Thanks for your help and comments. I've been being patient, working with a tweezer to pull out some threads... I'll try tonight again, then perhaps get brave and try the featherweight221 link that shows how to unjam the thread - it does look pretty clear... I'm just chicken! And, yes, I did thread the needle from right to left - I'm visiting my daughter, who has a newborn 3 days old - and I had the machine shipped to her home ... now I just need time to really work on it!