The foot pressure matter entered my thoughts as I was reading this--If that little knob (or twister thing on the left side of your machine, kinda to the back), I don't have a 301 here in front of me to say specifically, but if it is way high, you don't have any pressure on your presser foot. And you won't have a zig zag foot on a 301, will you? It is a straight stitch only machine--but a l/4" foot comes to mind here--it is a little wider than a SS foot. Check that out. My favorite piecing machine is a 301 or FW, and I can't think of any problem I have ever had with the fabric moving evenly. Good luck, and happier piecing as your get to the bottom of this little headache.

In addition to all these suggestions, with which I agree, take a look at your feed dogs. Is there any lint caught in the teeth themselves? You might need a magnifying glass. If so, take a straight pin or a dental pick and clean out each tooth. Less likely is that the teeth are no longer sharp enough to grip the fabric and move it along and need to be replaced. Worry about that last, however.

Is the area around the feed dogs (or even the bobbin) linty?

My first thought is the amount of pressure on the foot, controlled by a knob on the top of the machine.

Okay, here's another possibility: make sure your feed dogs are all the way up. You will find a large screw knob for that under the lift-up bed (to the left of the needle) and toward the back of the machine. Do you know where I mean?

What size needle and thread are you using? What brand of thread are you using? What brand of needle? My Singer 301s take any thread except YLI. How does your tension look? How does your stitch look, top and bottom?

The aftermarket 1/4 inch foot for the Singer 301 that has the little metal stop on the far right of the foot is well worth the investment and will make a huge difference. Sew-classic.com probably has it. Remember, you need a slant foot.

I have found that making a quilt on my Singer 301s is a very pleasant experience and would like to make sure you have a good experience, also. The 301 is a good and reliable machine, pretty much bullet proof, and should be a joy to use. In fact, I named mine JoyBoy.

Cricket

i will spend my morning going through all the wonderful information step my step.

thank you all for the wonderful information.

i might have only started to use this machine in december, but i'm really coming to LOVE it.
i have a feeling that the problem is a small issue that i'll be able to fix.

I'm interested in finding out which solution fixes the problem for you. Please let us know?

anyone ever use a Davis Vertical Feed machine for piecing? curious, as I have 3 undergoing "rehab"

yes. i will update with the answer!

There is a walking foot for the 301A/301, have to make sure its for a straight stitch machine. The walking foot made for a zig zag machine doesn't line up with the feed dogs correctly.
I have a Pfaff 1222E that has the built-in walking foot, Pfaff calls it IDT; don't know what it means. It makes piecing blocks so much easier. I've been sewing log cabin and also 3D bow tie blocks, in red,white and blue. Its for a soldier quilt.
Sharon

Independent Dual Transport