HELP, I'm having a "senior moment". Just changed needle, cleaned and oiled machine. Ready to sew, but needle won't pick up thread from bobbin, why???? I feel like such an idiot, been sewing/quilting 60+ years but right now I'm having a "brain freeze" and I can't even find the manual. I've done this a million times (someone please tell me what I've done a million time). It's becoming clear why the sons insist that I quit driving.
This is sooooo frustrating, what happens when I can't quilt anymore.
Sorry friends, just having a bad day

I have had that happen... maybe take the bobbin out completely and put it back in, make sure the thread is where it should be... and then hold on to your top thread as you lower the needle down and back up? Hopefully that will work :) And, that isnt just a senior moment, it happens to all of us I think, young and senior! :)

Is your needle in the machine correctly? I had to help my friend Karen on her old Singer that still used the round needles. I took one stitch and checked the needle position, made the adjustment and it sewed like a dream. She told me she hated me :-), and I laughed.

Did you get the flat side of the needle facing correctly? I've gotten it just a bit wonky (or completely backwards) before and it would not sew.
And some of those times I was still a teenager!!! So not just a product of a senior moment.

I have a Singer 503A Special and this happened to me the other day. I had put a new needle in but apparently it was not quite as long as the old singer needle. I merely loosened the needle and dropped it slightly and retightened the screw. Worked like a charm after. Hope this helps.

Sometimes the bobbin has to go in a certain way, so they say. On my Bernina it's suppose to wind clock wise????? I never pay too much attention to it & have tried it backwards delibertly just to see how it would sew. It did fine. But when my Featherweight wouldn't pick up the thread, the thread mechanism wasn't snapped in place correctly & my (sr. moment here too)thread pick up bar was cracked? Luckily I know a machine repair man & he was very helpful. Good luck & glad we can all share our sr. moments....

Did you happen to get a shorter needle when you replaced the old one? When I got my featherweight I was so disappointed at first because the needle wouldn't pick up the bobbin thread and come to find out they had a needle in it that was just to short. When I changed needles it worked great.

Good luck and don't forget to breathe during those senior moments.

Hugs,
Sherryl
Candlequilter

Are you threading the needle right to left or left to right? I threaded wrong and almost threw the machine out the window I was so frustrated. Felt foolish when I found out I was threading the needle in the wrong direction.