See detailed threading guide: 3/4-thread serger; (Guides for 2/3/4-thread serger and 2/3/4/5-thread serger coming soon.)

A jammed machine is caused by thread being caught in the hook. Remove the upper thread and the bobbin case, turn the hand wheel towards you (counterclockwise) by hand and remove any thread in the bobbin case area. *Always turn the hand wheel towards you. Turning the hand wheel away from you (clockwise) can cause the machines timing to become unaligned and jam your machine. Also, always make sure the presser foot is in the down position before you start sewing. Sewing with the presser foot in the up position will jam your machine in the bobbin case.

Check to see that lint or oil has not collected on the hook or needle bar. Always use a good quality sewing machine oil. A damaged needle can also be the cause of a noisy machine - insert a new needle.

Skipped stitches are usually caused by a needle that is the incorrect size for the fabric. Insert a new needle (flat side toward the back of the machine) and make sure the needle is the appropriate size and type for the fabric (more info...). Use a sharp needle for woven fabrics and a ball point needle for knits. Also check the attachment of the presser foot to see that even pressure is applied to the fabric.

Skipped stitches and broken needles can happen when stitching over the thick flat-fell seams of jeans. This occurs when the presser foot is not level enough to provide traction for the feed dogs. A little gadget called a Jean-a-ma-jig™ by Dritz® or the Hump Jumper® fits all machines and will level the foot for smooth continuous stitching. *If you do not have either of these a small piece of fabric or paper placed under the back of the foot will help keep the presser foot even when you first start sewing the seam.

Needle breakage is usually caused by a damaged needle or one that is the incorrect size for the fabric. Remove and reinsert a new needle, making sure that the flat side goes toward the back of the machine. Make sure the needle size is appropriate for the fabric (more info...). Also check the attachment of the presser foot to see that the needle is not striking it.

This can be caused by a needle that is too large for the fabric - try a smaller sized needle. Also try readjusting the stitch length. And loosening the tension by setting it to the next lower number could resolve the problem.

To correct loose stitches, try the following: (1) Balance the thread tension. If the stitches are loose on top of the fabric, decrease the tension to the next lower number. If they are loose on the underside set the tension to the next higher number. (2) Make sure the needle/upper thread follows the threading path. (3) Check to see that the bobbin case is threaded properly. (4) Use a different size needle. For fine fabrics, use a smaller needle (size 9, 11); medium-weight fabrics require a size 14 or 16. And use a size 18 or "Denim" needle for heavy corduroy or denim.

Poor quality or old thread is usually the cause for uneven stitches. You could also see uneven stiches if the fabric has been pulled. Never pull on the fabric while sewing - let it be taken up by the machine. Also check to see that the bobbin is threaded correctly in the bobbin case.

In order to raise the feed dogs, follow these steps: First, lift the presser foot; next, push the feed dog lever to the raised position; finally, turn the handwheel towards you until you hear the feed dogs snap into place.

This is usually caused by a problem with the bobbin case. Check the bobbin and bobbin case. Try removing the bobbin and cleaning the area of any stray threads or lint. When you replace the bobbin pull on the thread. The thread should pull easily and smoothly.

Try these corrections: (1) Rethread the machine; (2) Reduce the thread tension (lower number); (3) Select a larger size needle; (4) Remove and reinsert a new needle, flat side toward the back of the machine.

"Birdnesting" occurs when there is no tension on the needle thread to pull the bobbin thread. This is easily corrected by rethreading the machine, following the threading path carefully and making sure the thread is fully engaged in the tension mechanism.

Yes. Create your design using the PSW® 2.00a software, being sure to have the design fit into the Continuous Hoop. Send the design to the machine using the same steps as mentioned above.

Yes. It is easy to create your own lace using the Continuous Hoop. There are some designs that are stable enough to embroider without a foundation fabric, however, it is usually necessary to use a foundation fabric such as organdy, batiste or bridal tulle. Use a water soluble stabilizer under the foundation fabric. Pellon’s Soluweb® is a wonderful stabilizer that rinses out very quickly without any sticky or hard residue. Purchased ribbons may also be embroidered using the Continuous Hoop. Place tear-away stabilizer in the hoop, lay the ribbon down the center of the stabilizer and engage the clamp. The clamp holds the ribbon securely and will keep the ribbon from shifting while sewing.

Yes, it is very easy to sew any design as a continuous embroidery in the Continuous Hoop. Bring up the design in the PSW® 2.00a software. Apply the continuous hoop selection to the screen. Make any size or rotation changes as necessary to ensure that the design fits into the hoop. Note: The maximum size of the design is 50mm x 120mm. In the Modify menu, select Center the design. Go to File, click on Write using continuous embroidery or Transmit continuous to machine. The design will be written to the card or transmitted to the machine with the positioning “V” automatically put in place at the end of the design.

