Is there any bits of lint anywhere around the dial? If there are discs the thread goes between perhaps there is something caught there. On my mother's old Singer 401 she had tightened the screw that held the mechanism on so tight you couldn't get the thread to feed. Is there any screw to tighten or loosen? Give your library a call and ask for a book on machine repair I have used a good one called "How to adjust and repair your own sewing machine " by Arthur W. Smith (amazon has it - but I borrowed mine from the library) It is wonderful and gives parts and numbers of many older machines..and is worth a look at. Request it from another library if nothing else. A trip to the repair place may happen anyway, but I'd delay until seeing if you can locate a book or someone else comes up with a suggestion. Budster

thank you so much for the info! i'm going to go dig up my manual and futz around with it this evening.
there's not a great deal of lint, but i've got a dust remover for my computer (pressurized air thing) that i'm going to use to clean out any excess. there is a screw but i'm hesitant to fool with it b/c i know that wasn't messed with before. anyway, i'll check if my library has that book and will see what i can do.

thanks again!

Does the stitching in your seam look okay?

When you say the "thread doesn't pull out like it should", is it very easy to pull or very difficult?

Sometimes the height of the needle will affect the release of the thread. Raise the needle to the highest point when you've finished and see if it helps.

Are you pulling toward the back of the machine? That makes all the difference in my machines.
Kathy G in MI