottom. If it's sewing so the tension is good I wouldn't fool with it. It seems to me that somehow a loose piece of thread is getting stitched in somehow. A perfect stitch with a piece of thread caught just doesn't happen

What machine do you have? Is your needle in the right way? Try putting a new needle in and make sure you're putting it in right.
The other thing I'm thinking is if it's a Singer with a drop in bobbin that self winds, maybe you haven't locked the latch to stop the winding and this is why you're getting extra thread pulled up.

Oilpainter, IÂm pretty meticulous about keeping the area as tidy as possible, and I make sure not to get the cut-off threads on what IÂm working on, so that canÂt be the problem.

Kathy, I'll try what you suggest, and see if that works. I'd say I probably don't have the needle up to it's highest point everytime I remove the fabric; and I usually pull the fabric to the side now that I think about it. And I really have to pull on it if that extra bobbin thread 'thing' happens.

shadylady, I have a Kenmore. I just changed the needle before I started using the machine again (after I was on 'hiatus', let's say, for a few months - translate to: 'lost my urge to sew'), and I have the flat side to the back. I'm pretty sure it's in correctly. (And the machine was doing the 'extra bobbin thread thing' *before* with other needles I had on.) I don't think it's a drop-in bobbin, since I put it in 'sideways', and it is locked.

Thanks all, for your suggestions.

You know, re-reading your post, is the extra thread on top or bottom of the fabric? If it's on bottom, then it's actually the top thread and not the bobbin thread that's the culprit. If this is the case, might be a tension problem or incorrect threading that's the problem.

You're right - it is the top thread! The way I found out (after reading your response) is I put a burgundy coloured thread on the spool, and a white thread in the bobbin. I sewed a line, and the machine sent up 3 burgundy threads from the bottom and one white. I took a photo (kind of blurry) that shows what I mean. It shows a burgundy thread at the top, then a white thread, and then 2 burgundy threads.

I don't think I'm threading incorrectly...

The 4 threads that are shown coming up from the bottom (in the above photo) happens when I pull the material away from the machine. The material was still attached to those threads, before I cut them away. Any ideas?

I can see the problem now. Somehow occasionally the top thread is looping down to the bottom and then sewing on. It's much like it does when you get a birdsnest underneath, only yours is only making an extra loop.

Look in your manual under skipping stitches or irregular stitches or uneven stitches.

The troubleshooting in my old viking manual says it could be any of the following--a bent needle, needle placed incorrectly in the clamp, too fine a needle for the thread being used, improper threading, bobbin not wound evenly, poor quality thread, upper tension too loose.

When sewing does the thread meet in the middle of the fabric or do you have a small loop on the bottom. The thread should meet in the middle or the upper tension is too loose. If it does meet in the middle then it has to be one of the other causes

I checked the fabric where I did a few lines with the burgundy top thread and the white bobbin thread, and when I look at the white-bobbin-thread side, it's mostly white with burgundy barely peaking through in only just a few spots.

I think I've got to fiddle around with the tension, then. I'll look in my manual, too, though.

Thanks for your help Oilpainter.

It's a real mystery and I can only guess at things without being able to actually look at your machine.
When you bring the needle down to pull up the bobbin thread, are you grabbing both threads and bringing them both back up or do you just lower the needle to grab the bobbin thread and start sewing? If so, maybe the thread's getting caught up around the bobbin case and creating the excess. Not sure if this would have anything to do with it, but just throwing things out there.
Do you know how to take the needle plate off? See if you can take it off and check if there's something under it that the top thread may be getting caught on.

shady, yes, I pull up the bobbin thread when I bring the needle down, and I pull the top thread and bobbin thread to the back, about 4 or 6", maybe. Then I hold onto both threads (not too tightly) when I start the machine so that they don't back up on me. So, I don't 'think' the problem is there.

I'll try taking the needle plate off, and see if I find anything in there. This is kind of frustrating, but it's not too serious I suppose because what looks like 4 threads coming out of there is actually 3, and I can pull the 'extra' (unwanted) thread out easily because it's not attached to anything. But it does make moving the material away from the machine a little more difficult and I have give it a little extra pull. Really weird.

Is your thread in a horizontal or vertical position?
Horizontal being laying down.
Sometimes placing thread in vertical position may help, thread may be coming off the spool too quickly.
The site below offers suggestions on tension, bobbin issues, thread etc....

Here is a link that might be useful: Tension Tips

My Kenmore (perhaps 5-6 years old) does the same thing. Annoying as heck. Raising the needle to its highest point before trying to remove the fabric resolves the problem.

