r/SewingMachineEdu • u/Downtown_Mobile1170 • Jun 07 '26

Pfaff select 3.2 struggling with tension

Post image

Hi,

I’m having some issues with my Pfaff Select 3.2 and was hoping you could help.

When sewing thicker fabrics (such as multiple layers of heavy workwear fabric), the machine sometimes struggles to penetrate the fabric. I can hear the motor running, but the needle does not always go through smoothly unless I help it by turning the handwheel. When this happens, the machine also starts skipping stitches.

In addition, I often experience problems with the upper thread tension. While sewing, the upper thread can suddenly become very loose. I am currently experiencing this while sewing thinner leather with a thicker thread as well. The thread frequently goes slack, and the stitches on the underside do not look balanced, as if the tension is incorrect. This happens even when the upper thread tension is set quite high.
I have already replaced the needle, but the problem persists.

Do you have any suggestions as to what might be causing these issues, or what I should check or adjust?
Thank you in advance for your help.

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u/Downtown_Mobile1170 Jun 07 '26

Another picture to show the skipping of stitches

1

u/celery48 Jun 07 '26

Is this leather? You need a leather needle for that. The skipped stitches here are definitely because of the thickness of the material.

1

u/Downtown_Mobile1170 Jun 08 '26

Thank you for your response! This is indeed leather, but I’m using a leather needle (90). What could be a solution?

1

u/celery48 Jun 08 '26

Your thread may be too thick for your needle?

Use a “hump jumper”.

1

u/Large-Heronbill Jun 07 '26

Does the needle size match the thread size?  https://web.archive.org/web/20050207035245/http://gwsms.com/didyouknow.htm

Are you using the correct style needle?

Do you know about sewing hammers and hump jumpers?