The ability to turn the corner depends mainly on the embroidery design itself. The end of design needs to have a natural looking breaking point in it in order to be successfully used to turn a corner. An example of this would be a “swerving” floral vine. Simply rotate the fabric, and position the needle in the point of the positioning “V”. Designs that have a more boxy or geometric ending do not lend themselves well to turning the corner. If a design that has a more abrupt or definite ending is to be used, it is better to sew the design onto two strips and then sew them together, mitering the corner.

The Continuous Hoop is a special attachment, used to create continuous embroideries. The fabric does not need to be marked and does not require rehooping to sew another section of the design. A positioning “V” is stitched at the end of the design. A clamp that secures the fabric is released, and the fabric is simply slid toward the back until the needle rests in the point of the “V”. The clamp is re-engaged and the design is ready to sew again.

A USB cable may be used with a USB-to-Serial (9-pin) conversion cable. For Window® 98, NT, 2000 & ME these conversion cables usually require that an software program (included with the cable) be installed on the PC in order for the computer to recognize the cable. Window® XP (or higher) usually does not require the cable software.

No. The Conversion Software is not a program that allows creating or digitizing original designs. Stitch placement may not be altered in anyway. Stitches may not be moved, added to or deleted. The design may not be resized. Basically the design is exactly the way it appears on the screen.

The Conversion Software and the PC communicate with the Quantum® XL-6000 through a special serial port cable called a Null Modem Cable, (Singer Part # 270-10D1-20206 for 6-foot cable, Part # 270-10D1-20210 for 10-foot cable). This special cable is a 9-pin cable with both a male and female end, one for the PC and one for the sewing machine. The wiring in a Null Modem cable is configured in a way to allow communication to flow both ways between the two devices, the PC and the machine. A straight serial port cable will not allow the information to flow back and forth. However, a Null Modem Adapter may be added to a straight serial port cable, creating the same effect.

The Conversion Software is a tool designed to allow easy and direct transfer of pre-digitized embroidery designs from the PC to the Quantum® XL-6000 sewing machine. Simply open the desired design from the Conversion Software and transmit it to the Quantum® XL-6000 machine. Nearly all popular embroidery formats are available to allow the import of almost any design. Basic editing functions are included, such as Clean Up, Center or Change Color of a design.

Yes! You can download basting stitches for the large and small hoops HERE.

The FUTURA™ support Web site URL is www.futura-support.com.

Open Futura™ software. Go to create and click on AutoPunch on the drop down menu.

Go to file, save as, choose the area where you want to save the design (My documents). Name the document and then save.

Uninstall the Futura™ software and then re-install.

Most probably a threading issue. Turn off machine and be sure top transparent threading path is threaded correctly. Turn machine back on.

Thread path under transparent cover at top of machine is not threaded correctly or you need to cover your spool of thread with small net that was supplied with accessories.

The Futura™ STITCH FUNCTION MANUAL is available online in the Operation Basics section of Sewing Resources.

Use a fabric marking tool which is appropriate for your particular type of fabric. For best results, use a marker that has a fine, clean point, such as a sharp quilting pencil, chalk pencil, or a fine-point fabric marking pen. The fine point will ensure that you draw clean lines on the fabric, providing the most accurate results.

The beauty of the Multi-hoop function is that the fabric need not be placed accurately in the hoop. Hoop the fabric, placing the X and Y axis lines in the hoop, similarly to the suggestion on the screen of the machine. Once the fabric has been hooped and the X and Y coordinates have been selected on the sewing machine screen, don’t pull or tug the fabric. After the X and Y coordinates have been recorded, the machine knows exactly where to sew. Pulling the fabric in the hoop after imputing the coordinates makes the fabric “shift”, and the design section could sew in the wrong place relative to the rest of the design layout. Do any adjusting of the fabric before inputting the X and Y coordinates.

The X and Y axis lines need to be marked perfectly onto the fabric. Be sure to use a transparent ruler with clear 90-degree angle markings. The lines on the fabric must be at exact 90-degrees for accurate results. You cannot “eyeball” the perpendicular lines when drawing.

Sometimes when embroidering oversized designs in “sections”, some of the embroidery stitching itself can cover up the X and/or Y axis lines drawn on the fabric. If this occurs, simply draw new lines with the fabric marking tool over the embroidery stitching, referencing the exposed areas of the original lines.

Stabilize adequately and appropriately for the project. Use appropriate stabilizer for the fabric being used. Various fabrics will require different types of stabilizer. In fact, it is sometimes necessary to use more than one type of stabilizer, if a project has very dense stitching, unstable fabric, or both. Sometimes a self-adhesive type of stabilizer is the best choice, particularly for fabrics with a nap.

There is a conversion program that will allow direct linkage from the computer to the sewing machine through a null modem serial cable. Check with you local dealer.

A patch is available to correct the compatibility issue with PSW 1.1 & 1.0 and the newest versions of Windows®. Click here to download: Windows Compatibility patch for PSW.

