Hi Jennifer
How old is the needle? You should replace the needle every 8 hours of use; since you are sewing something else other than fabric, it is probably dull. If that doesn’t fix your problem, take the bobbin out and clean, with a brush the whole area; if you can get the throat plate out, do it and clean that area also. Perhaps you have lint or little bits of plastic in that area. Since it is a new machine, are you sure it is properly threaded? Get the booklet and follow the instructions.
Good luck :D
Lucia