Pcox, thanks for the reply, the one piece I sewed, the pieces started out a tad under 3/4" and after sewing it's 5/8". The stitches look really good but I feel like I should use a larger thread on stuff this thick, Iike I said in the earlier post, I've got needles that are 200's, 230's, & 280's, they are Schmetz brand, & they do have the grooves that go all the way up to the shanks. Do I need to put the thread behind the clamp that holds the needle? There's space that would allow the thread to pass through there, my manual doesn't show a diagram of where the thread goes and I've never seen one up close to know what I'm doing. Every thing I've stitched so far has had good stitches except the one with the loop showing, I think the tension on that one needs to be a little different, I'll play with it & see If I can figure it out. As far as I can tell, there's nothing broken, nothing appears to be worn much, bobbin & shuttle are in good shape, Thanks again for your help.
Dwayne