Thanks for the commiserations.
I do have a small backup machine but I was doing a lot of actual quilting. I have tops that have been UFOs for a while and I was finishing them up before starting new projects. For actual quilting, the small machine is not great. I have quilted big quilts on it but wasn't satisfied with the end result. It was the main reason I got the 1500. It makes it so much easier to finish those tops.
I will be taking the machine in tomorrow and hopefully it will be a quick fix.