Why Is My Sewing Machine Skipping Stitches? 7 Causes and How to Fix Them
There are few things more frustrating than sitting down to work on a project, pressing the pedal, and watching your machine skip stitches across a seam you've already pinned, pressed, and measured twice. Whether you're finishing a quilt top, hemming pants for your grandkids, or stitching a Halloween costume the night before the party, a skipping machine will stop everything.
The good news is that skipped stitches almost always come down to one of seven causes — and most of them you can fix yourself in under ten minutes. Before you consider taking your machine to the shop, run through this checklist.
1. Your needle is the wrong type or it's dull
This is the most common cause of skipped stitches by a wide margin. Sewing machine needles are not universal. A universal needle works for basic cotton fabrics, but if you're sewing stretch knit, denim, leather, or delicate silk, the wrong needle will skip stitches no matter what else you do.
A jersey or ballpoint needle is designed for knits. A denim needle has a stronger shaft and sharper point for heavy fabrics. A microtex needle handles silk and microfibers. Using a universal needle on stretch knit is one of the most common reasons home sewists bring machines in for repair when the machine is working perfectly fine.
Needles also dull faster than most people think. The general rule is to replace your needle every eight hours of sewing, or at the start of every new project. If you've been sewing through pins, hitting zippers, or punching through heavyweight fabric, replace it immediately. A dull needle is a $2 problem that feels like a $150 problem.
2. Your machine is threaded incorrectly
This one feels obvious and yet it causes skipped stitches constantly, even for experienced sewists. The issue is usually that the thread has slipped out of the tension discs without you noticing, or the take-up lever was not in the fully raised position when you threaded.
Raise the presser foot before you thread the machine. This opens the tension discs so the thread can seat correctly between them. If you thread with the foot down, the thread sits on top of the discs instead of between them, and your tension will be wrong no matter how you adjust the dial.
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Then rethread the machine from scratch, slowly, following the path diagram on the machine if you have one. Don't skip the take-up lever. Make sure the thread is fully seated in the needle threader and the needle is inserted with the flat side facing the correct direction for your machine.
3. Your bobbin is wound unevenly or inserted wrong
A poorly wound bobbin will cause skipped stitches, looped thread, and tension problems all at once. Bobbins should be wound smoothly and evenly, with no loose loops or bunched spots. If your bobbin looks lumpy, rewind it.
Also check that your bobbin is inserted in the correct direction. Most drop-in bobbins need the thread to come off in a specific direction — usually counterclockwise, but your manual will confirm. If it's backward, the machine will not pick up the thread properly and you'll skip stitches across the entire seam.
4. There's lint in the bobbin area
Sewing machines generate lint. A lot of lint. Every time you sew, tiny fibers collect in the bobbin case, under the feed dogs, and around the tension assembly. If you haven't cleaned your machine in a while — or ever — this could be the entire problem.
Remove the needle plate (it usually lifts off or unscrews), take out the bobbin case, and use a small brush to clear out every bit of lint you can see. Do not use canned air. It pushes lint deeper into the machine instead of pulling it out. A soft brush and a vacuum attachment are the correct tools.
5. Your timing is off
If you've checked the needle, the threading, the bobbin, and the lint, and your machine is still skipping stitches, you may have a timing issue. This means the hook that catches the thread from the needle is not meeting the needle at the correct moment in the stitch cycle.
Timing issues are not a DIY repair. They require opening the machine, resetting the hook position, and often adjusting the feed dog timing at the same time. This is the one problem on this list you cannot solve yourself, and attempting to can make it worse.
If you suspect timing, stop sewing immediately. Continuing to use a machine with bad timing can damage the hook, the needle bar, and the drive gears. This is when you call a professional.
6. You're pulling the fabric through the machine
Modern sewing machines feed fabric automatically through the feed dogs underneath the presser foot. If you pull the fabric from behind the machine while sewing, you're fighting the feed dogs and forcing the needle to enter the fabric at an angle it wasn't designed for. That causes skipped stitches almost immediately.
Let the machine do the work. Guide the fabric with gentle pressure, but do not pull. If the fabric isn't feeding smoothly on its own, your feed dog height may need adjustment — which is another job for a technician.
7. Your machine is overdue for a professional tune-up
Manufacturers recommend professional service at least once a year, and many quilters who sew heavily benefit from every six months. A professional tune-up includes deep cleaning, lubrication of moving parts, tension recalibration, timing check, and inspection of internal wear points that you can't see or reach yourself.
Skipped stitches that persist after you've gone through this entire checklist almost always indicate that your machine needs professional attention. The good news is that a tune-up is usually the difference between a machine that frustrates you and a machine that feels brand new againIf you've worked through this checklist and your machine is still skipping stitches, we can help. Bobbin and Fix sends a courier to your home, picks up your machine, delivers it to a trusted technician, and returns it running like new. You never leave the house. You never sit in a shop. You get your machine back ready for the next project.
