401 skipping stitches
 

I've not had many problems with this machine, but now it's acting up. I'm quilting a baby quilt. I'm just sewing straight line quilting and it's randomly not picking up the bobbin thread. I didn't realize it was doing this until it got really bad. Now I see that there are small random skipped areas in several places. It seems to happen mostly when the run is starting. I've had to change the needle many times, as the spray seems to be gumming up the needle. Once gummed up, it is breaking the thread and you can't re-thread the needle eye. I've re-threaded it. The only thing that is different is the basting spray and using flannel as the backing.

I'm going to switch machines, and finish this tomorrow. Any suggestions where to start looking for the problem after I finish this mess?

bkay

There's a new needle called a "non-stick" needle. I'll bet that would help a ton. Size 90 or 100.

Good Luck!

Thanks, Annette. I switched from my 401 to my 301 and it still happened. I'll pick up the needles tomorrow.

bkay

You might find that some of the spray has made its way into the hook mechanism. You may have to clean out the bobbin case and the hook assembly. Skipped stitches mean that the hook hasn't picked up the upper thread. If the loop of the upper thread was caused simply by the thread not making its way out of the eye of the needle, because the eye of the needle is gummed up, you may be OK. You'll have to clean the needle, and perhaps change it if it can't be cleaned. If the spray however got onto the hook, at a minimum, the point of the hook may be gummed up.

What size needle are you using? I found that I had to go up a needle size. Usually I use a 12 or 14 for piecing, 16 or 18 for quilting.

The pushing and pulling of the quilt sandwich will sometimes cause needle flex, which will in turn cause skipped stitches. A larger, thicker needle fixes this.

I'll have to order the non-stick needles. Joann's doesn't carry them yet. I'll order the non stick needles from Amazon and hope that solves the problem.

I made another sandwich without the spray, and it didn't skip at all on the 301. So, it has to be the June Tailor spray. It's going in the trash. I remember using the June Tailor spray when I was volunteering for the quilting classes at school. I ended up having to use acetone to get it off the tables. Can I use the acetone to clean the machine?

I used to use Dritz spray and never had a problem with it. They quit making it. Darn it.

Thanks for all the help.

bkay

I've never used the June Tailor spray. I use 505 and have never had a problem with it gumming up my needles.

I love the 505, too!

At the shop, we used a bit of WD-40 on a cloth to clean gummy stuff off of sewing machines.