Taught myself a lesson the hard way
 

I know to always check that the stitch I'm doing is compatible with the foot I have on the machine. Really, I do. For whatever reason I switched from a wide stitch pattern to my stitch in the ditch foot on my Pfaff and started sewing. Smack goes the needle into the plastic of the clear foot! Then the machine froze up. I got that worked out, and knew I needed to change my needle, but the worse news was that it cracked the plastic on the foot and it broke. :( Pricey little mistake. The only positive is that my LQS is having a special event night for their best customers (read, spent too much at the store!) in another week and they will have a percentage off for us that night. Figured if I posted this it may make someone else think twice and prevent them from doing the same thing.

Oh no!!! I'm so sorry. I'm just glad it wasn't your finger!

Yeah, kind of embarrassing when we do that sort of thing - the only saving grace is that usually it's unobserved! I put my zipper foot on backwards and couldn't figure out why I hit the foot, twice - the second time the needle broke. Luckily, the foot is metal and no damage was done other than the broken needle.

I have done this more than once. My Singer has survived it, but the needles didn't.

I've done it too. Fortunately my foot didn't break, but it's got a hole in it to remind me!

I'm so sorry to hear you broke a foot. I hope at least you will be able to finish your project and not have to wait?

My Viking has a setting that you select when you use a foot with a small needle hole or the single hole plate. It won't let you select a zig zag type stitch, or move the needle position. Works really well, of course you have to actually remember to set it...

I have forgotten to change by stitch plate from single hole then tried to zigzag. That does not work well! After that I put a couple of small sticky notes on my machine to change the plate. So far, that has worked :).

Yes, I'm able to to the stitch in the ditch the old fashioned way. LOL