New Home question
 

Need your expert assistance. DDIL inherited her g-mom's New Home sewing machine. It isn't quite an antique, but she'd like to know what it is and how to use it. I can't find much on www.

Machine is a model 551 with Janome corp on it. One web site says that is post-1957. It has an instruction book with it that is for a Kenmore machine that looks similar but not exactly like the New Home. I'm having trouble making the machine operate using the manual. I did figure out how to get the special stitches to change, although I haven't sewn any of them yet.

Does anyone know much about the New Home Model 551?

TIA.

I think I figured out how to thread this machine (left to right?), but when I rotate the needle the bobbin case falls out. I have removed the whole bobbin parts set, cleaned it, and reinserted it, and I'm still having the same problem. Would this indicate that maybe the original bobbin case was lost and gm got the wrong one as a replacement? Any other ideas?

I quilt on a New Home 556. Thread goes down from holder to the tension, up to take up lever and down thru guides, threads from left to right. My bobbin case has a latch. To seat the case, I have to pull the latch while pushing it into place, otherwise is just falls out. Love that machine, good luck with yours.

LOL Don't feel too bad, I had the same problem with a bobbin case on a perfectly good Japanese machine recently so I took it with me to Ray's class. I figured it out myself before I got too embarrassed though. The take up lever HAS to be at the TOP when you put the bobbin case in or it will eject.