.......my sewing machine. I had an inexpensive Brother from Walmart that bit the dust. Bobbin casing, website I checked into said it was a common problem and not worth fixing. I had (generously estimating) maybe 25-30 hours on it.

Before it went out I was able to purchase a Janome 3022. Just recently I got it out. I may have 15-20 hours on it. It started off fine but I can't seem to find a thread it likes so it won't jam up. I'd been using Gutterman. Changed it twice, put in a new needle, rethreaded it so many times I could almost do it with my eyes closed. At times it would just catch the corner of the fabric and knot up on the underside. I've never messed with the tension (kinda like cars that had carburetors, don't mess with it, it'll never be the same.)

I'm just really fed up with these machines I wanted to chuck it out the upstairs window. I asked my 23 yr. old son if he and his Dad would be mad if I took the rent money and bought myself a machine that would sew.

I just wanna sew, that's all. No machine problems, I have enough "operator" glitches to go around. :lol:

Just needed to vent. Thanks!

I have 3 Janomes, varying from the Gold, 6500 & 6600. I could not use Gutterman in mine, why? I don't know. Mettler and Sulky work great in them, but, Coates and Gutterman don't...Good Luck...

did you buy the Janome from a nearby dealer? if so, take it there so they can give it a look-see.

does it knot and clump at the beginning of your seams. you shouldn't need to, but try holding onto the tails of the top and bottom threads as you begin your seam. pull them out to the back, fairly taught as you sew the first few stitches.

for just plain sewing, my janome is happy enough with just about every thread i've tried, so i wonder what would happen if you tried a different brand, type and/or size needle. while i'm sure there are other brands just as good, mine is quite happy with schmetz needles. definitely happier than it was with the singer needles i bought at walmart. (not criticizing either singer or walmart, here. the schmetz just happen to work better in my janome - especially when i want to use the automatic needle threader thingie. the singers just don't line up right. i usually had to give up on the thingie and thread them the hard way.)

different needle types have differently shaped eyes. according to everything i've read online, that can make a big difference in how well they get along with different threads.

just a thought. or two or three.

On your Brother, Did it keep making clicking sounds? My first one did. Had it fixed but then it was worse when I got it home. GRRRRRR so I bought another one as I just love this machine

What about the bobbins? Are they the ones that came with the machine?

How old is the Brother? Take it back if you can. On my Janome the thread slips out of the tensioner and then won't sew, knots up under, making it appear to be a bobbin problem. All I do when this happens is rethread the machine and it works. I don't know why, but this happens every so often.

does it knot and clump at the beginning of your seams. you shouldn't need to, but try holding onto the tails of the top and bottom threads as you begin your seam. pull them out to the back, fairly taught as you sew the first few stitches.


this is a sure fire working solution if you jam up at the beginning of a seam....

If this happens on the first couple of stitches, try this. Cut a strip 1 1/2 x 1 inch. Fold it into thirds, so it is a bit thick, and start your sewing on it. If it goes through, just butt your seam up against the "cheater strip" and keep going. I make two of these cheaters, one at the beginning and one at the end. You save a good bit of thread this way also. Good Luck.

My family gave me a Brother (Quilter's machine) for my birthday once and we had a love/hate relationship from day one. It never worked well. I ended up selling it to the guy who tried to fix it, for parts. I now have a great Bernina that I love, but before that I had a Bernina that I got refurbished and lasted a long time. I also had a nice machine I got in a yard sale and now my daughter uses it for when she needs to sew anything.

I believe you need to work with your tension. You are using good threads and most likely the problem is the tension or the bobin.

Where are you located?

Maria

Or you could try using a leader for your tails. I keep a little bowl full of tiny fabric scraps and I take a few stitches in the side of that prior to feeding my actual piece of fabric that I am sewing on...kinda like chain piecing. I do it at the beginning and the end. It saves thread too.

I have a small Janome and just FINALLY figured out what my problem with it was.
#1) It only like bobbins that are made for it, and those bobbins need to be wound on the Janome (I can't use any that are wound off my other machine)
#2) When threading the machine, the very first place you wind the thread thru in the back of the machine has a 2nd knotch in it that you have to make sure the thread goes thru. On my machine, the piece is metal -- and I was missing the first slot that's behind the machine. If you don't, the thread won't wind right on the bobbin either.

Hopefully this helps!

