My xc33 has started to carry on sewing although my foot is off the pedal. I have to switch it off and start it again, but it keeps happening. Has anyone got any idea as to what is wrong?
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Your sewing machine has an electrical 'short' somewhere between the foot (or knee) pedal, and the machine.
Does the machine sew by itself with the pedal disconnected? Then the fault is in the machine wiring. This isn't a 'home fix' - get the machine to a qualified (can't stress qualified strongly enough!) repair tech ASAP - it's a fire hazard and a danger if you have children or non-sewers in the house (oh yes, a sewing machine CAN drive a needle through living tissue).
Does the machine only sew by itself when the pedal is connected? Then the fault is in one of the following spots:
The pedal.
The connection point(s) - either the machine point has a fault or the lead from the pedal to the machine connection point has a fault.
The solution in that case is simple - replace the pedal - see if you can find a willing friend with the same electrical requirements as your pedal calls for (turn the pedal over - you should see a label detailing the volts/watts/charge the pedal requires to make it compatible to your machine), otherwise you'll need to buy another pedal - however, if that doesn't solve the problem then the fault is in the machine connection point and again, this is not a home fix.
You'll need to do some research - is the cost of a replacement pedal reasonable in comparison to the cost of taking the machine to a qualified tech? A good tech (or the sewing centre he/she works for) is perfectly happy to give you a 'ballpark' estimate over the phone, so call around to find out what a visit to the tech will cost, then compare the cost of the replacement pedal to the tech check and decide from there - being aware the replacement pedal may not solve your issue if the fault is at the machine end.
If yes, by all means buy the replacement pedal but be aware it may not resolve your issue and you may need to take the machine with the original and replacement pedals to the tech.
I do some repair and refurb work for my sewing students. Sewing machine electrical wiring usually lasts forever but the wear points of the connections (on the machine, and at the lead bit that connects to the machine) the lead, and the pedal, mean these parts DO take a lot of stress (and sometimes abuse like dangling the pedal by the lead, yanking the connections apart by the lead instead of grasping the actual connection plug, too much pressure on or slamming the pedal, dropping the pedal...).
My comprehensive service manual for just one make of sewing machines cost me $700 in 2009 - when I relocated to the UK I paid another £200 for a UK-centric addendum to that manual so I could use it here in the UK.
A rather thick section of the manual I own covers wiring and is quite complicated - please believe me this IS NOT something the average home DIYer is able to do even if he/she has electrical skills.
I've included this information in my reply to your question to illustrate two points: one that electrical work on a sewing machine isn't simple and requires specialised knowledge (and tools, don't get me going on how much I've spent on tools:), and two to explain why techs charge what they do - they've put a lot of time and money into training to repair sewing machines that are more complicated by the second, and while it may seem a lot of money, most techs are more interested in getting your machine sewing again than making shedloads of money so they're willing to keep costs down and to work with machine owners to keep repairs affordable:)
Please, for your safety - take the machine to a qualified tech. Depending on where you live the repair will be a quick job for the tech, the cost should be reasonable, and in all better than replacing the machine.
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