Sewing machine jamming: Help!?

Question

My sewing machine jammed suddenly the other day when I was sewing denim. I don't think it was the thickness of material, though, as it worked fine on another bit of denim afterwards. Later on I tried again (on both denim and cotton) and it jammed and now it will not let me sew. It's a Janome 1017 model which hasn't been used in a while. What's the cause of this/how can I stop it happening? Thanks xx

Answer 1

Sounds like the denim is bending the needle, are you using the proper needle for denim, or perhaps you are sewing too fast. Maybe lowering the teeth, under the garment would help Denim becomes a problem if you are sewing the same way as if it were thinner material.

Answer 2

I'm going to guess that you're dealing with a wad o' lint and fibers someplace in the vicinity of the bobbin case.  Take out the bobbin case, take out the needle plate, and give the machine a thorough vacuuming, delinting and oiling, per the manual instructions.

Put in a new needle and try again.  

You may have a timing issue, but it usually takes more than a jam to knock the timing out.

If a good cleaning and oiling don't help, it's time for a trip to the repair shop.

When sewing over thick fabrics (like crossing a seam on denim) make sure you keep the presser foot flat using a hump jumper, button reed or just a couple of folds of fabric.  That helps prevent jamming and skipped stitches.

Answer 3

is there any knotted cotton inside the machine thats causing it?