Had an episode with my machine - questions......
 

Hello..... In May I bought a Janome 6600 and I LOVE it. I have had many hours of problem free sewing, but today I had an episode. I was machine quilting a memory quilt. I was using a decorative stich. The same decorative stitch that I have used on 2 other completed quilts. This 3rd quilt I was probably 80% completed with the quilting.. then I heard a noise. I don't know what it was. But I stopped sewing pulled out my quilt and put in my "test fabric". When I started again on my "test fabric" all was well. So I put my quilt back in.. and I barely started sewing again and I noticed everything was knotting up - the feed dogs were not moving. I didn't get too many stitches in... but when I stopped I could not use the auto thread cutter - I got error "stop for safety". I couldn't pull my quilt out... it was all knotted up. I ended up removing the foot and taking a seam ripper to remove some stitches to get some wiggle room. Then I tried to pull the bobbin out, but I couldn't I had to cut the threads to get it out. I was using a different color thread on the bobbin and I could clearly see that the top thread was all pulled down into the bobbin case. I ended up having to have to take the plate off because the top thread was all knotted up under, in and around the feed dogs. After I cleaned all of that thread out the machine is running great again... Question #1 - Any ideas what I did or didn't do that could have caused this? I know without seeing first hand it may be difficult.. I am just looking for ideas to keep it from happening again. Question #2 - I didn't void my Janome warranty by pulling off the plate and pulling out that rats nest did I? Question #3 - The whole thing ended up putting a small hole in my quilt (maybe 1/16" or so). Thank God I had interfaced the tee shirt that probably kept it from getting worse... BUT do I need to be concerned that this hole will get bigger? If so, what can I do to prevent that from getting larger? I appreciate all of your thoughts Teresa

Sounds like your top thread was not working properly. Perhaps the thread slipped out of the take-up lever, then lack of tension & all that extra thread underneath got tangled up. Also sounds like you did the right thing to "fix" it. Taking off the throat plate is not likely to void the warranty, since most machines now have changable throat plates for different types of sewing.
How about embroidering a very small motif over the hole. I'm thinking tiny flower or ladybug, etc.

Thank you for your reply, I will watch my top thread. I like the idea of a flower, except this is a memory quilt for my nephew who we lost in an auto accident this spring...so the quilts are pretty masculine so the flower would not really fit in.

I have the same machine, and it seems to be rather finicky about lint/thread around the bobbin case. When it acts up I can usually dust out that area with a small paintbrush and some canned air to make it behave again.

your warranty will not be void for this, this is what you have to do to get the mess cleaned up and is not going to effect the warranty

I also have the same machine and have episodes like you just did. Sometimes the thread will slip out of the take up lever causing problems....was suggested to me to thread the take up lever in the opposite direction - it does help a bit. I also find that sometimes the tension discs get "funny" and I have to turn the machine off and on again - seems to fix it. I don't care for the problems, but they only happen when doing fmq. I find that if I check the tension on the top thread before starting that it helps (with the presser foot down you shouldn't be able to pull the thread through).

There are a few things that can cause problems on the 6600. #1 is the thread jumping out of the take up lever. Thread it backwards and it won't be a problem. #2 is the bobbin not being threaded right. Make sure the thread is in the little slot. #3 is the thread coming out of the #7 thread guide. I only have this happen with really heavy threads.

I have had this happen and the cause apparently was a flaw (knot or such like) in the thread.

This has happened to me and it's because sometimes I'm a doorknob and forget to lower the presser foot. However, it sounds like you had already been stitching quite a while, so that probably wasn't your problem.

Was your test fabric sandwiched with the same batting as the quilt?

When I had the problem with my machine I found a fluff bunny rolled around the thread and a knot.

I have Janome MC4000 which is probably 20 years old. It still works very well, but it likes to be clean. If lint settles in the bobbin or feed dog area, it balks. It makes you believe that it it deathly ill. All I do is remove everything down there and clean it very well. Then I change the needle and it's good to go. Hopefully that is your problem.

