Originally Posted by Mizkaki

Jackie,

A quick answer..No. You can't re-position the needlebar. The needle should not be hitting the plate at all. Do make sure the hole in the bar for the needle is clean. A small amount of debris in the hole can deflect the needle enough to cause it to hit the needleplate.

The 301 is designed so the the flat of the needle positions the needle at the left side of the hole. As the needle size gets larger the needle 'grows' on the side opposite of the flat. This allows larger needles. If the needle was centered the 301 would have a much smaller range of sizes that could be used before hitting the needleplate hole on the right side.
I hope this helps.

BTW the two tone 301 is a LBOW (Light Beige/ Oyster White).

Cathy