Long Stitch versus Skipped Stitch

When you are having stitching issues, you should first check to see if you are having LONG stitches or SKIPPED stitches.  When the needle goes down into the fabric and does not catch the bottom thread, you end up with a hole in your fabric but no stitch.  This is called a SKIPPED stitch.  But when your machine moves and the needle does not go down when it should, you end up with a LONG stitch.

The video to the right shows a machine starting out and almost immediately doing a LONG stitch.  You might not see this as obviously if it happens on your quilt, but recognizing that the needle did not go down when it was supposed to is key in identifying a LONG stitch.

The good news about a LONG stitch versus a SKIPPED or poor quality stitch is that it can be pinned down to the 'stitch regulation' on the machine and not the Pro-Stitcher. If the length of the stitch (space between the holes) it is an issue with stitch regulation on the machine and not the Pro-Stitcher. Read on to better understand why this is the case and how to troubleshoot it.

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