I was quilting with mine using a 40 wt thread and experienced some odd noises. I stopped and noticed that my thread had partially shredded, a big glob on thread above the needle and the core of the thread still through the needle. I cut off the glob and retreaded and everything was fine.......until it happened again. This was annoying and I was fortunate not to get a hole. As soon as I heard the clunking, I stopped. I used this same 100% cotton thread last month for another quilt without issue. I tried changing needle to larger one, nothing helped. I had 2 spools of same thread,wonder if I got a bad spool?who knows, anyway, check your thread and see if it looks ok. Good luck!

Forgot to say that this happened with Janome 6600 with accufeed foot.

Thank you for all of your replies... next time I hear a noise I will have some ideas of what to look for. I will make sure I clean out the bobbin area .... I actually had never done that before :( Live and learn.. and ask for help from others thanks again

I had that happen on my Babylock Jane, straight stitch only. I forgot to lower the presser foot. Only time it happens.

I have had the same issue with the Janome 7700. It took me months to figure it out but it sound like the same thing that everyone else has said about the thread jumping out of the take up lever.
Very frustrating bu now I am aware of it I make sure that it is properly threaded all the time.

Sounds like you've got a lot of ideas for your machine problem. I don't have that model, so I can't be much help. However, with the hole it created, do you have a small logo or emblem from one of the unused shirts you cut up that you could use? This has happened to me before, and I cut out a small logo (leaving about an inch all the way around the logo), placed it face-down to a piece of lightweight fusible interfacing (placed face-up), sewed all the way around the logo in a circle or square, and cut a slit in the interfacing and turned the logo right-side-out. Then I ironed it over the hole, and sewed it down. Worked like a charm, and nobody (but me) knew the difference!

I had the same thing happen this afternoon with my slant needle machine while doing a pillowcase. Guess a piece of thread got tangled somehow and gummed up the works. Was a kind of a pain to untangle but worked fine once I got it all out.

Sounds like you need to take a road trip to Sharyn's. Darrell will get you through it. I had to go there twice in one day when I was having trouble with mine a couple years ago. They'll get you going again.

Is there something that was personal to him. if you do some checking you might be able to find out if he was crazy about football ect. or maybe even his initials depending on where it was located on the quilt. a lucky lady bug. ect. ect.

I take the plate off and clean my entire bobbin area after every two bobbins and put a drop of oil on the little center pad when it begins to look dry. Some of my friends do it after every bobbin. It might seem like a lot of bother but in the 2 1/2 years I had my 6500, I didn't have to take my machine to the "Dr". My new 8200 is responding well to the TLC. Preventative maintenance pays.

Try cleaning your machine of all lint after you make each quilt - especially with the plate off and bobbin case out. Brush the inside of the bobbin case as well. That is just normal part of maintenance for your machine. I suggest using fray stopper on the hole. If you are really concerned, you could fuse a small heart or square patch over it.Change your needle regularly as well - especially if you hear the popping sound as it goes into your work. That sound means that the needle is very blunt and needs to be discarded. All the best with it.

Lint is a four letter word to any sewing machine, be it DM or L/A. Get into the habit of cleaning out that bobbin and bobbin race frequently...don't wait for the "clunk" or the messy knot...that could cause some mechanical problem that can be avoided by a good dusting out more frequently.

i have this happen too and i find i need to clean the bobbin area and feed dogs. and re thread every time this happens also.

I have had a similar problem, don't have your machine; but all of them have their quirks. Each time I encountered the problem it was the top thread. How it happens I haven't a clue, but just taking it out and doing a cleaning and then re-threading after checking the bobbin and cleaning that also has always solved the problem. I just finished a project in which I had the thread breaking and couldn't figure out what the heck was going on. And as Peckish said, as a doorknob I had put some patterns on the right side of my machine and they were laying up against the thread spool. Duh, sometimes I wonder if I should be allowed to play with sharp objects.

