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Need help with bobbin holder, bobbin & threading

17 years ago

Hi everyone. I had a little trouble recently with my Singer Starlet 354 (about 20yrs old ) and I order several replacement parts. I had to dismantle "everything" but thanks to the Parts Manual and some pictures I took I was able to put everything back together correctly except one piece (i think).

Everything runs smoothly but when I threaded the machine the thread from the bobbin is not getting picked up by the needle from top. I followed all instructions but nothing worked. I've been on it for three days now and nothing works. All I need to know is how the threading works from below. How or what makes the thread from the bobbin go through the needle plate hole?

The instructions say that the needle will pass into the needle plate hole and come up with a loop that will have the thread from the bobbin hanging there for me to pull through.

How do I position the bobbin holder? or how should I position the bobbin rotater below the bobbin holder before putting the belt from below? Or does anyone know what I am doing wrong? Please help!!!

This post might be a little confusing but I would really appreciate any help with this. Thank you in advance :)

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Comments (3)

kathi_mdgd
17 years ago
http://pages.sewing-machine-manuals.com/173/PictPage/1922657337.html

Christine,
What parts did you replace,did you replace any of the bobbin parts,and did you take the bobbin area completely apart??? I'm not familiar with your machine,but i have had other singers in the past.
Does your bobbin area have a bobbincase that comes out,and did you take it out??.If so you may have not gotten it seated back in correctly.Check that out.Then make sure you have your needle in correctly.Does the needle thread from the side,or front to back?? Also make sure the bobbin is in correctly,the machine i have now ,the bobbin can only be put in one way or else it won't work.Fortunately my bobbins have a "H" on them so i know that is the top.
Wish i was there to help you figure it out,as i'm sure it's something simple and may just be being overlooked.Do you have the manual??

Try the above things and see if any one of them helps.Please let me know how you do.
Kathi
christine9
Original Author
17 years ago
Hi Kathi,

Thanks for all the great advice.. I bet I did put the bobbin holder in the wrong way. I took everything apart.. including the bobbin area. I'm sure that's where the problem is. I read around a bit more and found out that it's probably the timing. The driving belt is not put on right. I found a website that explains how the bobbing thread is pulled up by the needle so I got the idea now how the timing should be. There is a little hook on the rotating bobbin case that should push in thread from the top and catch the bobbin thread from below. I'll let you know if it worked. Am still working on it.

I've read all the manuals but they only give the basic information.. not enough.
I'm sure I put in the bobbin the right way. I have to check the needle again though. Thanks for that tip. I think the needle goes front to back vice versa.

BTW I have the manual and the spare parts manual.

I'll keep you updated.. thank you so much.
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Your needle might not be in correctly. Machine needles have a groove along the length of it on the side that does NOT face the bobbin assembly and a scooped out area called the "scarf" on the back side. The bobbin hook (either rotary or oscillating) picks up the top thread, loops around the bobbin and brings the bobbin thread up by hooking it at the point of the scarf. If your needle is not in correctly, it might not be able to hook the bobbin thread. If you thread from the front, the scarf will be in the back. If you thread from the side, the scarf will be on the opposite side from the side you insert the thread into the eye. (usually the groove is left and the scarf is right) When the needle is fully down, the scarf will always be next to the bobbin case, the groove always away from it. Finally you might have the wrong type of needle, too long, or too short, for the machine, which would again cause the scarf to be aligned incorrectly. Hope this helps. Donna
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I had rethreaded (this originally occurred using twin needle so I changed back to single). But I took it all apart this AM and brushed fuzz from the frayed fabric out, tried it again on scrap and it was OK. Had a little problem with looping underneath, then another with thead breaking when started sewing the sleeve on, but pulled it out, dialed tension down again and then it worked fine. Even put the twin back in and topstitched collar and shoulders to finish after I got sleeves and collar on.
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Hi, My machine was skipping stitches and it could be the same problem. The bobbin case sometimes gets thread caught in it. I ran a thin straight pin between the pieces that create the tension and it fixed it. You could also try using thread in it like dental floss, back and forth. Thread gets jammed there just like it gets jammed in the upper machine. Also, check the bobbin case area and under the feed dog plate to make sure there's no thread caught in it and make sure the 'hook' that pulls the thread around the bobbin case is moving freely. Did you do anything about the same time that it stopped working, like thread the top or bobbin, or change the needle? If the needle is in wrong or it's not threaded properly, it won't pick up the bobbin thread. Hope that helps. Linda
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Thanks for the reply-I have a Kenmore 15408-I've noticed the needle does pick up the bobbin thread, but it stays down in the shutter. I pulled it out, had the needle thread thru the loop (just like the instructions). I start to sew and the needle thread is everywhere on the back of the fabric with the bobbin thread(more needle thread than bobbin thread) I have tried everything-cleaning,tighting(i have the needle thread tightend as far as it will go) loosening,replaced needle,cleaning shutter, everything. Its a brand new machine, I dont understand, maybe I should take it back to sears. I dont know. Anybody have a kenmore??? Any hints?? Thanks!!
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christine9
Original Author
17 years ago
ok here's the update:

I finally got the right timing and the upper thread picks up the bobbin thread now. Also I had the needle up too high for the hook so I lowered it a little.

I've been successfully sewing a few inches and then either the upper thread breakes or it skips stiches or the rotator at the bottom gets out of timing again.
I'm still experimenting with the right combination of stich length and tension.

Thank you so much again for your advice.

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