Pre wound bobbins

[Kenora]

No you're not @Ouryve . I quite like winding bobbins too. In any case, pre-wound bobbins are not an option on my Bernina, and they're huge bobbins so hold an awful lot of thread, and don't need winding very often. The machine has a separate motor for winding so I can always wind mid-project with no problem. Just wish I could get back to sewing - I wouldn't mind winding hundreds of bobbins if it would help.

[Lilian]

I've ended up with Some Coated Drima thread from MIL's small stash and it's awful. I'm pretty sure it was better in the past.

Am I the one who finds the couple of minutes spent bobbin winding to be quite soothing?

You are not alone, I love winding bobbins, it is therapeutic 

[BrendaP]

I've ended up with Some Coated Drima thread from MIL's small stash and it's awful. I'm pretty sure it was better in the past.

@Ouryve
There was a time when Drima thread was only two ply and yes it was awful and kept snapping.  It wasn't until I really started looking into lacemaking threads in depth that I realised that all other brands of 'ordinary' sewing machine thread is three ply and so surely that had to be the reason those little spools of Drima were so bad. 

BTW, machine embroidery threads are  2 ply but they are made for covering/spreading qualities not strength.

[Acorn]

While we're talking about bobbins, since my Husqvarna Viking Topaz 25 was serviced it only winds about 2/3 of the thread onto the bobbin compared to before servicing.  I can see that something has probably been tightened too much - the thing that detects when the bobbin is full I suppose.

Does anyone know if there is anything I can do about this?  I am tempted to buy a separate bobbin winder, since if I have to go back to the company who serviced it I will have to pay £25 each way for the courier.

So, second question, can anyone recommend a separate bobbin winder?

[Ohsewsimple]

@Acorn the only bobbin winder I knew of wouldn’t wind Husqvarna bobbins. 

Yes there is a way of adjusting the bobbin winding thingy.  I think you have to adjust the screw on top and move it slightly.  Never done it myself but my boss told me when I complained. 
I don’t think there’s anything in the books about that is there? :thinking:

[Bumblebuncher]

I know I am a bit late to this but,
Many years ago I had a machine, make unknown, that I had bought when I left home as a cheapy.
I tried using it many times and it rarely worked without a whole load of bunching under the plate and fabric.  It was only after nearly throwing the thing out the window that I realised you could not use any kind of different thread in the bobbin to what was going on the top!  Same thread, different colour? Bunching!  Different thread, Same colour? Bunching! I only had a couple of bobbins that came with the machine and had just been using it for the odd bits of household sewing so had never really thought about it.
To this day I would not ever, ever dream of starting a project without first ensuring there are newly wound bobbins of the same thread I am working with, let alone buy pre-wound. You need to be careful with them machines, some of them are really temperamental 

[Ellabella]

When I had my Janome serviced I told him it was over filling the bobbin, so of course when it came back it didn’t fill them enough.

On my machine there is a metal lever that the bobbin butts up against when in the filling position. I gently pushed the lever away from the bobbin and now get a fuller bobbin.

I’ve been wondering about a sidewinder as my machine does not like winding embroidery thread and either jams or winds too loosely.

[Acorn]

@Ohsewsimple Thank you!  That could have been a frustrating mistake.  I will have a look at that screw.  There isn't anything in the manual or trouble-shooting guide, ut I did learn that there is a thread cutter up there for when you're winding the bobbin!

My Megaquilter winds bobbins really beautifully, but, of course, only its own!

I wouldn't even think of using prewound bobbins, because I have always had trouble using non-branded bobbins in any machine I've owned, and as the H-V ones only fit in the machine if they're the right way up I would assume there was no chance of prewound ones working.  I also wouldn't want all those wasted bobbins after using the thread on them.

@Bumblebuncher The H-V manual does say that you should use the same thread top and bottom (although I'm fairly sure it doesn't need to be the same colour!) unless embroidering, when you can use embroidery bobbin thread. 

[Lowena]

My OCD wouldn't let me use anything but the same thread / same colour, top and bottom.. in fact I didn't know you could use different threads 

[Bumblebuncher]

@Acorn 40 years ago I was young, naive and thought I knew better 
I believe I  may have realised about the thread by actually reading the instruction booklet and finding it in there!
It also took me quite a bit of time to realise that you could buy more bobbins and not have to keep pulling the thread off of the one/two you had to get them the same 
I don't think I ever had a shop near me to just pop into and find out about these things and the internet was a big eye opener 

[Acorn]

@Bumblebuncher I used to add the new thread on top of the old on the bobbin - all I can think is that I never sewed anything very big, or just put up with having to rewind them far too often!   

[Bumblebuncher]

@Acorn Oooh I used to do that too, I think the mother started me on that as I can also remember doing it on the shuttle bobbins her old machine used!  I can blame her 

[Ohsewsimple]

@Ohsewsimple I did learn that there is a thread cutter up there for when you're winding the bobbin!

How long have you had the machine?

[Acorn]

Ummm.... 4.5 years... 

[Ohsewsimple]

Ummm.... 4.5 years... 

 
Well better late than never!