Why would my FW suddenly birdnest?
 

My FW has always had perfect or near perfect stitches. Now it is doing bird nests almost continuously.
What would be the likely cause?
I've done all the usual - rethreaded top and bottom multiple times, checked for lint, checked it all again. . .

Did you recently change the needle? Could it be in the wrong way around?

If I was at home I would look in my "221 and I" book by Dave McCallum because he mentioned that problem in his book.

He has a website and has a troubleshooting section. Maybe the answer is there.

could also be a damaged needle tip

Or, the needle could be put in wrong, or threaded from the wrong direction. The FW threads from right to left, and the needle is installed with the flat of the shank on the left-hand side (I think that's right). Most likely, it's a thread (a very small one) that is caught in the bobbin works somewhere. After I read everything I had written, I thought I had better double-check what I said. I looked at my FW Manual to verify! I am not the most knowledgeable person around, so others far more experienced may be more help! I tried! LOL
Jeanette

I checked the needle and it's ok, even took it out and reset to be sure in securely. Didn't see anything in the bobbin area but will certainly check again.

Wondering if maybe my pressure on the presser foot might need adjusting? And how do I tell if it is correct?

The pressure foot needing adjusting would be puckering or not pushing fabric through.
Previous advice sounds like a good start.

put in a different (new) needle no matter how 'good' the one you are using looks.

WHAT'S AN FW? Edie

FW = FeatherWeight