In this post, I saw mention of "bird's nest" forming under fabric - mine does that too, periodically, if it's what it sounds like - I'm going to have to search and see what the fix for that is, never knew what it was called.

Patti, I missed your response way back then... My thread is in a vertical position, and I'm not really happy with the way the spool turns (rattle-y, quite a lot, doesn't seem to sit snuggly on the spool pin). Plus, I believe you are correct that the thread does come off too fast some times. Some times the spool even 'propels' off the machine, that's how fast it's going. And of course, it ends up messing up whatever I'm working on.

Just to note, I'm using Gutermann thread most of the time, so I don't think it's because I'm using 'cheap' thread.

I don't think I've mastered ; ) how to recognize whether my tension is too tight. lol - maybe the spool of thread flying off the machine is a good clue that it's too tight? Thanks for the link, I'll have a look.

ridgetop, that's very interesting that your Kenmore does the same thing. I'll try your tips, and see how it goes. I do get the 'bird's nest' thing if the thread spool is acting up.

I was into see a sewing dealer at a sewing store yesterday and she has a 'get to know your machine' class this weekend. It's quite a drive from me, but if the weather isn't too bad, I'd like to go. She said she'd look at my machine to see what the problems are.

My Riccar machine does the same thing. Difficult to pull the material away when I'm done, 4 threads (3 upper, 1 bobbin), the extra 2 upper threads come from below the needle plate. Stopping sewing when the needle is just past its apex has been working for me! No problem whatsoever when I stop the needle RIGHT there. Thanks!

Hi I am Niya, I bought a singer Merritt 1409 sewing machine on 16 august 2016.. I am suffering from the same problem like somethimes when I complete sewing and try to cut the threads , I am finding 3 threads in bobbin case coming out.. I searched a lot in Google to solve this problem , but I was not able to do it, I can't understand weather its my fault or machine's.. Can someone Please help me..

dee.....Aside from extra threads, does your machine "jam" when you start to sew or soon after??? A birds nest so to speak?

I have been sewing since I was around 8 yrs. old, and suddenly I started having a problem. Looked great on top of the fabric but a jam up (bird's nest) on the bottom. I was forever ripping out thread and starting over. I called the sewing repair shop and the lady gave me a tip that taught me something. She said I wasn't threading it correctly. Well, yes I was. No, she said, you aren't. Tell me how you are threading it.

So I told her. She said there is your problem. It is a matter of tension. Not with the dial but with how you thread it. So here's how she taught me over the phone! Pull the thread off of the spool, and from this moment on hold the thread with your right fingers close to the spool and don't let go. Hold loose end with your left fingers and pull thread tightly as you go through all of the threading process until you need to thread the needle. THEN and only then can you let go with both hands. Thread your needle and you are set.

The maching I had the trouble with was a Viking. I don't know if that made a difference. But I always thread my machine as she taught me that day, with both hands creating lots of tension as I thread and have never had a jam up (bird's nest) since.

I don't know if that is your issue or not, but it seems as though you have tried everything else. Give this a try. Who knows? It may fix things. I hope so.

Another thing I read was this: The spool rattles on the spindle as the thread comes off, may even "lift" up and fly off. It seems as though the hole in your spool of thread is a little larger than the spindle it sits on. Well, take a layer of kleenex, not too large a piece and put it on the spindle before you put your spool on it. Seems you need just a little buffer in there. But make sure you don't have too much kleenex so it stops the rotation of the spool. Just a little piece will do.

This is for "notactually..." Anytime you are done sewing a seam, always make sure your needle is in the highest position before you try to lift the presser foot to remove your fabric. This completes any stitch that should be completed before fabric is removed. And also always pull fabric AWAY from you, toward the back before you cut threads. Otherwise if you pull it toward you, it will pull against the needle. That is never a good thing. Rosie

Thank you for your suggestions Rosie. I haven't sewed in quite awhile and I'm going to make some kitchen curtains soon. Someone I spoke to about it recently suggested I use metal bobbins instead of plastic ones since the metal ones are heavier, and that might help with the extra thread. I will definitely try what you suggested, too. I like your tip for putting Kleenex in the hole of the spool of thread to keep the spool from flying off - great idea, which I will also try. Thanks again.

I forgot I had even posted about this. lol Will read through the entire thread again. :)

Thank you so much for the tip of stopping with the needle all the way up to the top. It was a life changer!