I bought myself a new sewing machine last week, a Husqvarna Viking Emerald 203. It was love at first sight at the dealers, I tried the machine and bought it there and then. I decided that my first project would be a cushion cover so I got working on it, still loving my new machine, but when it came to quilting I noticed it was skipping lots of stitches. I tried everything I could think of, re-threading, changing the needle, tension etc. but still it made no difference. So I took the machine back on Wednesday. The lady that had sold me it was very helpful, tried the machine again in the shop, and it was working fine. She did say that she suspected it was my thread, which I hadn't thought of because I'd used that same thread (Egyptian cotton bought from Ebay) with my old machine, a Pfaff, without any problems.
Anyway, today I was off work so I decided to try again and it was the same story, skipping stitches all over the place. So I tried some Gutermann thread and polyester thread, and it did make a difference, the machine is working just fine now. So I'm happy, but it did cause me a lot of upset this week, trying to get to the bottom of the problem. It took me a long time to find a machine I really really like, and that whole saga was seriously about to put me off it.
Anyway, sorry I'm ranting... just had to get it off my chest. And maybe it'll also serve as a little lesson for other beginners that have similar problems - I didn't realise that the wrong thread could cause so much trouble.
Nicole