Hey mom-6!
This link shows how to take that area apart.
http://thefeatherweight221factory.co...MachineJam.php
It's very common for thread to end up back there. It's one of the very few flaws that the featherweight and 301s have in my opinion. The link Caroline (Thanks Caroline!!
) gave you to my site will help you troubleshoot and if you follow the video (it's good to know how this works if you need it in the future) it's very easy to rebuild the tensioner. Just make sure you read the note I left on the video description about the smaller machines - the FW and the 301 - their tensioners are set a tiny bit differently close to the end of the assembly.
After you've looked after the top tension and possible threads caught in the bobbin area, I'd love to hear how your stitches look. Some of it is simply the thickness of the thread in relation to the fabric but if it's a new problem, let's see if we can get rid of it.