Bobbin case

What machine do you have? Does it have an automatic thread cutter?

Naomi

Have you replaced it according to the manual? It often feels/looks like there is only one way the bobbin case can go in, but believe me it's possible to put it in wrong, it looked right overall, but when I checked each little bit I found it was possible to put it in so one crucial part was slightly the wrong place compared to another. So take it out, clean again, oil. Remove the bobbin from the case, check you have it in the right way, that the thread is pulled through the tension correctly, then put it back in - following the instructions.

If that doesn't work, it's time to take it to a sewing machine service place. However I think it's unlikely that it would go from apparently being fine to snagging such that it completely doesn't work, you'd more likely get a gradual deterioration. The situation you describes sounds very much like the time I got it in very slightly wrong.

Cheers Anne

I have a NewHome we bought in 1991 or 92 but it was seldom used. What is an automatic thread cutter? It has a grove on the foot shaft to cut threads or I use a small scissors. It appears the problem was at the top where the top thread wasn't feeding freely because of a ball of tangled fibery stuff. I'll have to check that more frequently in the future. I hope that was the only thing wrong. I haven't turned it on yet this morning.

Oh yeah, I keep the manual in a hand's reach of the machine since I'm not that familiar with it.

It often feels/looks like

It seems the problem was at the top where there was a ball of fibers wrapped around the thread and snagging in the guide, stopping a free flow of thread from above. Also the tension thing had changed itself to almost none at all. Someone else mentioned this happening.

Watch the thread at the top also! I have no idea what caused that snaggy ball of fibery stuff to collect around the thread at the guide.

An automatic thread cutter is when you push the button the sewing machine cuts both top and bobbin thread for you. A very handy feature to have.

Leslie, Missy & The Furbabies in MO.

Marie,

Have you completely rethreaded the machine? That has helped me many times. Has it been oiled?

Does the thread try to make it around and then snaps? Does the motor seem to strain?

I'm so sorry this has happened--how frustrating!

Hope you get it figured out SOON.

Lenore

Never seen or heard of such a thing. It sounds like a real time saver as well as being handy. I only know a few women here now and none of them sew or quilt, so I'm really out of it. There was a quilting club here that met in a church basement, but when some of the older ladies went to their final reward, no younger or new members joined - so it folded.

Sure did and it's working fine now. I do oil it - with Singer oil.

That's "almost" what was happening. The needle wasn't picking up the bobbin thread and the bobbin was making a racket with each revolution. When I went to check the TOP spool, I spotted the mess at the guide. It was a tangled fuzzy, linty ball of "who knows what" in the guide the thread goes around before it goes down to the needle. I never thought to check that guide before but then I only used this machine a few times since we bought it in

1. I will check it from now on. Since the spool was almost finished I threw it out and put a fresh spool on it. I also changed the bobbin for good measure. It seems to be ok now but the bobbin isn't silent was it was before. It makes a slight clunk with every revolution. ????

Unfortunately it's about the last thing to get added, so it's only on the very top of the range machines. I was very lucky to get a new sewing machine before Christmas (though there has been some problems unfortunately), not having used thread cutters, I didn't realise how much I'd love them and they weren't the reason I chose the machine I did, what I like most about them is not the ease of cutting, but that once cut I don't need to pull any thread through to start sewing again, my old machine needs about 4in of thread through the needle, otherwise when it starts to stitch the needle unthreads and what was really annoying was that the location of the blade you could cut your thread on was just a tad too close, so I always had to remember to cut and then pull! Chain piecing reduced thread wastage significantly, but you can't easily chain piece some things, such as foundation piecing.

Cheers Anne

Did you switch from metal to plastic, or vice versa? My Janome took plastic, it worked fine with metal, but was a fraction noiser.

Anne

Anne...great diagram !...Just exactly how did you draw that ???? Mary