I have the 6600 and is now 7 years old. I have only experienced this problem two or three times over the years. I clean it every other time I put a bobbin in and put one drop of oil on the wick in the bobbin case about once a month or as needed. I also use bobbin genie, which is a teflon ring that goes inside the bobbin case that prevents the bobbin from jumping up and down. If your thread was balling up at all just above the needle, it means you needed a larger needle. I use topstitch needles only, as the eye is wider than other needles to help thread go thru more smoothly with less problems. Also, one point two dealers told me to do, is to never pull your spool of thread out with the machine threaded, as it goes against the purpose of the tension discs, causing problems with them. Cut your thread at the top, than remove your spool, and than pull the strand of thread out at the bottom of the needle. This insures the proper direction of the discs. Just some pointers. I love my 6600 and it has been a true workhorse. I piece and do lots of fmq with seldom an issue. Hope this helped....

I have had that happen, for some reason the bobbin thread catches the top thread and winds it up around the bobbin, making a mess. Make sure when you wind the bobbin that there is no tail with the beginning of the wind.

I have the Elna version of this same machine and everytime I have this issues (which isn't often and usually only when I've been sewing fast and hard) it's because the top thread has slipped out of the take-up lever. The way this machine is made it's not quickly obvious--so always re-thread the machine. And no, you did not void the warranty. I agree an embroidered motif, or maybe an applique. Sounds like you may have been working on a T-shirt quilt--what about a pocket from another shirt?

"Unique Stitch" is great for fixing holes......comes in a tube. Also you might applique a heart with his initials in the heart.

FrayChek is helpful - there are some other products that do the same thing that dry 'soft' - sorry, I don't know the names of them.

Alice Woodhull - I did think about running to Sharyn's!! Its a 1 hour trip one way so I hated to spend my day off that way. If it happens again I sure will be calling at the very least

Thanks for the tip on "Unique Stitch" I have never heard of that. Will check it out

It might help if you ran one slender line of liquid silicone on the thread in the spool of thread on top the machine or in a thread holder, top to bottom.

Oh I've had this happen check your thread in the take up lever. That's usually my culprit.

Hi. If the person likes sports or some other hobby, you could cover the hole with that instead of a flower, ie a baseball, football, fish, etc. Good luck

meyert,
The throat plate(goes over bobbin) is supposed to be taken off periodically to clean out the lint. Most newer machines are fussy if you don't clean out the lint from the bobbin area; my Viking Sapphire sure is. :) So you didn't void your warranty.
It sounds like the top thread may have come off the take lever or jumped out of the tension disks.
Sharon

I have found that when you hear your machine sound 'different' it is time to stop, and really work on your machine. I would take off my throat plate, mine(a Bernina) builds up lots of lint, from the thread passing through rapidly. Check my threading, my needle condition (if you have been sewing for 6 hours or the equivalent, change your needle) But I have also found my machine needs just a little oil. I put sewing machine oil on a cue tip and swab it in the bobbin case--without the bobbin. When your machine sounds different, it usually means it is complaining to you! I hear it as I need Attention! If you haven't spent some time oiling your machine, go over your manual and see what it says to do to oil it, or maintain it.

The take up lever is normally the culprit. However, using a Microtex 90/14 needle will also help...or a topstitch needle.
Nine times out of ten with skipped stitches it is the needle. Nesting under the plate is normally the upper thread....and that leads to the thread out of the take up lever. Janome has had this issue of thread coming out of the lever and subsequent machines like the 8900 and their embroidery machines have a locking take up lever....once your thread is int he lever, there is a little piece that comes down behind it and locks your thread in.

Pepita - you made a comment that if I had been sewing for 6 hours to change my needle..... are needles only good for 6 hours of use? I have never thought of replacing my needle.... I had one that broke, but other than that I just change to a 16 for my quilting and back to an 11 or 14 for sewing. How do I know if my needle needs to be changed? Do you just throw them out?