Originally Posted by grdmachris
If the iron gets a build up the needle will to. I worked at a sewing machine repair shop and the starch would make skipped stitches. Alcohol would have to clean up the race and bobbin cases and new needles were changed to make it not skip. The needle gets hot going in and out of the fabric fibers and the starch will collect on the needle. Glad you haven't had that problem.
What is the race? I get skipped stitches when sewing through multiple layers (such as the three layers of a quilt -- even though I use a walking foot). I use a new needle so it's not that. Strangely, it doesn't happen when I FMQ.
I thought it might be the timing...(but I suspect it takes a repair shop to fix that).