oooh, check on craig's list! And I just thought of something... can you afford a new bobbin case? I'm thinking the bobbin case is either wrong or defective. My first sewing machine was a bottom of the line singer and I kept that darn machine for years (got it for my bday in 1968 and I remember taking sewing lessons at the singer store at Ala Moana mall in Oahu). I must have sewn a million miles on that! I traded it in for a Viking, which I still have (and I wish I still had my old singer). At any rate, when ever my singer would get stuck, the issue was always the bobbin (or me and the bobbin). I have a QC1000 from brother and I love it!

I'll try some different bobbins and see if that helps . Thanks for the tip . Annie

I dunno about the bobbin winders. I really don't mind unthreading my machines to wind bobbins. It gives me a chance to use canned air to blow out the dust and lint. I blow out my machine every time I change the bobbin thread... might be over kill but I can proudly claim that my machine is cleaner than the house!

Canned air is a no no on sewing machines :( I've been told that several times . By the way cute puppy . I off to see how much a new bobbincase is . Annie

My son in law bought my daughter this machine and it never worked right from the time she got it. I gave her my 24 year old Janome and it's purring away at her house now.

The low-end Singers have been notoriously bad for quite a few years now (maybe 20?). The old vintage Singers were wonderful.

Check thrift shops in your area -- Goodwill, etc. I have found older machines there for $20 and cleaned them up to donate to a local charity that teaches sewing. I always check to make sure the machine has a bobbin case, that the needle moves up and down, that the machine plugs in (and no ragged wiring) and foot pedal runs it before bringing it home. Our Goodwill allows you to return things also with receipt. (Once everything seemed fine but the machine wouldn't pick up the bobbin thread -- beyond my ability to fix.) If you look regularly and check Craigslist regularly, chances are you can find a working older machine that will serve you better than the junky Singer.

Old Singer machines are workhorses. They were made of metal. The newer models are plastic. Remember plastic breakes easy.

Give me an old machine anytime Annie

That's Chloe, a rescue pup. She was found in a garbage bag in an alley. She has a very LOUD voice... prior to canned air, I used a syringe bulb to blow out the lint. Never heard canned air was a no-no. Why?

Apparently canned air blows the dust/lint into the machine workings, when you should be sucking it out instead.