Jane have you replaced the needle? Sometimes something that simple will solve the problem. Good Luck.
Susan in Bama

I am not familiar with the Brother machines, but some machines can get "out of time"...the needle and the bobbin thread don't arrive at the right place at the same time. I was checking a friends machine, once, and when I finally lifted it out of it's case I found that it had a drive belt which had completely fallen off. I was able to put the belt back on and get it back in time, but haven't a clue how to tell you how to do it....it was kind of trial and error until it worked.

If all the other advice (which is all valid) fails...just watch the "action" of the machine as you turn the fly wheel very slowly by hand. Maybe you will be able to see if they are "coming together" at the right time.

I know this may seem really dumb, but I am just beginning to sew and I really don't know much about sewing. ITIMiller suggested that I check the tension. I am afraid that I don't know how to check or change the tension. I also have a Brother VX1120, all it does is straight stitch and zigzag. I don't have a manual with it so I don't know how to change the tension on it either. In fact I don't know that I would know know when it needed to be changed.
I did take the bobbin out and check for lint it was clean. Thanks again for all the suggestions and help. Hopefully, togeather we can figure this thing out. Thanks again, Jane

I have a brother machine CS8060 upper thread will not pick up the bobbin thread.I had tried everything under the sun to get it to work it sews fine so what I do is after I load the thread cassett and put a new bobbin thread in I take a piece of scrap and sew! It always seems to bring the bobbin thread up and I am able to sew until the bobbin runs empty!
I just live with it!

Is your needle in backwards?

If this is an older machine, which I believe it is, when you plunge the needle down into the bobbin case and come back up with a loop in the area, you have to take a spare needle, pin or whatever is handy at the time and pull that loop up....that is the bobbin thread.

Pull both threads to the back of the machine under the presser foot with the needle bar at its highest point and you are set to go.

This is one of those procedures you have to do everytime you insert a new bobbin or change a bobbin color.

It is also a good idea to get a scrap of fabric and then do a test sample to make sure everything is threaded correctly and ready to go for the project....saves you a big ripping hassle if it isn't and you are working on a project.

Is your needle up too high or down too low in the needle holder? try lowering it a little and see if that helps. And as mentioned before use a scrap of material to test it out.
Make sure the flat part of the needle rests on the flat part of the holder.

What I forgot to add in my post was while you plunge the needle down, you hold the top thread to the side.

Sometimes you get lucky and get a big loop and sometimes it's a smaller loop that has to be pulled up and then both threads are put underneath the presser foot and then all the way to the back of the machine while the needle bar is at its highest point.

I also have a brother sewing machine, model XL 3010, and suddenly in the middle of using the zigzag stitch, the needle won't pick up the bobbin on the right stitch of the zigzag, I tried the other stitches and the same thing happens on all stitches that the needle goes down to the right. I tried cleaning the lint from the bobbin area, replacing the bobbin, replacing the needle and adjusting the tension. Nothing has helped.

Since you were posting back in February, I am sure that you have corrected your problem by now.
But, in case you havn't-- try using a Schmetz needle, if you have not done so already. If you are using a Singer needle, you will find that is just a tad longer and doesn't perform well in some machines.
Most often, when I have this problem it is because the needle is not set well into the needle holder. Ususally, it is not all the way up there, or it could be backwards or turned slightly to the side.
Most often, it has been that the needle is out of place.
As some have suggested, you could have timing problems, but I have been sewing for almost thirty five years and have never had timing problems. I have had the problem with the needle not looping, though.

Thanks for all the help everybody. Nothing has worked so far. The only thing that came close was the one from redpenny when she said just sew and the bobbin thread would come up. I did that and it did but it only sewed about three stitches and then just skipped about ten to twelve and sewed two more. Now what could be the problem? Thanks again. JW

I just did a search for your problem and all answer say it is your needle. Did you change it?

I think Nancy and Thunderose are right. I use Schmetz and Groz Beckert brands. Don't buy them from someone selling them real cheap. I bought some Schmetz's a couple years ago that were selling real cheap, and they were all defective. My machines were doing the same thing as yours, so I had to throw them all out.

Perhaps it is out of time and needs to be retimed. This will take knowledge of sewing machine repair or taking it to a shop to have it looked at.

Looking and giving an estimate of the problem is usually free.

did it ever sew correctly? did you purchase any new bobbins?

I am having the same problem and read from your threads that it might be a timing problem. What exactly is a timing problem? Is it when the drive belt is not put on correctly? Like lets say it's supposed to be put on the wheel when the rotator is pointing a certain way? If yes.. should the rotator be at exactly the point of the needle when the rotators slit (hook???) is at that point?

"Timing" is the alignment of the needle at its lowest point and the hook on the bobbin case. The point of the hook must pass directly behind the "scarf" of the needle fo the interlocking loop of a "single needle lockstitch" machine to occur.

