General Craft & DIY discussion

I'm not great with them, but when mine was doing it, I couldn't get it to stop. I found an old man that came out & fixed it. He said the bobbin & gearing in there was dirty. That kept the bobbin from turning all the way to the side, so it wasn't getting the thread past the needle, thus it wasn't engaging the thread passed in from the top by the needle. It needed cleaning & wee bit of oil. It's worked fine ever since, not that I've put many hours on it.

Have you ever seen this gif before?



what jim's old man predicted is probably true. The bobbin needs to make a full rotation to engage your top thread.

also I just think this is a neat gif.

That's awesome, Lauren! Thanks. It makes ever so much more sense now.

Usually it's because cleaning is needed. Take the bobbin out and clean of all fuzz, thread etc. Make sure there is no thread wound around the shank. Then use a soft brush and clean in there and below where the needle goes down. This kind of cleaning should be done after every project. Quality thread is important too. Needles dull after a time too and can cause faulty stitches. Follow the manual that came with your machine for oiling and other maintenance. (not all modern machines require home oiling). If you don't have a manual they are available online.
Sometimes, especially with more complicated machines, the time is off and it will require a qualified repair person to adjust.
In my 50+ years experience it is substandard thread and/or fuzz and thread pieces below needle plate that causes skipped stitches.