If you have a Sears close by go get a great Kenmore machine right now! There are many versions to choose from. The monthly payments for Sears are very inexpensive. I got to sew on the top of the line Kenmore and it sews great. It will be my next new machine if I need to get one. I have a Janome and I use all kinds of threads, no problem. If the bottom tension is messing up it's the top tension that is out of sorts. Be sure the bobbin thread is winding off the bobbin in the right direction too.

About the Kenmore, I have one and I have had it for about 6 years it is a very good one. But much to my dismay the 10$ a spool 100 cotton thread I bought last week jams up in my kenmore.

I thought something was wrong with my machine so I cleaned the bobbin area and everything trying to get it to work and it wouldnt
I put in a cheap 15 cent spool of poly from walmart and it runs like a champ.
I think with all machine they may just have a preference to thread and all you can do is keep trying til you find one that works

By the way quiltluvr if you want Pm me and I will send you my new thread that I cant use to see if it works in your machine.
Its white 100% cotton Aurifil Mako NE 50/2

Just remember, if you get evicted, you won't have any electricity. :wink:

Rather than buying a new machine, why don't you get the Janome some basic service (oil-lube-filter)? Then I would recommend taking it to the (or a) dealer and let them show you how to use the machine with all the bells and whistles. Our local dealers offer classes for different machine types. Don't give up yet.

great tip Patti, I have a problem with my Brother Inovis 1200 it messes up at the beginning of the sewing, I hate that. I am going to try your trick. But I have t say I am very disappointed with my Brother its 1 months old and been repaired 3 times. It doesn´t thread the needle anymore its got jammed. So thinking about getting rid and treating myself.
Good job I have my trusty Toyota which is about 35 yrs old.
Elle

Thanks everyone for all your responses. Today I'm just gonna stay away from it and tackle it when I'm a bit more settled with it.

I've tried the leader and end pieces and it jammed on those. I used a new needle that came with the machine. I only use Janome bobbins with that machine. It's clean as a whistle, checked that all out previously. Yes, it knots on the back. I haven't actually held the threads to get it started but left plenty of extra to draw up. I bought the machine coming up on three years ago from a chain store so any repairs and all will be out of pocket. Yes, at times the thread does slip out and this last time it's coming out from the part that goes up and down at the top of the machine (sorry to lazy to go get the book for the "proper" name). That was new.

No, my Brother didn't make clicking noises, that I remember. It would just stop and beep. It took a few times to watch to see what it was that didn't work right.

Meanwhile I just sew vicariously thru all the beautiful pictures you all post! :D

I have had Kenmores for years....one is from 1978 and still running and my computer is from 1996 and has been serviced once. I know they are made by different companies but you just can't beat them for reliability. I use the 78 one for jeans etc. that I don't want to sew on the computer.

No, my Brother didn't make clicking noises, that I remember. It would just stop and beep. It took a few times to watch to see what it was that didn't work right.
WHEN IT BEEPS , LOOK IN THE WINDOW. IT'LL GIVE YOU THE ERROR CODE E R ..E? THEN LOOK IT UP IN YOUR BOOK. I'VE HAD THAT HAPPEN BORE AND IT WAS EASY TO FIX. I HOPE THIS HELPS

I have 3 Janomes, they all preferr Sulky thread. Will not work with Madeira at all, Haven't tried a lot of other threads, just stick with Sulky now.

Is your bobbin in backwards? My Janome won't work if the bobbin isn't going counter clockwise!

I couldn't resist and I went in the room. As I talked to my son, attempting to help him appreciate my dilemma, I fiddled around with it. Can't say I did any one thing differently, but wouldn't you know. I pulled out some scraps and it sewed like a charm. I haven't been back on it. I have to work the next two days and will be out of town after that until next Tuesday so don't think I'll get to do anything until after that. (But while I'm away I will get to an awesome fabric store! I'll feel better then!)

Some little sewing gremlin I'm sure. :P

Sew glad that you got her working again -- even if you don't know what you did to make it happen!!

Have a nice trip and think about all of us drooling over your shoulder at the fabric stores :lol: :lol: :lol:

I also cannot use Gutterman thread with my Viking. I can use it in the bobbin, but not on top. I've met many people with varying manufacturers' machines that have the same problems. Just get some Coats & Clark thread and try it again.

Linda

just needed to go pout for awhile....they are female aren't they????

Not female -- male! Men just have to have their own way and if they don't get it, they make all kinds of noises about nothing..... :lol: :twisted:

sometimes on the bobbin, there's a whiplash effect that causes loops under the fabric. they have these little teflon discs , very pricey, that you slip into the bobbin case and lt allows just the right amount of friction to keep that from happening. then make sure that the bobbin is facing the right way. the bottom loops should disappear. then if you get the upper tension right, which is now easier, you're ready to rock'n'roll.

