My machine like to eat my fabric!!

I have been working on another rag baby quilt and my machine just loves to eat the corners when I am trying to chain piece each block :( About every 4th one gets sucked into the feed dogs and it chews up the point.

Does anyone have any helpful hints for this?

I have tried using my seam ripper to kind of push the corner along, but that doesn't seam to help much. I end up lifting up my foot and then starting in a little bit on the block.

Thanks for any help!

Same thing happens to me. Maybe not every 4th . . . but it does happen. I just try to shove the fabric in about 1/8". If I hit it just right, it goes right through. If not, oops, I have to lift the foot. So, no answer, just comisserating with you.

Hi, Maybe the feed-Dogs are clogged up. Just a thought.

Same thing happens to me with cotton or fleece. dmt

Have the needle down and line your corner up to it without touching it. this seems to work for me most of the time.

I use a square of paper under the edge/corner you are sewing on. That way the corners cant be pushed down in the feed dogs. I keep a stack of cut paper 2X2" right in the drawer next to my machine. The needle perforates the paper and it tears right off. Try this you will be shocked how good it works.
Hugs from Ky

Another idea that I use is to hold the threads at the back with a slight tension as the fabric feeds in, this usually stops the corner being pushed down as the thread is taut. But I really like the paper square idea as well.

I've watched a lot of Eleanor Burns quilt tutorials on her website and she uses Dragonfly's (Lynn's) method by holding the threads to the back as the fabric feeds through. I've also seen her and others start with a small piece of fabric that is sewn first (2x2 maybe). Don't cut the threads but immediately start feeding your fabric pieces through after it. After you've finished sewing you just cut off that starter fabric. You can use that same starter over and over. I would use two pieces of starter fabric layered together. I think these are two really good ways to solve the problem. Holding the threads seems like the easiest solution to me.

I've had that too and I use the starter fabric method and that works for me. I use it over and over again. Have to try the paper method also.

After reading about the paper method I started thinking. . .. . that sounds like a good idea but it just occured to me that I haven't changed my machine needle since I broke one a couple months ago. . . hmmmmmmmmmmmm................ I wonder if a new needle would help. I can't imagine why I didn't think about that before.

I have one machine that eats the corners and another that doesn't! So my easiest solution was to do all my chain piecing on the one that doesn't eat the corners. Silly I know and not really a solution. The paper method does work, too.

I just asked about this at my machine dealer, and they said that sometimes the plate of your machine is a wider gap, and you can replace it with the one that only accommodates straight stitches. The only problem is then trying to remember that you have that plate on when you try for other (zigzag) stitches. Also keep resistance on the fabric as the feed dogs take it.

Thanks everyone for the suggestions and the comisserating :)
I started another rag quilt yesterday out of cotton, not flannel, and it went remarkably better - I'm sure since the fabric was stiffer. I sprayed it with Best Press too.
Thanks again :)

Had my machine in the shop for service and while the lady was checking it out I notice she held the threads taught as she started to sew. I asked about it and she also suggested that you don't start right on the edge but in a bit and when chain piecing just run a few stitches between pieces to move the first piece away and give you room to put the next piece in further before starting. Also said to manually put the needle down before sewing away. I like the paper idea above too - sounds like a good solution.

I use paper when this happens to me. It seems to depend alot on the fabric, too.

when I learned to sew I was taught to hold onto the thread as I started. I'm very lax about that now-until I have the fabric-eating issue. It does make a difference.