Originally Posted by
Sally J
I have done free-motion before and I pull the thread up and hold it. I'm using a 90-14 sharp needle like usual. Thanks for your help as I'm at my wits end.
Try a topstitch needle of the same size. It has a bigger eye. Also, is the thread getting caught beneath the spool? It should be coming from the back of the spool, unwinding to the left, and the notch in the spool should be on the top side if possible so the thread doesn't catch.
BTW, I have free motioned on quite a few machines and my all-time favorite go-to machine for fmq or line quilting or piecing is the Singer 301. Mine is also beloved so I know how you feel. My portable is named JoyBoy because he is such a joy upon which to sew. My in-cabinet 301 is named Sandra's, because my friend Sandra left it to me in her will. It was her all-time favorite machine also.