How to Adjust Stitch Tension on the Ultrafeed® Sewing Machine

Correct stitch tension is a hallmark of quality sewing on any project. That’s why we’re going to teach you how to adjust the tension on your Ultrafeed Sewing Machine. In this short Tips & Tricks video, you’ll learn how to determine if your stitch tension is correct, how and when to adjust the upper and lower tension on your machine, and more. Watch this quick video now to learn the easy process for properly tensioning your Ultrafeed for whatever materials you sew!

If your stitch tension is set correctly, your stitches should look identical on the top and bottom sides of your sewing assembly. The knot that forms a lockstitch should be buried in the middle of your material layers and not visible on the top or bottom side.

Rotating the upper tension knob clockwise increases the upper tension and pulls the knot towards the top of your material assembly. Rotating the knob counterclockwise decreases the upper tension adn pulls the knot toward the bottom of your assembly.

Here’s a Tip: If the knots are visible on both the top and bottom material surfaces, this is an indication that the thread size is too large for the material being sewn.

If you’re still having tension issues after adjusting the upper tension knob and verifying you are using the correct needle and thread size, you may need to adjust the tension in the bobbin. Tension to the bobbin thread should only be made when upper tension changes alone do not solve stitch tension.

Watch the Stitch Tension Tutorial

Watch our video below to see our full upper and lower stitch tension adjustment video. We have dedicated videos for both the Ultrafeed LSZ and LS models. Simply choose the video that matches your machine to follow along.

Tip: Bookmark the video so you can refer back to it anytime you need a refresher!

Ultrafeed LSZ Stitch Tension Video

Ultrafeed LS Stitch Tension Video

We hope this quick tensioning tutorial was helpful! If you have other questions about your Ultrafeed or are still struggling with correct stitch tension, please leave a question in the comments section below. Our customer support staff is eager to help and to get you back to sewing as quickly as possible!