sewing machine problems :(

[lilybeansmummy]

i'm attempting to make a patchwork teddy for my dd but the sewing machine i am using has other ideas! everytime time i try to sew the top thread catches in the bobbin! i have re-threaded countless times, changed the thread and rewound the bobbin but it still catches! thought the stupid thing would make things easier (i originally started to hand sew)

Try a different bobbin (plastic if you're using a metal one or vice versa).

I realised that my machine doesn't like certain metal bobbins and the tension goes completely banjaxed.

Also, if it is a front loading bobbin, are you hearing a click when you push the bobbin in? If not you may have to jiggle it a bit to get it in the correct position.

It's so disheartening isn't it! I learned how to thread my overlocker yesterday (2 hours, various cups of tea, ended up on the wine with my mate) and we discovered that one tiny misthread caused a problem every single time. Once it was threaded exactly correctly it was perfect.

try a new needle?

I'm having the same problem with my brand new machine, bobbin thread tangles up underneath, and sometimes fabric ends up stuck in teeth....especially when sewing in reverse.........
have changed bobbin, changed needle, rethreaded both endlessly....
the manufacturer have told me I have to "You need to turn the balance so that the take up lever returns to the top position."........
I assume they mean at the beginning when you're pulling your bobbin thread through????

they said not to alter tension on bobbin case, but from what I have heard, they all say that and you can alter it slightly....

who knows.....

let's see if any experts can help!

Change the needle. You may have hit a pin and bent it or it's blunt. Change the bobbin as there may be a nick that is catching the thread. Clean out the bobbin mechanism to make sure there is no lint trapped. Is the bobbin wound correctly and evenly? Are you using two different types of thread?

Before you start sewing, pull the bobbin thread and the top thread toward the back. Then lower the presser foot and lower the needle into the fabric. Make two stitches (you can use the balance wheel to do this) then start sewing and that should stop the threads catching. Don't fiddle with the bobbin tension.

i've done all this....the problem is always in reverse

Very helpful tips here. I have been having a trial seperation with my machine this past few months. Curtains sitting unfinished. I get so frustrated with the flipping thing. Used an old one for years with no problems and now this new one is a nightmare

I had this; I cleaned out the bobbin casing of lint and old bits of thread; it runs super smooth now :)

gwen mine is 1 week old, and has been used twice!

MissFoodie you need to take it back to where it came from and be stroppy assertive with them. My friend had this with a new machine - they kept trying to pull the "silly little woman, you're doing it wrong" line (she is (a) an engineer and (b) an experienced dressmaker/quilter ) and even tried "it's meant to be like that" until she showed them pictures of the same patterns sewn on my (identical) machine. Even when they eventually took it back and sorted it, the shop owner was still trying to maintain that they hadn't done anything, but one of the employees told her that they had replaced a tension mechanism .

Anyway, IIWY I would take it back and make them prove to you that it is something you are doing wrong by demonstrating the right way to do it.

it;s from john lewis,bought online....will have another go and see before I go through the stress......