I have had similar problems and have had conversations with Janome, via facebook. I can honestly say I am very disappointed with their customer service. To my way of thinking, if the machine is advertised to "quilt' ( mine is a Quilt/Decor) it should do just that. Having to buy the blue dot bobbin case should not have been the solution, it should have been included in the machine package. I bought it, but still have problems. I do not think it is my incompetence either, my 40 year old Brother machine does the job just fine.