Own a Designer SE for about 1 1/2 years, before that Designer 1. My primay hobby is quilting, and my goal has been to learn free motion quilting. I have had this SE to the shop 2 times, back to Viking "factory" once. In a free motion workshop this weekend and was the only one with thread breaking... also the only Viking. The teacher had 15 years experience, and her advice... send it back to "factory" for repairs.
I am hearbroken! Tried every needle, thread, threading, new bobbin holder, all tensions, and my machine is so clean it is sterile.
Is anyone else having such a problem? I feel like I have purchased a $$$$$$$ lemon. I have been sewing for 25 years and never felt so frustrated.

Are you using a darning foot or big foot?
Is your stictch length at "0"?

I meant stitch length! Have not had enough coffee yet :D

I would certainly take that machine back to the shop where you bought it and ask the sales people there to show you how to do free motion sewing. If they can't make it work tell them you want your money back. It's just not worth the headache! You are a quilter and you deserve a machine that is easy to work with. Lot's of luck.

Nashville Girl, so sorry to hear of your Viking woes. Did you have any similar problems with your Designer 1? I have a Designer I and my free motion success varies with the type of needle and/or thread or my particular rhythm that day. But I have heard from Viking repair people that the Viking SE has been plagued with free motion problems. Maybe this is a "recall item" issue if they have enough complaints. I would certainly persist in bringing my machine back to the dealer you bought it from until they fix it to your satisfaction. Good luck.

I would contact the company about it. Ask for advice...if that is unhelpful...ask for a refund or exchange....

Thanks for your suggestions. I gave up and took it back to the shop again. They were very sympathetic and sent it back to corporate again. Just picked it up night before last. When I took it to the shop, they asked me to show them what it did. It broke 3 needles right there on the sales floor. The note that came back with it seemed to indicate that they had replaced everything down in the bobbin area. I teach 6th grade science and this is the second week of school. No time to sew until this weekend. Going to AQS Nashville show 23 & 24 on a personal day from school. I am a little reluctant to even try again for fear it will still be messed up. We tried 3 sizes of 3 types of needles and 4 types of thread with each one. It free motions about 2 to 3 minutes and then starts yanking the thread down in the bobbin. We'll see this weekend. I am grading papers tonight and took a break to see who had read my post. Thanks again. I'll try to get back on this Sunday pm.

With regard to contacting Viking. There is no way. I tried the web, telephone information, the tel. number posted on the web, and no way to talk to anyone no matter how I tried. I am fairly computer savy, and Viking has non-existant customer support. Pretty shocking. I guess I just assumed that a company that large would be more available to customers.

And about the Designer I... I loved that machine. Never should have upgraded. I just wanted the USB connection and a few of the newer features. I didn't get into free-motion until after I "upgraded" to the SE. At AQS this week I am taking "Really Free Motion Quilting." They supply the machines. I wonder what brand/type it will be. I am trying to reserve judgement on my SE, but I just can't bring myself to try it after getting it back. I just feel I have made a seriously expensive mistake with this machine. Perhaps I should cut my losses if doesn't work and change to Bernina. I really don't think Viking cares one bit if a customer has a lemon. They are just completely unavailable. The folks at the shop are kind, and I consider them friends. They are at a complete loss as well. This is a corporate problem, and they are just unavailable to me.

Yep, I have set the stitch length to all kinds of settings. I have used the darning foot, and I purchased that new free motion quilting foot (the one with the spring). I don't remember the exact price of that foot, but it was high. I shudder to calculate the money I have spent on this machine and all its accessories. Nothing really seemed to solve the problem. Again, I have not tried it since I got it back, so maybe I will feel better about everything Sunday after I try it again.

You know what really bugs me is the amount of time this machine has been "in repair." The folks at the shop have give me a loaner twice, but it was a Designer I both times. Everytime I have had a loaner, I was trying to get caught up on piecing or ditch quilting. In retrospect, I should have tried to free-motion with the Designer I loaner. I don't think Viking cares enough to have a recall or to even consider a refund or replacement. I get the distinct feeling that the folks at the shop are pretty much in the dark as well. I really believe that they would help me if they had any more to offer.

Nashville Girl,

I cannot say anything about freemotion quilting, etc., but I did want to say here and now Thank You!!!!! for being a teacher! 6th grade! SCIENCE! Yikes! :shock:

Thank you. I REALLY love every day I go to work. There is no other career like it. No day.. no child... is the same. You get to see the changes minute by minute. It is the BEST job in the world!

Good night folks, gotta close and wrap up.

Hi Nashvill girl
Miss Nashville! lived there for 5 years.But I had a designer SE and never had any problems at all ,But I never really did any free motion with it,can't quite get the hang of free motion yet.not patient enough,usually do stitich in the ditch or heirloom stitched on the seams,or better yet send it out to be quilted.
But I just traded it in today for the new Brother Duetta,not because I didn't like it or had any problems,See if there is a viking rep at the show this weekend and talk to them
Good Luck

Nashville Girl, the one and only time I contacted customer support re: a problem I had with embroidery software for my Designer I, I remember it took quite a while for an e-mail reply to arrive from Husqvarna, but they did respond.