Look closely at the needle. You will see the long groove along the front of it. This is where the thread rides as the needle goes up and down. If you look at the back of the needle you will see a flattened area just above the point. This is the "scarf"; it's flattened to permit the hook of the bobbin case to run right by it and catch the loop.

When a machine is out of "time", the hook is either too early or too late, OR to far away from the scarf to make the connection. You can send a machine out of time by hitting a pin, or breaking a needle "hard" (too fast through too many layers, etc.). You can usually identify a machine that is out of time by multiple skipped stitches at high speeds, or by stitching fast and then quickly putting it into reverse. Sometimes, you can scrape by if you rotate the insertion of your needle a little bit, this can help compensate for minor timing issues.

I own a Juki 562 (needle feed, walking foot machine) that has timing issues. It needs to have the hook replaced (it's worn and old) and will drop stitches in reverse; I have compensated for this by setting the needle ever so slightly out of its proper setting.

Hope this helps.

I have read all these posts and I must say that the one from CHELONE makes the most sense. After 40 years of sewing, I have had this issue a couple of times. This is the only problem I have had to have a pro fix for me. CHELONE sounds like she really knows what she's talking about.

I have a new Singer CG 500 (CG = commercial grade). I got it specifically to fly through thick bundles of soft cloth (amateur level quilting here). BUT, the darned thing will NOT pick up bobbin thread after a certain amount of thickness is under the pressure foot. Now, this is very soft cloth (layers of fleece, with a small amount of foam batting between it). My $60 brother machine actually sews through it fine. But, I was hoping to have greater speed and control with the bigger, more powerful machine. Does the thickness somehow throw the timing off? I have tried different needles (bigger and smaller), different thread (thick quilting to smaller lighter stuff), different thread tensions, etc.

Any input would be helpful! Thanks!!!

Most of these things have been said before but:

(1) Check the needle or replace with a new one. A needle has a groove in one side of it and that is the side that the thread enters the needle. Some thread from the side and some from the front.

(2) Before sewing, manually turn the wheel to make the needle go down while holding the needle thread with your left hand. When the bottom thread pulls up, pull both threads toward the back of the machine before sewing.

(3) Make sure your pressure foot has been lowered. Sounds silly, but if you loft is high it might just look like it is engaged.

(4) Try it on two ply fabric first and try both a straight stitch and a zig zag and see if you have problems with both.

(5) Make sure your thread is really machine thread and not hand sewing thread.

(6) Make sure the bobbin thread is feeding off the bobbin spool in the right direction.

(7) I would guess that the foam batting is the problem. Does the foot you are using hold both sides of the fabric down equally.

(8) Anything other than these is probably a tension problem or a timing problem.

kenmore machine do not pick up thread after i gave oil in different parts

Bless your hearts!!!! New Poster here.

I had this same trouble and it was driving my husband and me crazy -- I followed all your advice and it turned out we were turning the big wheel the wrong way (in reverse) and that's why the thread wouldn't pull up.

The person who said "start sewing" was the advice that finally worked...the fabric was going backwards ;)

I have a Singer model 66 treadle and I too am suffering from "lack of bobbin thread pick-up." The spool is threaded right, and based on YouTube the bobbin is in the case correctly...but no loop. The bobbin thread makes NO connection with the top thread under the slide plates. This is driving me nuts...anyone know what the problem is? PLEASE!?!?!

You do have the needle inserted into the clamp with the flat side facing RIGHT, don't you? And the needle is threaded from L to R.

Had a similar problem, dumped my machine for about a month cos I tot some part was bad but after reading everytin here, I tried to adjust my needle..brought it a little lower didn't let it all go in like before and it worked with just that...thanks guys :)

Hello,

I am glad i found this discussion..

Is it possible to have a timing problem with one fabric (soft leather) vs. another (cotton)?

I am having similar problems where no stitiches are created for the leather but when i tested on a piece of cotton, it worked.

I was midway on my project and all was fine. I did sew a band on a velvet skirt and that seemed to be a problem. So I am thinking the extra layers caused the timing to go out of whack.

Does what I say make any snese?

I hope you got your machine working..

Thanks in advance.

Ciao!
Kappu

Sounds more like a needle problem than a timing issue to me. You can't use the same type of needle for leather as for cotton. Personally, I don't sew leather, but I do recall reading that a Sharp needle and a long stitch work well for soft supple leather. The so-called Leather needles are for harder, stiffer leathers.

JUST WANT TO THANK ALL YOU PEOPLE THAT HAD POSTS REGARDING THIS PROBLEM. YOU ARE GREAT! MY KENMORE IS PROBABLY FROM THE '70s AND I USE IT NONSTOP. IF IT WERE A CAR IT WOULD HAVE 100,000 MILES ON IT. THANKS TO YOUR POSTS I MANAGED TO SOLVE MY THREAD PICKUP PROBLEM.I HOPE I CAN BE OF SOME HELP TO ALL YOU OUT THERE. BEEN SEWING FOR EVER.THANKS AGAIN!

Changing to a new needle worked for me. Thanks for the advice!

