Farmhousesewer

Hi Terry

I agree with everything that was said. I think we need to take each step separately, leading up to attachment of the foot and stitching. If you put the needle in incorrectly. you will most likely not get a stitch or miss stitches as the loop is not caight. The mess on the bobbin is usually the upper tension or not moving or moving too slowly, especially while free motion. Believe me, I know. I had a mess & had to re-thread the needle almost a dozen times . It is not easy when you are older and have bad eyes, are left handed and it is especially difficult with the big foot on the machine.

I did exactly what I thought should be done and I was successful, so I find no reason it should not work for you.

1. I suggest you look at the existing suggestions and start with the needle. Insert a new needle with the flat side on the left.
2. Thread the needle according to the directions. Right to Left
3. Insert the bobbin in the bobbin case and thread it per instructions.
4. Attach the Big Foot. Now mine did not attach as shown on the video, as my pressure bar would not go as high as the modern machine. With the takeup lever at its highest point and the pressure foot lever up, I needed to remove the handscrew, twist the foot counterclockwise, bring it towards you and twist it clockwise to line up the hole with the screw. Make sure the "finger" is over the needlebar clamp.
5. Note: even though I have a feeddog cover, the instructions says Do Not Use It. Instead use an index card to cover the feeddogs.
6. Turn the handwheel , while holding the upper thread with your left hand... see manual "Preparing to Sew". The bobbin thread will come to the top of the card. If, instead, you want the bobbin thread on top of the fabric, put the fabric under the Big Foot, hold the top thread and turn the handwheel, until the bobbin thread comes up.
7. Although I am pitiful in free motion, I was able to make stitches. Not consistent, not pretty, but not having the problem you describe.
8. Adjust the tension and presser bar pressure as necessary .

Humor us... Please try this.

Terry in the ADK

Thanks everyone for all your suggestions. I did them all following Farmhousesewer's very much appreciated directions. It worked fine on a single layer of batting. I then sewed onto my quilt sandwich using same batting and immediately got just needle holes. The needle would not go down far enough to pick up the bobbin thread.
i really appreciate all this help.
Terry

Mickey2

What type of needle are you using? I'm thinking a larger needle might help, but still it's a bit unexpected. I know my 201 can misbehave with heavy or densely woven fabrics, and a sturdier needle often solves the problem. Some treads behave better too, very soft light weight polyester threads have done this on my machine, it doesn't get picked up by the hook. Check the needle, there might be something wrong with them, I've had a few bad batches of low priced needle.

Farmhousesewer

Terry,
Does your machine stitch OK with a regular foot (reducing presser foot presser considerably), no foot at all, or different hopping foot on a sandwich?

With the Big Foot on the sandwich, if you hand turn the machine instead of using the motor, are stitches made.

Are you using a sharp point, good quality needle of the correct size? Are you using Batiks? As Micky said, quality of needle, fabric density and threads are, for the most part, the only things that can cause the type of problem you are describing.

For a stitch to not be made, the loop is not being made, the hook is not picking up the thread, or other mechanics are off such as timing. This would not change because of a change of foot. To be honest, I can't see the foot causing the problem, or contributing to the problem, but we are willing to keep at it for you.

Mickey2

Problem shooting took a new turn the last couple of posts. If it's issues with needle and thread, it's all about matching correct weight thread, needle and fabric. I'm sure you know it better than me, but as Maria mentions free motion in general needs a reasonably large size needle and sharp poit can be an advantage.

Another is cleaning, if there's lots of dust around feed dogs, hook, race and bobbin case, it can affect the stitching too.

Terry in the ADK

Soooooo, here's where it stands.....
I took my FW, Molly, in to a get cleaned and checked....all fine. Then I took the Big Foot Attachment and put it on, still the same problem. A friend who has an older version Big Foot, looked at it and said the finger which sits on the needle screw didn't seem to fit right. So then I had another friend put it on her featherweight and guess what? It didn't work on hers either! I will call the company and let them know. I guess it just isn't meant for poor Molly!
Thanks, everyone, for all your suggestions. I really learned a great deal.

Mickey2

Can't blame it on Molly in any way. The sellers should be testing their stock on Featherweights? There's several quilting feet that fits the Featherweights, so there's no reason to give up on it. With a bit of luck, the seller can dig up the right kind of Big Foot too, just stay away from the abominable ones ;- )