Sewing Machine Not Picking Up Bobbin Thread?

Frugal Sunnie
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September 23, 20130 found this helpful

There are a number of reasons your Singer upper thread won't pick up the bobbin thread:

Are you sure the upper thread went through the tension discs correctly? No matter where your tension discs are (inside an exterior mounted knob, or inside the machine completely), missing those discs will cause the machine to not pick-up the lower bobbin thread.

Is the presser foot in the up position, and did you thread the machine with the foot up? This is an important step - threading the machine with the presser foot down engages the tension discs and 'confuses' the machine - you won't be able to pull the upper thread and it won't move in the action to pick up the bobbin thread.

Did you reset the machine back to sewing mode after using the machine to fill a bobbin? The machine won't pick up if still set to bobbin winding mode. You may be able to move the handwheel but usually the needle won't move up and down if the machine is still set to bobbin winding mode.

Is your machine a 'vintage' one (over ten years old)? It's possible the bobbin gear has worn out. These gears (and most others in Singers built after the late 60s) are made from plastic or silicone and do wear out after several years use.

If you've tried everything listed above to the vintage question, your problem is almost certainly the bobbin gear and this is a job for a qualified repair tech.

Depending on the area you live in this should cost under $100 (£75 aprx) which should include replacing the part (be sure to get a newly milled part for longer life - 'salvage' parts won't give the same service so be sure to ask the tech what type part he/she used), doing a thorough check and clean-oiling of the machine.

Money well spent if you love the machine and the repair tech can access newly milled parts. Once a vintage machine starts to need repairs owing to worn plastic parts it's pretty much downhill from there so be sure you understand your machine can become a money pit going forward. If you really love the machine for beautiful stitches/features that would be cost prohibitive to find in a modern machine, or for sentimental reasons (it was your first machine/your mum's or gran's/the machine your wedding outfits were sewn on, etc, great - spend the money to keep your beloved machine going.

If not, consider replacing with a new Singer with modern features and a warranty. A new one will set you back anywhere from $100-$500 depending on features and is well worth it for the warranty alone.