In my opinion, when major things start to go it's time to dump the machine. Are you going to stay with a TL? Personally I am not fond of the FL's. I have the GE Harmony. It's an HE TL. It has some of the same features as the FL's without a lot of the grief you read about. Whatever you decide, I would not only check Consumers Reports but also the threads on this forum. I think this forum is almost a better judge of the machines because people write about real life experience as opposed to laboratory testing.

Susan, you mentioned you around Denver. I'm in SE Aurora and have had a lot of luck with finding great older machines at some of my local thrift stores. My favorite place for cabinet machines is called Unique at the corner of Buckley and Iliff. On Monday's everything is 25% off and on Holidays everything is 50%. From them I've bought - 2 New Home NHR rotary machines for under $20 on their half-price days (on the first one I've replaced the pulley and it works fine; the other I'm keeping for parts because it had a box full of the attachments and the power cord I was missing from the other). A very pretty Singer in a cabinet, circa 1955 with a box of attachments for $25 for my mother (I still have to get it working and refinish the cabinet) A Viking Husqvarna (from Sweden) portable with the attachments and the manual including the original warranty from 1966 that just needed oil and I've started teaching my daughter to sew on it. It cost $12.50 (on half price day) Today I was at a Goodwill on Parker Road and Belleview. I picked up a New Home Light Running Rotary Model 8F in it's carrying case for $25 - I haven't found any info about it yet though. I can tell it needs oil and I need to reseat the wires in the electrical connection. I don't usually see sewing machines at this Goodwill, but always see them at Unique for a lot less than your budget. If you want to know some other thrift stores on this end of town send me an email through my page (I'm not over here very often, I'm usually lurking in RMG gardening, Cooking or Harvest). Good luck with your search Jen

Thanks for the advice, all. I tried to rethread the bobbin last night. I did it about 10 times following the instructions. I tried to vary the direction of the thread the last couple of times. Wasn't sure whether the free end of the thread is what the needle is supposed to pick up or whether the bobbin is supposed to rotate or something to allow the needle to pick up thread from the bobbin directly? I have no clue why it's not working. I'll try to re-insert the needle, too. It's not picking up the bottom thread at all, not even a little bit. I guess it could be the machine, but it's probably me. Sigh.

You are training them well! Your comment about the hampers is correct. I end up having to collect clothes from their rooms. My 15yo daughter is the worst. I have to avoid her room if I don't want to ruin my day, and her clothes are the deplorable. The underwear, the deodorant stains, and she is the brute on the soccer fields, her uniforms are always stained up. She is a lost cause for now. I can just see your little guy sorting his clothes. ..I think I still have some time with my boys to get a few lessons in, after I learn them myself. I have been washing my clothes since I was 12, but I never learned how to properly do laundry, even in Home Ec.