I feel your frustration...I really don't have an answer.

Just basic stuff: power cord plugged in ALL the way? Have you changed any settings recently? Something in the foot pedal that might prevent its being pressed down?

Walk away and take a break!
Gwen

Unplug it and take as much of it apart as you can to get inside. Pay attention to where the screws go. Lay them out in order. Look for accumulated fuzz & threads. Last week, when I oiled my quilter, the thread from the needle had slipped out of the eye, and got caught in the interior mechanism and was caught tight between the take up bar and the inside gears. Patience, alot of oil, a magnifying glass, penlight & fine long handle tweezers, finally worked it loose. Your machine may not take oil - do not oil it if the manual does not have specific spots for oil.

Clean, clean, clean. Especially under the feed dogs and needle plate.

Take your time, and be careful.....and walk away when you feel frustrated. Do not force anything or screw up the timing.

Good luck!

This could be a silly suggestion and WAY too simple, but make sure the slow/fast switch (if it has one) is where you want it. One of my cats continually rubs his face against my machine and seems to love the little turtle/hare slider. I sew on the fastest setting unless I'm FMQ'ing but McQueen seems to think I should set it on turtle! Every time he does it, I think there's something wrong with the machine!

If there's no switch, then I would guess it's a build-up of lint and thread.

Kate

LOL, Kate, I blame everything on the cats! That's funny that yours changes your machine settings. I had my serger out on Saturday and George kept pulling on the threads that were moving in the breeze from the fan (not while I was actually trying to sew, fortunately).

Donna

If you are using a quilting foot, the gears may be stripped. This happened to me when I used a Singer(I THINK)quilting foot on my Brother machine. It fit the machine but after a few rows,the machine seemed to slow down,until eventually the foot just wouldn't move at all.The machine didn't quit completely but after the foot gears became stripped the foot would not move through.

~Geraldine

thanks ladies!

I think it was fuzz build up... After Operation Thread Fuzz removal (2hrs!) because I couldn't get all the screws loose and had to use a long skinny straw brush to get into all the little spots with about a can of air, it seems to be working well again : ) I plan to take it in and have it checked by someone that know's what they are doing. But I am in a time crunch right now - need to finish 2 small quilt by the 20th and only one is even started...

Happy quilting!!
Marie

Glad you got if fixed. Why is it that things like that happen when you're in a time crunch?! I'm having tension issues with both of mine. I think they're due for a cleaning as well.

Happy quilting!!

Robbi

Marie~I'm glad it was just performing a good cleaning and didn't require major surgery to fix your machine!

I am a true believer that to maintain your sewing machines, you must clean your machines regularly, including removing the needle plate to gently brush the accumulated lint and fuzz. Look for little pieces of stray thread everywhere.
Gently clean the bobbin case. Oil it if it requires oil.
And change the needle often. Sometimes running 2 strands of a non linty thread thru the tension discs is enough correct a tension problem.
Another good habit - and it is hard to train yourself-always snip the thread above the tension assembly & remove it in the same direction it feeds when changing top thread or rethreading. In other words, don't pull the thread backwards up to the spool.
I have to admit~LOL~I take much better care of my sewing machines than I do my house or car.

----I take much better care of my sewing machines than I do my house or car.--- hehehe funny what is more important : )

I blow out the compartment underneath almost every other time I add new bobbin thread but it just isn't enough. I need to make a chart to remind myself to do a good cleaning twice a month from now on.

Marie

Marie - make sure you point the air duster so it blows the lint out and not inside the guts of the machine! I saw a machine where the lint was packed from constantly blowing it INTO the machine.
It takes time, but in the end, it will save you money and headaches. Take a few minutes at the end of a sewing session to do the cleaning instead of using your precious time when you sit down to sew. You will be happy the next time you sit down to a clean machine. It will be ready and smiling!