I have 2 Janome and love them. I have the professional 6600 and use it all the time. Also have a small that I carry to quilt at church. Several of have the Janome Gem Silver or Gem Gold. I always use Aurifil thread on top and bottom.
Your dealer should make it happen. The dealer I use is wonderful. I am sure is irratating to have a machine that does not work.
Good Luck,
Dix

I had similar trouble when starting to sew a seam,,,AND it didn't feed right, until the repairman told me the pressure on the foot needed to be increased, and now it is much better. That was on a portable Viking. I must say that I still like my 60 year old black headed Singer the best,even though it doesn't do fancy stitches!!!

A nest of thread on the underside of your fabric generally means that the upper thread is not seated correctly in the tension disks.

To avoid this, always have the presser foot in an up position before threading your machine. This allows the upper thread to enter between the tension disks (located near the uptake lever) properly.

I have used Gutterman thread and had no problem, so give this a try and let us know what happens, okay?

Just another hint I picked up. Make sure your presser foot is up when you thread your machine. This relieves the tension on the tension disks so the thread slots in properly. I used to lower my presser foot because I had trouble threading the needle with it up. Maybe this will help
Nancy

Hi, I was having the same problem with my machines. I was so tired of going to the machine shop. So two months ago I went down and got my mother in laws machine (she died 4 years ago) I took it to the shop and asked for it to be cleaned and repaired if required. This machine is a singer model #AP649419. It is also more than 40 years old!!! It works like a charm!! From now on If I need a machine I will look for a OLD one. This one is a deluxe model, no electronics.....It puts on bindings, applique, tiny rolled hems, monagram, just to name a few things it does. So if you want a machine that WORKS ask the guy who runs the shop to look for a older model for you. Stress that it must be in excellent working order. No electronics to give out and no plastic parts. Good luck! :lol:

I have a Pfaff 2046---when I bought it the service man asked me what thread I was going to use the most and he set it for what I use most and it works good most of the time---and when it doesn't I usually screwed up the threading---hope this helps

This is coming from someone who has worked for Singer, Sears and a quilt shop & owns a Kenmore (33 years old), a Viking ( 10 years old) and a Brother (15 years old)
Whatever brand you have, call either the manufacturer which you can look up on internet or a local shop that sells that brand. Each machine has its preferences to what threads it likes and will work the right way in the machine. I have learned this over many years. Also make double sure that you are threading it the right way. Miss one area that should be used and it will cause this.
Also, on the Brother and the Kenmore, I have to hold the threads in the back for the first couple of stitches to keep it from jamming. It is just an idiosyncracy (sp) of those brands.
Don't give up on any machine---if one repair place cannot make it work, try another. Sometimes the first person may not have ever worked with that brand before but will not tell you that.

I had a problem with my Brother in bobbin area. It knotted and all sorts of nifty nests. Then I pulled the bobbin and the chuttle out. The chuttle had a rough sport on it. The books said to order another one. I had only had it about a month. Instead I took an finger nail file (not the metal one the sandpaper one) and filed the rough spot off. It worked(s) beautifully. That was four years ago.

Katrina

I was having the same problem with my machine (Pfaff). Before my husband took it apart, he asked if I was sure it was not the bobbin. Guess what? It was the bobbin. For some reason it didn't thread correctly. When I put a different bobbin in, I was good to go. Also, with all that bunching I would make sure you don't have pieces of thread under the plate. Good luck!

Hi I'm Pam from Chippewa Falls, don't hurt your Janome, I have the same one, and it is your thread, and possibly your bobbin as it doesn't work well with the beveled Singer bobbins, just the flat top's and bottoms. You can get them at Walmart, or Hancock. I'm in love with my Janome 3022, us 100% cotton thread, but not the hand quilting thread. Please give it another chance, you won't be sorry :lol: Good luck Also remember, sometimes cheaper thread isn't always the best buy, as they don't work well with the Janome 3022, Pam

The trick of sewing off the little piece of fabric works well at the beginning of a seam. But what works,too, is getting a 'single needle plate' for your machine. It has just a small hole for the needle to go through, not the oval shape that comes with the machine. It keeps excess fabric from getting sucked down underneath. You have to remember to only use it for straight stitching, though, or you'll break a needle.
If the fabric is being pulled under, you might not have the fabric far enough under the presser foot so that the feed dogs catch it.