Singer Featherweight skipping?

Question

My Singer Featherweight sewing machine is skipping stitches. Does anyone know what the problem could be and how I can fix it myself?

Answer 1

Is it skipped, or is it just a long stitch? If you can see a hole, it is skipped. If you can't see a hole, it's possible the stitch length is varying.

Make sure the needle is held in properly, facing the right way and in straight.

There could be a problem with the hook race, that business that holds the bobbin case in place. If it's worn, rounded, or not oiled, it can cause the top thread to escape without being grabbed by the bottom thread.

Do you sew with pins? Your needle hitting a pin could get bent and this could cause skipping. If you sew with pins, pull them out as you go, before they reach the needle. I find that pins often distort the fabric alignment so I hardly ever use them anyway.

If it's just that some stitches are longer than others, check how you are guiding the fabric. If you pull, it will bend the needle and also cause uneven stitches. Also if you vary the pressure on the pressure foot it can vary the stitch length.

Answer 2

Featherweights are very popular with old time quilters and there are websites where you can probably chat about them. Try general internet searches on Featherweights.

Those machines are real workhorses, which is why they are still popular. Are you sure it is threaded properly? Has it been cleaned or serviced lately?

Answer 3

Unless the above answer helped, when mine started skipping I wound up spending quite a bit of money having mine professionally repaired, because I tried to do it myself. So watch out.