Make sure your needle is now all the way.
Check the bobbin area and be sure all the thread is out where the nest was. Then take the bobbin out of the case, when the bobbin is in the case and facing you, see if when you pull the thread it pulls off the bobbin COUNTERclock wise.
Is the thread in the take up lever? Is the needle bent? If that all checks out, I have no idea. I usually take a few minutes/hours and walk away do something else and try again. It is so frustrating when you cannot fix things...usually it is a small item I missed. Good luck

Nope nothing. I've tried everything. My husband even went through every step in the machine manual and he couldn't get it either. The needle thread just isn't picking up the bobbin I've put it in the machine just the way the manual says. I have a brand new needle. I've tried a different bobbin. It just isn't working. How does something that should take 30 seconds end up taking seven hours and still not work. I hate this thing. I'm going to get a drink.

I had a similar problem when I took my machine out to us for the first time in years. I ended up taking in for service and it still works beautifully today. That was about 15 years ago. A serviceman can clean it up, oil it and adjust it for you. He'll do all the things you might not think of.

Silly question but are you sure the needle is in the right direction? It's possible to put it in backwards and it'll never work.

Hope the drink helps lol but I personally cannot sew after I drink (tho you aren't doing any sewing unfortunately). Once I had a couple beers & sewed. Threw away my $100 walking foot! Had to dig it out of the trash. No more booze & sewing for me. Good luck with your machine, hope you can get it running.

Check out your upper thread tension. If it is too loose it will create a birdsnest on the bottom of the fabric so you may think it has to do with the bobbin and it is actually the top thread.

Also check for bent needle and if the needle is in the clamp correctly. Check that you have the machine threaded correctly

I am not familiar with your machine but when my Janome 6600 started doing a similar thing....bobbin thread not being picked up and other bad things....I found a small nick/rough spot on the bobbin CASE. Don't know how it got there but I just filed it down with an emery board and all was good. Run your finger around the outside of the bobbin case and if you feel a rough spot, smooth it out. Not sure how that affects things but it worked for me.
Hope this works for you. At least it is something else to try before chunking it out the window!
Murphy

If the needle is not picking up the bobbin thread, the needle thread is not making the full rotation around the bobbin and that usually means the thread is hanging up halfway around the bobbin casing and collecting in loops.

My new machine (Singer)has a drop-in bobbin with a transparent plate over it, so what was happening was easy to see. It wouldn't be with a side mount bobbin or a metal slide over it. You may want to pull back the slide and turn the wheel a full rotation and watch what is transpiring with the loop of needle thread. Sounds to me like it is catching somewhere on the bobbin chase.

When this happens to me, it's usually caused by the (oh gosh I don't know the technical term for it) lever what goes up and down holding the thread as it drops down the front of the machine. It has usually had too much slack and slipped off, totally screwing up the upper tension.

Another time it was because when I seated the bobbin it was not seated all the way into the spindle and protruded too much. This new machine just has a very tricky tension and it does this occasionally with no particular reason. Othewise it's a fun machine.

Watch to see what is going on when the needle thread makes that rotation around the bobbin to catch the bobbin thread if you can. I think you'll see it isn't completing it.

Now you probably know why whoever gave you machine, got rid of it! LOL

I'd just take it to the repair shop and let the professional worry about it. Then I'd make sure he told me if it was anything I was doing wrong. It could be probably benefit from being serviced anyway. Good luck!

(Oh, when I do any free-motion quilting, I benefit from having a big glass of white wine at the ready! I've been known to holler down the stairs to DH, "bring more wine!" I get too tense, otherwise.) :)

well flamingo maybe I'll take up free-motion quilting. Tho I've tried it once or twice and have to say, I am not talented or patient enough for it. I can see where a drink would help, free motion is hard!

OP, I hope you've gotten your machine running and haven't thrown it out that window yet!