i totally agree with dgmoby above about the batik's i have an HQ 16 also and i sew with batik's all the time...a NEW needle the right size for your thread is definitly necessary. if you hear 'popping' when stitching on them your needle point is gone, you need a sharp needle, and i have found if i slow down a bit that helps. batiks are such wonderful fabrics i would hate for you to not use them because of this, takes a little practice to figure out the best speed/thread/needle/tension combinations but once you figure it out, it's well worth it.