I just did that same stupid thing about having the flat of the needle the wrong way. Thank God for the instruction book, huh!!!??? Now I'm having the same problem as someone else....my decorative stitches are standing still and making quite a mess of thread nests. I think mine might be the plate too, but I only got one and it says nothing about a different plate. So, let me join this dumb*** club!!
Oh...as I was cleaning my maching last night, I saw this hole under the bobbin plate that I put a drop of oil in every couple quilts. It was filled with "lint" so I dug and dug and dug to get it out when all at once the whole "wick" came out!!! Guess it's supposed to stay there, so put it back in. LOL!!