I have the same issue of my needle not picking up the bobbin thread. However, it only does not pick it up on the left side of a zig zag stitch on thick fabrics. All other fabrics and stitches it works fine. Any suggestions?

I had literally tried everything and then I found this thread! I rethreaded the machine what felt like a million times, rewound and replaced the bobbin, tried every possible type of thread, changed the tension, changed the needle...Thanks so much to everyone for posting - I lowered the needle, just a little and miraculously the brand new machine is now working again, after a week on the blink! I was ready to send it back. Phew!

my machine doesnt even make a lobby when the needle comes down...any suggestions..

I had the same problem with my Kenmore sewing machine bought at a flea market with no manual, the flat part of the needle was facing the wrong way (left). I inserted it with the flat facing towards the back as it was suggested here but that didn't work either...then reinserted needle with flat part facing right and voila, it worked!! Thanks so much pointing me in the right direction!!! I left the thread coming out of the bobbin and underneath in the sewing machine case, it automatically brought it up through the hole and intertwined with the thread coming through the needle after pressing the foot pedal!! I don't know very much about sewing so excuse the bad phrasing!!

Chelone is spot on -- it's a timing issue.

(a) if replacing the needle fixes the problem, it may have been that the needle was bent outwards, thus putting too much room between the needle and hook.

(b) if lowering the needle fixed the problem, then keep on doing that until your next service, when the nice mechanic should position the needle support shaft slightly lower. Alternatively, purchase your machine's service manual and do this yourself.

(c) if this problem only pops up, say, on the lefthand-most stitch, it still may be a timing problem. But the timing may simply not yet be 'off' enough to interfere with your other stitch positions.

I'd also like to mention that needle position is machine specific. On my Bernina, the needle only goes in with the flat part towards the back.

I have a brother sewing machine, that also will my pick up the bobbin thread. I just got it, I've never used it, and I can not get it to work. I am pretty new to sewing, the last time I used a machine was 2 years ago. Can anyone help?

I've had this problem as well...didn't even realize that the bobbin thread not rising up was the cause.

After a bit of focused experimenting a few minutes ago I realized there is no inherent tension in the bobbin thread area (despite the design of the machine!).
So with the bobbin cover removed and the presser foot UP if I set the bobbin as normal and held the end of the thread off to the side AND applied a bit of tension to it I could get the needle to pick it up perfectly. Tested it and sewing was normal!

Maybe the needle needing to be changed contributes to jams but I have run that scenario of changing it and everything else in complete frustration over this problem until I saw what was really happening...which tends to occur out of the blue...knowing I can manually get the machine to pick up the thread allows me to continue using a needle that is still serviceable.

Tip: I read that some people remove the presser foot to get access to the threads but I use a small plastic tool that is shaped like a crochet hook to grab the thread back after getting it- safer and time saving for when this happens. Hope it helps others to know.

Hi, I have swf 4 head k series embroidery machine. It display 108 error code "air pressure is not enough" all efforts to clear/fix the error prove abotive. Soliciting for help please. Rgrds

The solution may be more than just a new needle -- the OP may need a needle appropriate for the thickness of the material you are sewing. An 11 needle will be fine for quilting cottons but may miss the bobbin thread when trying to stitch through two layers of fabric and a layer of batting. So switch to a larger needle -- in this case maybe a 12 or 14.

I was wondering if Kappu ever figured out her bobbin problem with leather. I''m having the same problem. My machine sows through quilt and fabric but will not catch the Bobbin with leather. I am using a leather needle for the leather. I've used it before and it worked fine but now it is not. i've changed the needles. I've changed the tension. I've threaded and re-threaded, Everything is correct. Bobbin is correct. I have been trying to figure this out all day today and yesterday. I've tried everything. Can anybody help? There is no lint or thread or anything underneath. Machine was sewing fine until I tried to sew the leather. I have a singer heavy duty 4423. I've Sewn a leather bag already. It was sewing fine. I don't know what's wrong with it now.. please if you can help me post here. I'll check back soon. Thank you so much!

If you look carefully at a sewing machine needle (use a magnifying glass) you'll see there is an grooved indentation on the side where the bobbin thread loop will be picked up. This is the "scarf". Fixing the problem may be as simple as turning the needle around 180 degrees. On my Viking this means the flat part of the needle goes toward the rear of the machine. "Flat back" I say to myself every time I replace the needle. On my Featherweight I remember the NFL… needle flat left. I makes all the difference.

I have a brother sewing machine it's a LX3817 practically brand new. I used it several times ..Now my upper thread won't pickup the thread from the bobbin..I really need help in fixing this problem..Can anyone help me solve this issue...

Try completely unthreading it. Refer to the manual for cleaning instructions - make sure there isn't a thread stuck inside someplace. Change the needle (or at least pull out the current needle and reseat it).

Then put it all back together, rethread, and try it again. If that doesn't fix it take it back to the dealer and have their service person check it out.

Donna

Thank you I tried all that I guess it gotta go back