Feed Dogs not working properly?

I haven't had a sewing machine forever but one of them was a lemon. It is still new you should still be under warranty At my sears they always have someone demo the machine, I would call and ask or go in and ask.

Unthread the machine. Put a sheet of scrap paper under the presser foot, lower the foot, and set up for straight stitching. Without touching the paper, see if the paper moves through when you step on the pedal.

If it will feed a sheet of paper when the machine is unthreaded, the problem is probably a user issue or fabric flagging.

Rethread and try the paper test again. If it sews for a few stitches and then a wad of thread forms and the machine stops, you're probably starting seams wrong. To start a seam correctly:

--Fetch up the bobbin thread and then make sure it and the top thread are placed under the presser foot and that you've got the tails of both threads behind the presser foot.

-- Raise the presser foot and put the work under the needle.

-- Use the handwheel (or pedal, if your machine has a stitch at a time feature) to drop the needle into the work. Lower the presser foot.

-- Holding the tails together, use the handwheel or the pedal to

take 1-3 stitches. After that, you can then sew normally.

Otherwise, if it flunks the first paper test, give it a good cleaning per the manual (including pulling out the bobbin case and needle plate), then try fabric.

IF THE ABOVE WORKS ON PAPER, BUT NOT ON FABRIC: you may be dealing with an issue called "fabric flagging" -- the needle is dull or the wrong point for the type of fabric, or the fabric is flimsy (e.g., chiffon, a soft rayon), and the fabric is being shoved down into the needlehole during sewing. Fix this by a new, proper needle, or using a straight stitch plate if you have one (assuming you're straight stitching) or moving the needle to one side or the other of the needlehole or using stabilizer under the fabric (tissue paper or adding machine tape or embroidery stabilizer).

1) check the stitch length -- for normal stitching, 2.5-3.5 mm

stitch length is fairly usual. Make sure you've got a regular stitch selected like straight stitch, and not a tie-off for quilting or such.

2) make sure the feed dogs are up (check the manual under "darning" or "embroidery")

3) check the presser foot pressure is adequate

4) if this is an electronic or computerized machine, consider this may be an electronics fault.

Since you just bought it, do you have the instruction booklet that came with it? If so go and check out all the information about how to use it again.

You may have switched the feed dog button by accident to lower the feed dog into the free hand position. If this has happened just switch it back and it should work for you.

You can also check and see if you haven't accidentally bumped the knob on top and released the tension on the presure foot that can sometimes make the material not glide under while stitching your material seams.

I hope that you can understand what I'm trying to say.

Hope this has helped you some.

Kenmore Sewing Machine 16221

Make sure the switch that raises and lowers the feed dogs has not been switched to free-style mode. If that isn't the problem, you should contact the store where you bought it.

Is it set for a very short stitch length? That would do what you describe. Is the drop feed lever in the wrong position?