Help me use my sewing machine properly.

IIRC I've ended up with a snarled mess of bobbin thread when there's been just a tiny scrap of thread *somewhere* in the bobbin case. The brush that comes with your machine or canned air would work well to clean the bobbin case thoroughly. It's amazing how much icky stuff gathers in there.

I have a Singer bought in about 1994. I always had trouble with the timing and had to take it in to get it adjusted frequently. When it needed adjusting, it caused exactly this problem - fine on top, a mess underneath. I've been told that modern Singers often have timing problems. There are instructions floating around for DIY repair but it was worth it to me to have an expert take care of it quickly and cheaply. Good luck. Oh and I just recalled that I had a similar issue with my HuskyStar when I had the (slightly) wrong sized bobbin in so maybe try a different one to check.

This has happened to me twice - once it was dust and a piece of thread below the bobbin housing and the other time changing the needle to a new one fixed it right up. I've read that cheap thread can cause the birdsnest mess also. I have two machines, one New Home and one Brother and both of them require the bobbin thread to come off the bobbin from the back to the front from the left - counterclockwise, IOW - and then the thread has to be inserted into this tiny little slot on the almost right and pulled to the left until it catches and sort of clicks. If any of that process is off, I know the nest is guaranteed because even my old Singer would refuse to do anything if that was haywire. My Brother machine insists that it has its own bobbin size and won't work properly with regular plastic bobbins, so I try to use the right ones - they're supposedly a titch taller than the usual - but I'm not yet convinced that the others won't work because I've used them a few times without problems; still, that's what the book says. Oh, and when you wind your bobbin, be sure it's wound smoothly and evenly - if it's uneven or there are messy threads on the bobbin, it will jam for sure. Also, when you fill your bobbin, be sure to cut off the end of the thread that you pull through to the top to begin the winding; if you don't cut it off, it can get caught when the needle engages the bobbin and snarl all up - I did that one twice before I caught on. Sigh. A sewing machine is a lovely thing, but it can sure be a devil when it's cranky. As for setting the tension, find out from your book where your bobbin tension should be set and set it there, then set the upper tension at about 3 - then sew two pieces of ordinary cotton or similar fabric together with all the stuff above covered. Don't get too busy fooling with tensions - they really don't require much in the way of adjustment unless you're sewing on very heavy fabric or very fine fabric - or slippery stuff. But if you can sew two pieces of cotton fabric together and it works okay, you know there's nothing major going on. If it doesn't work, I don't know any other alternative to hauling it to the shop.

My Singer requires the thread to come off the bobbin counterclockwise and then it hooks around and is pulled out of the case in a clockwise direction . If I load it clockwise, the back is a mess, but that can also happen if the top thread isn't threaded exactly right. Machines vary as to how easy it is to accidentally misthread the top so it has almost no tension. Load the bobbin case into the machine but do not close or put any covers back on. Gently pull the bobbin thread. It should unspool steadily, without much bobbin jiggling but you should not have to force it. Now thread the needle (do not take up the bobbin thread yet)and pull that thread the same way. If that goes well, hand crank the wheel so the needle thread takes up the bobbin thread and gently pull them both again. Now put the fabric in but do not use the pedal. Hand crank a straight stitch 3-4 times and stop with the needle down. Lift the presser foot and check the back of the fabric. Keep doing that several more times until you know it is working and then use the pedal.

http://ask.metafilter.com/17423/Sewingfilter-loops-on-bottom-of-fabric

Check your needle size. That's a classic mistake because people think that one size fits all and that's simply not true. Check that the needle is inserted into the machine correctly too. It's easy to put them in sideways. Also, make sure that your needle is sharp and not dull. All of these can lead to looping as I've learned all too well.

Put all your tension settings back the way they were and try again, holding your threads taut when you start.

Same thing happened with my sewing machine - I took it to get serviced and it turned out there was all sorts of thread jammed in the tension crank *and* a needle point stuck in the bobbin mechanism, which I hadn't seen in my examinations.

Nthing DrGail. When this happens to me (on my bought-at-a-garage-sale machine), it means I need to clean out any lint and dust in the bobbin compartment. I feel you -- it's SUPER annoying because it happens underneath the fabric and you can't see it as it occurs. But it makes me keep my machine clean. >sigh< Oh well, it was $20.