Reading a very old post from 07, I found out I can drop the feed dogs on my 15! Wow! I am so excited, it free motions so nicely, only problem is my top thread keeps breaking and the spool messes up, like almost jumps off it post! I broke 6 needles today!!! I tried adjusting the tension both upper and lower, I know it is threaded correct, new needle (Ha) and diffrent thread! I am so excited about FM on this machine! Gee, I have only owned it 34 yrs now and just finding this out! If I could firgue out what the trouble is, I could really enjoy this! It has an inch longer throat than my other machines too!!! Please, any ideas!

Do you have a felt under your spool? It sounds like you don't.

If it was a problem with the spool I don't think it would break a needle before the thread. Are you using a spool that has a slit in the edge of the spool, that will catch every time binding up everything. Put a full bobbin of thread on the spindle and see if that will sew without breaking. That will test if it's the spool. The needle may be hitting the feed dogs that may be out of place just a smidgen. Try raising the feed dogs up and down a few times.

Yes I do! A small piece , maybe I need a larger one, will try that
Thanks!

Yes , I am Using thread w a slit in the side! I bet Yr right on that! Mmm, here I was thinking I would use my old spools up for pratice! I will put a diffrent spool and give it a try! Thanks!

That did it! Thanks everyone!!! YOur the best!

A few months I bought a 15-125 because of reading on the board about the drop feed. It has 1 1/2" more throat space than my newer machine. I haven't yet quilted anything with it, but I have done a few practice pieces. It's so powerful compared to my newer machine that it sort of scares me...ha. I'm determined that my next quilting project that I WILL do the FMQ on this machine. Good luck & be sure to post a picture of your FMQ.

Oh, I'm glad you're up and running, deedum! These little things will drive you crazy sometimes, won't they?

Debbie B, if the speed of your 15 is overwhelming, you can solve it with a variable speed router control - about $20 at Harbor Freight.

You put the router controller between the machine and the outlet, dial the variable control all the way down, then run your machine with the foot control fully depressed.

Slowly turn up the variable speed dial on the router control until your machine is running as fast as you want to sew and you're good to go. This really helped me a lot when I was trying to learn on a jackrabbit machine.

For an even better solution, switch to an electronic foot control - it's much more sensitive than the old bakelite button style controllers that Singer used on most of their machines. The electronic foot control takes about five minutes to install in place of the button controller.

You'll be amazed at how much less fatiguing it is for your leg and foot muscles and how much easier it is to run the machine at a steady speed. :)

PolyParrot,
Wow are you smart! Never new you could do this. Wonderful ideas.
Nancy
Quilter711

Thank you Polyparrot, I've never heard of these. And I am going to check them out. My Singer has a knee control and I'm used to a foot control. Your answers were very helpful. Debbie

Maybe a little more good news for you?

Some of the knee control levers in Singer cabinets are built in and wired to a switch box (or whatever they call it), but most of the knee control levers depress the button on an ordinary button-style bakelite foot control. :)

If you push straight down on the foot control, (sometimes, you pull straight up) it will slide out of the bracket and you'll be able to use it on the floor where it belongs. ;) Check and see if this is the case with your cabinet. You should be able to tell with a little fiddling around how the control is positioned in the bracket.

Whoo-Hoo...you're right. It's a little switch box that has a button of sorts on it. And it snaps right out. Thank you, Thank you, Debbie B

Thanks so much for your help with my Singer 15, am I ever enjoying the free motion on this machine! I just can't seem to stop practicing!

Thank you for the information. I learn something new here everytime. I will be on the lookout for one of these machines.

Careful, the 15's are addictive. :mrgreen: I'm on my fourth one - two of them, I've given away to people who wanted to learn to quilt, but I still have two and I would buy another one or two if they wandered in front of me at a "can't pass it up" price. I'm going to start teaching beginning quilting classes and I will like having extra machines for the students to work on.

These machines are so perfect for piecing, and people are going to have a lot of fun with the quilting, too. That's the first thing they ask me, "How did you get all these pretty designs in here?" Trying to pantomine how it's done, they look at me quizzically with their head tilted to the side and I know that when they see it, they're going to be just as crazy for it as I am. :)

If you're going to look on craigslist and such, be sure to look for the machine that looks like deedum's avatar - the tensioner is on the left side of the machine. Only the 15's and their clones made by other manufacturers are likely to have this tensioner on the faceplate. They're SUPER easy to refurbish, replace all the electrical, and you can buy repro parts for them very easily and cheaply. :)

The 15 is so powerful, it could be a bit over powering, but I am loving every minute of it! Wow!