Sewing machine problem

[juniperinNZ]

Hi all, dh bought me a sewing machine a few years back, but it stopped working pretty quickly and since then I've been having children/ crocheting and knitting, so haven't got round to fixing it/working out what's wrong with it. Had a look last night and the needle was bent, but replaced that and it now goes up and down, picks up the bobbin thread etc and makes holes. What it doesn't do is make stitches with the thread! It makes the correct holes, but doesn't seem to be carrying the thread along. I have no idea why not. To top it all off the instructions have gone missing along with the standard (?) foot plate (we emigrated to NZ and it has got lost somewhere along the way) and also it's not a make I can find elsewhere (it's a Creative 680). Has anyone got any ideas what is going wrong - is it likely I've misthreaded it? I am losing patience with it very quickly.... Also can you get footplates for a make that most people have never heard of? Or am I destined to never get to play with a sewing machine... :(
Any help/ideas gratefully received!

It's most likely you've misthreaded it. Can you find an instruction book online to check? Or contact the manufacturer to send you one?

You should also be able to order parts from the manufacturer.

Have you got the thread through the arm that goes up and down? That makes it not make stitches.

Google the machine - you can often find instruction online.

I had the exact same prob with mine and thought I'd have to replace the whole machine. Turned out it just wasn't threaded properly! Make sure the foot is in the "up" position, IFKWIM, and thread it from scratch again. If the foot is in the "down" position, ie, if you leave it in the sewing position, apparently the cogs don't hold the thread correctly, which means that the stitches don't stay. HTH!

There are afew more things you could look at. Have you also checked the bobbin is correctly wind and threaded. Manually lower the needle down into the bobbin case and draw up. A loop of thread from the bobbin should appear from the hole. Ease out the loop to a straight thread. With both top and bottom thread laid behind the foot start sewing with the needle at the highest position.

Check that the teeth are feeding the fabric through. If they are too low your machine maybe on the free arm sewing setting if your model has an embroidery mode.

Check the bobbin tension is set correctly as well as the top tension.

Give your machine an oil if you haven't used it for awhile.