I've rethreaded it and rebobbined it and it still will not sew.

The thread and bobbing are binding up and the thread comes out of the needle even when I'm holding both the bobbin tail and the thread tail.

Does anyone have any suggestions?

Do you have the needle in right? It threads from the side. I hope that solves your problem.

Thank you. Yes I made sure to put the needle in the right way.

I've checked and rechecked the bobbin. I've reloaded the bobbin and rethreaded the machine for an hour.

Every time I think it's okay, I try to sew and it either binds up or the thread comes out of the needle even though I'm holding the tail of both the bobbin and the thread.

I just got this machine. Could it be that the bobbins that came with it are not the right ones?

This is my 5th sewing machine and I would think that I could figure this out. But I can't.

Are the feed dogs engaged?

How about the tension?

I don't know how to engage the feed dogs. I guess I thought that since it's a 221 and you can't drop the feed dogs that they would be engaged.

Someone else mentioned that maybe it might be the tension. I'll have to try that.

I don't like to mess with the tension unless I have to.

Carol, is your bobbin area clean? Something could be hanging up in back of the bobbin. Does the thread pull smoothly out of the bobbin when it is in place? Is it the proper bobbin for that machine? Hope you can find/fix the problem, can be so frustrating.

Just below your post check the one about threading a featherweight. See if anything there can help you.

After I got mine back from the shop I had trouble with mine and was growling and grumpin at it.....then I figured out it is because I am left handed. The needle eye is sideways on this machine and the thread goes from the right to the left through the needle. Me-I had it going backwards-left to right. Hope you figure yours out too. They really are sweet machines :lol:

are you threading the needle the right way as in towards the bobbin

I've been threading the needle from the left to the right.

I'll try from the right to the left.

I have taken the bobbin and bobbin case out and felt around and it seems to be clean.

I do have a hard time putting the bobbin case back into the area that it goes.

I am going to suggest the following: Singer Featherweight 221 Book - Third Edition by Nancy Johnson-Srebro.

When my mother gave me her Featherweight two years ago (I learned how to sew on it when I was a child) I was thrilled. The best purchase I made was Nancy's book. What I find to be so incredible about the Featherweight is the perfect, beautiful lock stitch it makes. The drawback to the lovely lock stitch is that the finely tooled mechanics of the Featherweight can give you problems from time to time. Her book is the "bible", and I refer to it whenever I have a problem with Ethel (my fond name for my 221).

Here is a link: http://www.henscratchquilting.com/sife221bothe.html
It is the best $21.99 I have ever spent.

Kanoelani

Here's a sugestion...since you have had other machines...I think you know what what is....so I would take it to a sewing machine repair place and see what response you get...could be the needle....out of time...ect....seems like you have tried so many things that you do need help from a pro....good luck and let us know what the heck is going on with that machine....:-)

Thank you all for all the great suggestions.

I'm going to try threading the needle from the right to the left.

The bobbin thread seems to glide smoothly in the case. The case is a tight fit when I put it in the bobbin case base. It seems to "stick".

I'm going to work on it again today and if I can't get it to work I will take it to a professional.

I will have to get the book about the featherweight.

I would like to thank all of you for helping me with my sewing machine.

After rethreading, rethreading the bobbin, adjusting the tension and after repostioning the bobbin case holder, my machine seems to be purring!! :)

Yippee! Glad it is purring, can be sooo frustrating.

I too have Featherweight 221 by Nancy-Johnson-Srebro. I have the second edition and it was worth every penny.

Darn..I was just getting ready to suggest that you send that problem machine my way...:))LOL Skeat

If I hadn't figured it out, with everyone's wonderful suggestions, I might have sent it your way!!! lol :)

The 221 is the only machine that I've ever used that gets threaded from the right side - all of the others are either front to back or left to right.
Isn't that purring the most calming sound? and don't you just love that machine!!!!!!

I thought that it was purring. But it's not. I can't seem to adjust the bobbin.

I have only one screw on the bobbin. Not two. The machine came with one missing. I've adjusted the bobbin several times, but it still is not stitching well on the bottom.

The top stitching looks great.

:(

Here are some great and helpful sites for Featherweight trouble issues! Go to: http://singerfeatherweight221.blogsp...herweight.html

here's another one from the same site at: http://singerfeatherweight221.blogsp...tments-by.html

here is another great site for the answer to someone else's tension problem and in the answer is another site to how to thread, etc your machine at: http://en.allexperts.com/q/Sewing-32...ight-221-2.htm

here's advice on how the plastic spools are difficult w/the tension on these machines so add felt circles like suggested..go to: http://www.gpbwebworks.com/fwinfo/thread.html

Hope one of these help!! If not, send me that baby!!:))LOL I'm sure it is just a minor adjustment somewhere...there is so much free info on the net w/these babies...keep us posted! Skeat

Singer Featherweight Service Manual at: http://www.singer-featherweight.com/...ervice-10.html

Thank you so much!!!

I'll check out those links.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zjYlr...eature=related
Look at this and then you can go to this guy's website. I'm going to order this for mine. He has a complete 2-disc set showing you how to do EVERYTHING to repair these wonderful machines. I have a black one and a green one and this is cheaper than having to take them in to be serviced. They were made to be repaired by their owner :-)

Great job, you now can have fun,fun,fun....

You can have the wrong bobbin also. Mine is not tight. How ever I did buy the wrong bobbing for extras , they fit but were tight.

I wonder if it is the bobbin case. If you know of someone else with a featherweight, ask her to come over and try your machine out with her bobbin case. I bought one bobbin case for my featherweight and it gave me a lot of trouble. When I used a different bobbin case, it worked great.

Thank you all for all the wonderful suggestions.

I've sewn a little on it.

I'm still tweaking it.

Hopefully, I'm on the right track.

I have a Singer Featherweight too and just love it. You really need to have the book for it though because it gives you a good insight on the proper threading, cleaning, and oiling. After putting the bobbin in the bobbin case, you need to pull the thread through the slots and hear it actually snap into the last slot. When putting it into the machine, move the handwheel so that the take-up lever and needle is in its highest position -- the bobbin case will actually snap in place then. Hope this helps.

Thank you!!

I had no idea that i needed to do that!!!