Top 20 Janome Mini Compact Questions & Answers

take it in for a service and check the operation of the foot control

Have you checked the website for this machine? They should be able to direct you to a replacement plate. I hope that this helps.

finger guards are readily available from sewing suppliers

http://www.threadsmagazine.com/item/4731/preventive-sewing-machine-maintenance/page/all Can't tell what machine you have, as the question states two models from two makers. You might want to join the yahoo group "wefixit", dedicated to getting old machines working again: https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/wefixit/info

This was really helpful for me fixing my daughter a John Lewis (janome) mini sewing machine, and now can get the bobbin thread up again, however, when you sew, the thread is not staying in stitches, just coming off the material completely. I tried forcing the gears on one more time but then it didn't pick up the bobbin thread again so went back to the other gear position. Any ideas of what to try and get it stitching again? Thanks

taking the machine back to hancock fabrics is a good ideaand let them show you how to do the bobbin

I couldn't find that model, but here is a good place to start b/c it has a free owner's manual you can download: http://www.managemylife.com/mmh/owner_manuals/search?query=Singer+324+sewing+machineUsually you can get parts at searspartsdirect.comHope this helps.

if the machine has a broken gear then they have to be replaced or get another sewing machine

Thesewingoutlet.com and bizrate.com both have them listed in stock, and you will probably find some on eBay as well. However, with purchase price plus shipping running around 40+ dollarsfor a machine that was only $55 new, you might be better off finding a new machine altogether that won't have any underlying issues that a used machine might.

Before you do anything else unthread and rethread the machine again. Sometimes the thread gets hooked on something or wrapped around and will cause it to break. Of course do check the tension again too. Is it breaking when you pull on it before it goes through the needle?

If it is breaking when sewing then it could be that the bobbin tension is too tight.

Try www.sewingpartsonline.com and put in Janome then your model number, they have all kinds of parts for sale. They may have your part or call Janome at 1-800-631-0183

Hi
Ask Jan on the Janome website.
http://www.janome.com/index.cfm/LearningCenter/AskJan
Or try on the forums there.
http://www.janome.com/fusetalk/forum/
I would imagine that Janome universal needles would be fine for this machine.
Thicker needles are required for sewing thicker fabrics.

sometime the needle & thread are not compatable--try this & see if it work for you
Cut 6-8 inch piece of thread of the spool you are going to use for your project
Take the needle you are going to use for the project
& insert the thread thru the eye of the needle
& lift one end of the thread to a 45 degree angle
& if the needle is the right size for the thread it will slide down the thread
But if the needle hangs on the thread you need one size larger needle for the thread

my suggestion is to return it, get another one

here are some websites to try
1.(pdf) manualsonline.com
2.sewusa.com
3.sewingmachinesplus.com
4.homeapplaince.manualsonline.com

Change the needle first and make sure it is in the correct way round, failing that you may need to retime the machine, if you email me I can attach instructions [email protected]

First, in order to get the bobbin thread up, you have to turn the wheel backward, not forward. If you try this, and it is not the problem, keep going.

Next you need to check the needle. There is a screw on the right side of the needle carriage right underneath the underside of the top...unscrew this and the needle should come right out. The flat side of the needle shank should go towards the back of the machine. If it isn't, switch it so that it is and try again.

If this doesn't solve your problem, what has happened is that the gears in the machine have gotten out of alignment. There is an easy fix:

Take off the plate that covers the bobbin chase...there are two screws one on each side. Remove these...you need a stub screwdriver, because regular ones will not fit under there.

Remove the bobbin carriage and the bobbin, making careful note of how they fit back in. Take a picture before disassembling it so you have a reference.

The part that carries the thread around the bobbin is still in the machine. Turn the wheel and you will see it rotate. What has happened is that the needle is not going down in the machine at the right point because someone kept sewing after it jammed and one gear kept going while the other one didn't and now it is out of alignment. These machines have plastic gears and the can slip past each other if you aren't careful not to stop immediately when they jam.

To fix it, you are going to have to do some trial and error. Grab the rotating part of the bobbin chase and hold it firmly. Rotate the wheel forward until you hear it click once. Then rotate the wheel backward again and see if it grabs the top thread. If it doesn't, repeat holding the bobbin chase and turning the wheel forward until it does.

Once you have the gears basically aligned, you will need to reassemble everything. Put the face plate back on and put at least one of the screws in all the way. The face plate holds the bobbin chase in correctly and if you don't fasten it it will not work correctly.

Now try sewing. If it starts to jam, stop immediately, cut the threads and look at the back. If it's a loopy mess, you are going to have to dissamble as before and again grasp the bobbin chase and turn the wheel forward one more click, then reassemble and try again. Eventually, you will find exactly the right alignment and the machine will sew perfectly.

I just had to make this fix on my own machine...I didn't want to take it in for repair because the bench fee alone would cost as much as the machine did!

There are some great video's on YouTube for help with threading the machine...look for StampTV and you should find them. Good luck!

Give more info. Do the motor turn? is the machine stuck? or do every thing work but it do not sew onto the material? We got 9 machines that we work with every day and we repair it as well. E-Mail me and give more info and i am sure I can help. Willem an Fienie South Africa ( [email protected] )

Hi. Check to make sure the needle is in correctly. There is a flat side on the needle shank and that has to be facing a particular way. For most modern machines, the flat side of the needle faces to the rear, away from you, but it's always a good idea to check the manual to make sure on your machine. If the needle is bent, that can cause the same thing, but it's almost always that the needle is in wrong.
Happy Sewing!
Robbie

You can get the manual from Singer - http://www.singerco.com/accessories/manuals.html