This is really handy. But I've done that plenty of times on my old machine. Very aggravating!

Like mar32348, if I'm using one of my machines that doesn't give a warning,I mark my bobbin thread after the bobbin has wound a few times with a wash-out blue marker. The marking stays on but washes out easily. You can also hold the marker against the thread as it makes the first couple of winds.

My sister always knows when I run out of bobbin thread,she can here,oh crap.nanamo

I notice my needle thread sort of starts jumping out toward me, as if it has broken. But I've sewn plenty of long seams only to realize I've done nothing at all.

I know I have run out of thread when I take the fabric out of the machine and the seams fall apart. It is infuriating, but I forget to check the (transparent) bobbin. When I do realise the bobbin is looking a bit low I almost will the last run of thread to keep going to the end of the seam. I also talk to the machine and threaten it. DH looks at me and shakes his head sadly. The one thing missing on my Janome 4900 is an independent bobbin winder. I really ought to invest in a sidewinder.

This made me laugh. I do this all the time. I'm glad I'm not alone. My kids have given up trying to tell me it hasn't got ears!

Whenever I am making a quilt (or any project), I fill several bobbins with the same thread. My bobbins are metal and you cannot see beyond the little holes. When I am doing any seam longer than 18" and I think the bobbin is low, I just pop in a new bobbin. It saves a lot of aggravation when you are sewing a project and you have to stop to fill a bobbin. I buy extra bobbins (12 in a little container) when they are on sale at Joann's. I then keep the container and with the filled bobbins by my machine throughout my project.

When I opened this topic I expected to find a "Top Ten List of" ala David Letterman. I almost did, except they are not numbered and they are sprinkled throughout the 4 pages. Ha Ha