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The fabric does not move past the needle. When I drop the feed dogs they won't go back up. I took the bottom cover off and manually put them back but the fabric still won't progress.
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Are the feed dogs moving at all--like moving toward the back of the machine, dropping down below the needle plate, moving forward, rising, and then moving toward the back of the machine? Make sure the stitch length is set high enough to actually move the fabric--not set at zero or near zero. If the feed dogs stay below the needle plate, then most likely they have been dropped for darning.
If the feed dogs are frozen, not moving, and it is an older mechanical machine, they may be seized due to old oil.
Is the feed dog raised into sewing position and not dropped as for darning? Feed dogs need to be in the raised position in order to pull the fabric through the machine.
If the stitch length is set too short, it will cause the fabric to barely move thereby causing the machine to stitch in one place.
Raise your presser foot and gently rotate the handwheel and watch the feed dogs. Do they rise when coming to the front of the machine, move toward the back of the machine, drop down below the needle plate, and move forward to the front of the machine again? If so, the feed dogs are working properly.
If the feed dogs never rise, they are in the dropped position for darning or free motion quilting when you would move the fabric manually.
If, on the other hand, the feed dogs do not move at all, then they are seized and you should probably get your machine serviced.
Check that the stitch length is set to make ~10 stitches per inch. This stitch is long enough to actually move the fabric. If the stitch length is set too short, the fabric will stay barely move and the needle will stitch almost in place.
Check that the feed dogs have not been dropped for darning or free motion quilting. In this position, they do not rise and are, therefore, unable to contact the fabric to pull it through the machine.
With the presser foot raised and using no fabric, hand rotate the handwheel and watch if the feed dogs actually drop down below the needle plate, move toward the front of the machine, then rise above the needle plate, and move toward the back of the machine. If the feed dogs are moving in this manner, then they are functioning properly.
Is there lint or gunk stuck in the feed dogs? This will restrict the ability of the feed dogs to grip the fabric.
Are the feed dogs worn? Are the little teeth worn so there are no sharp points?
What type fabric are you using? If it is very light-weight or slick fabric, the feed dogs will have a difficult time gripping the fabric. Most machines have a presser foot pressure adjustment so that more pressure is applied between the presser foot and the feed dogs. Consult your Owner's Manual. The adjustment is usually a dial either on the left side of the machine, on the front of the machine located above the needle bar, or on vintage machines it is usually a skrew located under the top lid above the needle bar.
First, make sure the feed dogs are in the up position and NOT dropped for darning.
Second, check that the stitch length is set to at least a 2 or 2.5 to make sure the feed dogs will actually move the fabric a noticeable distance. The closer the stitch length is set to zero, the closer together the stitches will be until it will sew only in one place because the fabric will no longer advance.
The feed dogs need to move. They should actually rise, move toward the back of the machine, drop down, move forward to the position to again rise--this creates one stitch. If the fabric is not moving, then it is possible that your machine has not been cleaned and oiled recently. Old oil will dry and cause the moving parts to seize.
No info on the sewing machine make or model. It sounds like something is binding up, is bent, or is tangled in the machine. Look around the front and back of the sewing area for a switch to lower the feed dogs.
Have you actually starting stitching a seam after sliding the feed dog control back to normal position?
In most cases, the feed dogs don't magically pop up until the machine has moved through a stitch sequence.
Put a piece of fabric under the pressure foot, lower the pressure foot, then turn the flywheel towards you two or three turns or use the needle up, needle down control button to make a couple of stitches - this should get them back.
Check to see what pattern is selected. Be sure it isn't the buttonhole.Select straight stitch.Move the stitch length setting to 4.Turn the handwheel and see if the feed dogs move forward. Press the reverse lever and see if they move backwards. Select straight stretch stitch and turn the wheel to see if the feed dogs move forward and backward.Check the presser foot release on top of the machine and make sure there is pressure on the foot. Sometimes the reverse assembly on this machine stops working because it has the wrong type of grease on it and it turns into a hard gummy mess that won't let it work. sewman7
hi! there if your feed dog does not move the fabric forward or backward,if this is so try to run machine w/o the fabric check if feed dog move on cycle,the teeth should be moving upward and downward rotation pushing action on your fabric,the teeth should come out to the plate slot of feed dog.if not adjust upward, and adjust also the presser foot of needle.if your feed dog is not moving when machine running,thre is a mechanical disengage or loosen in shuttle assymble and feeder dog mechanism they link together ubder the machine,as the shuttle move on one stroke the feeder also move also with the needle.Chesk the adjustment and link mechanism.in addition to this try to clean feed dogs by brush chips thread and fabrics sometimes stored on mechanism of feed dogs and shuttle.
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