Unfortunately the QUANTUM® XL-5000 RAM memory is limited. So it is only able to pull up design cards that are approximately 7 pages. This number will vary depending on the size of the designs that are written to the card. If you have written a lot of small designs to a card, you will probably be able to get a lot more designs on the card. Conversely if you’ve written large designs, you will get less to a card.

It sounds like you have a blown fuse in the box. This can happen through power surges and various other reasons. Take the box to your nearest Singer dealer and have him replace the fuse.

Uninstall both programs. Reinstall only the Professional Sew Ware™ 2.00a and see if it will work. In my experience, the PSW doesn’t want to share a port with another program. Perhaps there is another port that you can use with your Palm Pilot.

A Serial-to-USB Converter is available. The SINGER® part number is 270 10U1-06101.

You will find all downloads for Professional Sew Ware™ at the PSW support site (www.psw-support.com).

Singer is currently featuring free design downloads on their website with accompanying project ideas.

As long as you use the same Converter Box (from the PSW), you can use Options on multiple computers by using the installation code that was assigned to this particular Converter Box and PSW. When you register the Options serial number and the PSW Converter serial number, these two now become married together. They cannot be separated and the Options cannot be paired with another Converter Box.

Because the installation code is generated by Compucon’s server, some consumers’ email servers will recognize the response as spam and block it. The consumer should email Talktous@singerco.com and Consumer Affairs will get the code. The consumer must provide all of the information (name, address, phone, email, serial number of the Converter Box and the serial number of the Options) to obtain this code.

The Web site is temporarily out of service. Please wait until the Web site is back up, which is usually the next business day.

You are right. At first look the Parameters box seems very different. However, if you take a closer look it’s easy to understand. Style – Satin, means exactly what it says. The stitch will be rows of satin columns. Satin Width refers to the actual width of the satin column, like the stitch width on your sewing machine while doing a zigzag stitch. Minimum Stitch Distance, the default is set a 6.0. This is actually more like the density setting you are accustomed to seeing in the software.

PhotoStitch doesn’t resize. If you want your design to be larger, do it to the image of the photo before you digitize it. This can be done in the OPEN IMAGE box before the photo is opened.

PSW Options installs and becomes part of the original PSW 2.00a program.

There are several possibilities for this. One, the photo may have a low dpi. The minimum recommended dpi is 150. Perhaps the actual size of the photo may be too small. Try using a photo at a minimum of four inches. Photos may be resized in the OPEN IMAGE box by left clicking on the button next to the image size. In addition, you may view the dpi of the image here.

PhotoStitch is not an autopunch digitizing option. To use PhotoStitch you will manually digitize the entire photo area at once using the same method as any Complex Fill.

Your PSW 2.00a as it is now, without the Option, digitizes TT fonts in the lettering part of the software with a Complex Fill step satin or satin stitch. With Complex Fill stitches, you only have one stitch inclination. With step satin fills, this may give an adequate finished result, but usually not as pleasing as the built-in fonts. With Satin fill stitches you can have very long stitches, which are easy to catch and snag. With HYPERFONT, the stitches follow the shape of the letters, instead of just one direction. This gives a more professional appearance to the lettering.

Vector images are created in layers. Therefore, if you have a circle with a square in it, the circle color will be behind the entire square. Since the AutoPunch digitizes by color changes it would place stitches in the entire blue circle area and then overlap with stitches again when digitizing the pink circle. This would lead to a very dense hard to sew design. When you say “YES” to the OPTIMIZE VECTOR IMAGES option, the program “erases” the blue behind the pink square. For best results, you will want to say YES when asked to OPTIMIZE the image.

Complex Fill will give you lettering with only one stitch inclination (direction). This might be a good choice for very large lettering. By choosing Complex Fill, you could even edit the lettering and replace the fill with any of the 120 Pattern Step Fills or any of the 30 Special Step Fills.
The second part of your question asks to define the “Line Break Editor.” By enabling the “Editor”, it will allow you have more flexibility when creating your new font. It will give you the option to edit and predefine the way HyperFont will cut the letters into segments (blocks). Simply draw a new line or move the existing one(s).

AutoPunch is found under the CREATE drop down menu after you have opened an image.

The PhotoStitch option will be found when selecting Complex Fill stitch types. You can choose between PhotoFill and PhotoFill Color. Each fill has different parameters.

It may be dependent upon the image type. Bitmap images, which include jpeg, tiff, bmp, .pcx, .pcd, .tga, and .psd, are made using pixels. These images are often scanned into the computer, although they may come from CD’s. Vector files, which include .wmf and .emf files, are often created using computer software and are smooth edged images. These can be imported from CD’s. They will also have fewer colors.

If you are not using a Vector File Image, (.emf or .wmf) it will NOT ask to vectorize the image. The software will automatically vectorize non-vector files, sometimes this happens quickly on a fast computer and you will not even notice.

There is a very informative 28-page manual located on the Options CD. To access the manual return the CD to the drive and go into Windows Explore and find your Options CD. You will find a file name “Manual,” just double left click on the icon and it will open the .PDF file.