Originally Posted by
ArchaicArcane
Usually with the needle flat on the wrong side, the machine will skip stitches.
If the "finger" is in the wrong place, I've usually found that the machine doesn't sew well at all.
You say that the tension on top looks bad, but on the bottom it looks fine?
Which one is happening:
Does the top thread lie flat across the top? - Top tension too tight or bottom too loose.
Top thread in loops on the bottom? Top tension too loose or bottom too tight.
For a quick "fix", you can try to run dental floss between the tension disks and see if it pulls lint or small animals out.
ETA: This would help of the top tension is too loose despite having it cranked up to a really high number.
If that still doesn't do it, depending on what the answer to the question above is (or a photo would be equally great), I may have more suggestions.
Additionally, the dis-assembly instructions are in many (but not all strangely) of the featherweight owner's manuals
This one has it:
http://www.ismacs.net/singer_sewing_...ght-manual.pdf
Found here with a bunch of links to other important 221 manuals:
http://ismacs.net/free-sewing-machin...ls-list.html#S
This one can also demystify some of the tensioner adjustments and setup too:
http://www.tfsr.org/pub/technical_in...echanism_2.pdf
I've been sick the last few days and of course I pick the time of year my boys are supposed to be selling popcorn to spend every waking minute with the machine.
2 things are happening. 1, the top tension is extremely tight. Despite double and triple checking needle placement and threading, thread continues to break and the fabric is very hard to remove from under the needle. I've now had to replace the needle a few times because trying to pull the fabric out has bent it. Good point to try and pull the thread without threading the needle first. It's equally hard to do whether the presser foot is up or down.
Secondly, the top thread just lays across the top of the fabric and you can see little dots of bobbin thread. Also, the underneath side is a rats nest. I played around with the TINIEST of turns to the screw on the bobbincase and this just made it worse. I returned it to the original position and then the bobbin thread didn't do that. Is it possible that there's a specific direction you have to put the bobbin into the bobbin case, like the thread wound clockwise versus counter-clockwise?
I'm going to buy dental floss tomorrow. We normally just use floss sticks as my boys are still little enough, or one of them is, to get dental floss all over the bathroom or walk up and down the stairs and it still be attached to him. Thread and yarn meet a similar demise around him.
I'm still looking over the links to the tensioner you've posted above. I am afraid to take the tensioner off entirely, but I'm starting to be concerned that it may be the only answer. I'm going to see what more I can do to it tonight.