Originally Posted by
lindaschipper
The 1600P is skipping stitched, so I can't use it for the actual quilting.
Hang on. Is the 1600P *only* skipping when you're quilting? Does it sew normally when you're just sewing or piecing? Because if that's the case, there's probably nothing wrong with it, you may just need to use a larger needle.
When you're pushing/pulling/manipulating a quilt in the harp, a smaller needle can flex and therefore miss picking up the bobbin thread. If you go up to a larger ( i.e. thicker & stronger) needle, it doesn't flex as much and stops skipping. I found I had to use at least a 16 in my Brother 1500 (identical to the Janome 1600P) to fix the skipped stitches.
FYI. Standard size needles for longarms are 16 and 18.