Thread: Brother Sewing Machine Help

I have the CE5000 Brother Project Runway machine. I 've been using it for the last couple of years now and lately it has been skipping stitches. It is driving me insane!

I have followed the manual and made sure the needle is in correctly. The book says flat side to the back. I have tried different threads and rethread the thread and the bobbin numerous times. Sometimes it straightens out and is fine and then like now it won't quit skipping. I cleaned out any lint. I took off the covers and cleaned it out thoroughly.

I am at wit's end. I do have other machines I can use but I want to use THIS one!!

Any suggestions?

Did you change needle brands? You are inserting the needle correctly, but is it all the way up the shaft?

It may be the tension kit. I was having the same issue so I took it to get cleaned, then they told me the tension kit was out of whack. I had them replace it ($14.00ish), it took me a while to get my machine back because the tension kit was on back order. Hope that helps!

Do a zigzag stitch. If it skips picking up on one side, the timing is out. It needs to go to a repairman to reset the timing.

The Brother phone support line is wonderful. The only downside - they are closed on the weekends. When I was learning my Brother embroidery machine, I called them often, some days more than once.

Good idea.

thanks for all hte suggestions. What has me puzzled is I put it on the 2 stitch and it works fine. but the needle is locked in one place. The regular setting allows me to move the needle from the left to the right for any width I want. THat is what is messing up. So if it is sewing okay in the 2 setting why isnt' it working in the 1 setting?

It can't be the timing or the tension if the other stitches work fine. But if I put it on the 00 setting which is the 1st stitch then it skips.

Yes I have the needle in correctly. You can see if it buts up against the top of the case and it is as far up as it goes.

I can use it for now with the 2 setting but I still would like to know why it is still skipping in the original setting. Not being able to use that setting means I can't use a 1/8" seam allowance which I often use. The 2 setting is a 1/4" seam allowance so it is workable. I just don't like having anything wrong with it.

I appreciate all the words of wisdom and will continue to try to figure this out.

Skipping in different needle positions suggests that the timing is off. Like Girlfriend said, "Do a zigzag stitch. If it skips picking up on one side, the timing is out. It needs to go to a repairman to reset the timing." Usually when it skips "sometimes," it just needs the needle bar adjusted up or down a tiny bit.

thanks for the advice but it is only skipping in the basic straight stitch which is what I use all the time. it isn't skipping in any other stitch.

It also doesn't skip if I use paper instead of fabric. It only skips when i try to sew fabric. and the only stitch that skips is the straight stitch. That is what I've used since I got it. Why it has started skipping is beyond me.

It's done this off and on for a few months. It will be just fine for awhile and then it starts in again and wont' quit. then it stops and is fine again for awhile.