I have this saved in my machine troubleshooting file:
- Skipped stitches are symptomatic of several things, but a bent needle may be the culprit. When the stitches randomly start skipping, change your needle. If the stitches return to normal, then the problem was a bent needle. It can be caused by such things as tugging too hard on the fabric or the needle hitting a pin. Relax your hold on the fabric, and allow the feed dogs to pull it through.