I know exactly how you feel. My brother messed up on me as I was stitching the binding down with a decorative stitch. It didn't lock down, but was skipping stitches and then just a straight line. The only other machine I had was my grandmother's Universal, and it doesn't do decorative stitches. I was soooo depressed, you would have thought someone "real" died. I went out a few days later and bought a Janome 8050 because I was too impatient and sad to get the Brother fixed. Of course, after I bought the Janome, I did fix the Brother. I do feel your pain though. Have you tried to clean the bobbin case and everything out? My mother's Janome locked up, and when she took it to be repaired, it was just a piece of lint under the bobbin case. I wish you lots of luck.