Have you tried the following contact information:
+18003580001
[email protected]

My Viking dealer in my area just recently closed shop and moved to another state, leaving many of us high and dry. We are scrounging around looking for places to buy products and service our machines. There are a few places here and there, i.e., Viking dealers located in JoAnn's, etc., but nothing to equal the scope of service and products that my former dealer offered. Service, support and proximity are major considerations in the next machine I may need to buy.

I can really sympathize with you in your plight.

I was just watching a show and part of the hint section on thread breakage was to make sure that your thread is feeding off of the spool correctly. Using nets, spool holders, etc.... may be necessary depending on the thread choice, the spool design and that each machine can have its own little perks. They even used a banana holder (the thread cone sitting in the center of the baseand the thread comes up through the hook at the top)as a hint to help get the thread up high enough to feed better through the machine. Don't know if this will help but I thought I would pass it on.

I'm glad you brought the thread position up amma. It's an excellent point! Before I got my new machine (which has a holder that takes the thread high above the machine,) I was using an older machine that just had regular holders, and I had a terrible time with my thread and needles breaking. I had no idea what I could be doing wrong. My dh built me a little thread holder (much like the one you described) to stand behind my machine and bring my thread up through a hook, and away from the back of the machine. Suddenly everything was working perfectly!!!

Went to the show this weekend. Sewed on a Janome 6600 for the whole day on Thursday, and it was effortless! Freemotion is shockingly easy to do if your machine works properly. Spoke to a Viking Rep who was very attentive. Showed her my work from Thursday's class, and she was impressed. She said bring sample from my Designer SE the next day. I did ... together with the samples sewn on the Janome. She was shocked at the difference. It was easy to see how badly my SE was sewing and how well the other machine sewed. Got a call today. That they will replace my machine if I bring it in. I guess Viking really does care. They want me to sew in the store on the new machine to see if if works before I take it home. I will be happy to do that, because if the new can't do free motion, I really don't want it either. The folks at the store were wonderful about everything as usual. Can't say enough good about them. Will post a message after I sew on the replacement SE. Probably have to do that on Saturday, because school is in full swing now.

:lol: Good news folks! I went to AQS in Nashville, and, through a series of meetings, met a Viking rep from higher up in company. Not sure of her exact position. She asked for samples and I supplied them the next day at the show. She said she would elevate the problem. Elevate she did.
Just a few days later, Mary from the local store, called to say she had approval to replace my machine with a new one. (Mary has been wonderful through this whole thing, but she really couldn't get any traction higher up.) I sewed free motion at the store for 1/2 an hour and NO THREAD BREAKS or problems at all!!!
I wish there was an easier way to obtain quality, first hand technical support, and trouble shooting for these computerized machines. If Viking could make customer service "job 1," I think they could sell more of these machines than they could even imagine.
I use an interactive Smartboard, gradebook.com (grades online for parents), digital photography, power point, and love technology in the classroom of any kind. BUT, there is technical support available if a problem arises. I have seen teachers that are fearful of technology light up with proper training and great technical support.
Many people who sew all kinds of things would buy buy buy if they had training and technical support. What are these sewing machine/software folks thinking? I would leave the classroom to work for a company that supported and trained women properly to use these computerized sewing machines and the complex software that accompanies them.
Photoshop with all its bells and whistles is way cheaper ($100's) than sewing software ($1,000's), and you need almost no training because of its intuitive design. There is absolutely no technical support for the sewing software. Would anyone buy computer software if they had to go back to the store where they purchased it together with their computer for technical support? How many of you have purchased this expensive software and never used it? I bet a lot, and you won't purchase any more when that happens.
The interactive smartboard people come to the school and offer as many training sessions as a school needs. They know teachers will use any tool that is powerful, easy to learn and has technical support. Once you know the basicsl, the sky is the limit. They sell a lot of boards this way. The software is a free download after you buy all the equipment. How many boards do you think they sell that way?
I think the sewing machines and their software would be the same way. We pay $1,000's for the sewing software and it is little-used or understood. This does not lead to lots of use and repeat sales.
Anyone else have solutions for this issue?

No, but I'm sure glad you got a good machine this time!

I am so glad that you finally got somewhere with this company. I love happy endings :D

I just bought a H. Viking at Joanns. Any problems I had they were very helpful. They are knowledgeable about all the machines they sell
If you have a Joanns where you live check it out. The main reason I bought there was it was easy to get help.
It sounds like you got a lemon.

I just got a Designer SE in February 2008, before that I had a Designer 1. I am also having trouble with the free motion quilting. I keep getting skipped stitches no matter how I try to sew. I was doing great for half the quilt and then it started again. Last time I took it to the dealer and it seemed to work for half of the quilt but now it keeps skipping stitches. I have changed the needle, tension, speed but I keep getting skipped stitches. Does anyone have a solution? :roll:
Laura

Im lucky enough to have a Joanns that sells Viking so problems are easy to take care of. We also have an expert repair shop locally for viking but so far have not needed repairs on mine.