NewbieToQuilting

Thank you all for your suggestions! I'm going to call the dealer today and see if they can help me out. I live an hour away and don't want to wait till I can get back down there since it will be a couple weeks!

BellaBoo

I would take it back and let the dealer sew with it just like you have it and let her/him find out what the problem is. You paid for dealer to know. The dealer should know immediately if it is the bobbin. Don't tell them what you think is the problem. This way you will have future confidence in the dealer or not.

Raggiemom

Good luck, I hope the dealer has some helpful suggestions so you don't have to wait the couple weeks.

Jingle

I checked the threading of the top and bobbin with the manual for a long time when using a new machine. If a problem comes out I will still get it out to make sure I'm doing it right. Sewing on a scrap to get it right helps out too, no ripping and saves your fabric from constantly ripping.

ragquilter

I vote for a bobbin issue, I have 2 Pfaffs (older, nothing fancy) but the bobbins seem finicky. One of them winds the bobbin too full and I have to remember or else take some thread off. Also make sure you are putting the bobbin in correctly, it seems a little different from my Singer. If nothing helps, take it back and let the shop help you. I would call them if it is too far to drive today. Good luck with getting things straight.

PaperPrincess

Also make sure the needle is in correctly and all the way up in the shaft.

sewmary

It could be your bobbin itself. I wound some bobbins the other day for my Viking and one of them just did not come out right. Sure enough, I had birds nests and breaking thread. As soon as I changed bobbins everything was a-ok.

I have an Ambition and really love it. The drop-in bobbin is identical to my Viking. Make sure your bobbin thread "clicks" through the first part and ishould be correct. Stay with your Ambition until this one problem is solved and I think you will love it to.

Oh the only finicky part of this machine - make sure you buy a needle plate with the single hole for your straight sewing and piecing. It wants to either chew the fabric or nest it at the beginning when using the zig zag plate.

LadyElisabeth

I have have 4 pfaff's and discovered when I finally read the manual for the 1100 PRO, that there is a little metal circle on the bobbin that the thread needs to go through. My other Pfaffs don't have that additional metal circle. Now it sews fine.

NewbieToQuilting

Ok, called the dealer and got a bit of help. I rewound bobbin & re threaded machine again and it seemed to do the trick. I could sew a nice straight line. Tried zigzag, miserable fail. It came out straight too! I have dealer stumped, so I guess I have to take it to dealer to fix. I hadn't even sewn 15 minutes on this thing. It better straighten up or I'm returning it!!!

batikmystique

I have a Husqvarna and I had the same issue once. I re-threaded the machine and re-loaded the bobbin until I was blue in the face. I even took it in to have the experts look at it. As it turned out, nothing was wrong with my machine nor my threading/bobbin loading technique. It was simply the brand of thread I was using. I traditionally use the Gutermann brand but ran out in the middle of a project. I had a comparable color in the Coats & Clark line so I used that. My machine did not perform well at all and I had a huge rat's nest on the bottom of the fabric, the tension messed up and the automatic thread cutter locked up. The experts at the shop asked what type of thread I use, and suggested that the brand might be the issue. We took out the C&C, got out another color of the Gutermann to try and the machine purred again. Strange, but true story! If you've tried all of the other options you've mentioned, plus this one, and still no luck then take it back to see if they will exchange the machine for you. Best of luck to you!