My husband just bought one of these things for me. I usually hand stitch everything, but he was trying to be nice. Well, it dosn't work. I've followed all the instructions and have made sure to do everything right. The thing won't pick up the bottom thread. I even tried bending the needle back like one poster told me and it didn't help at all. Only ended up breaking 3 needles. I will be returning this product tomorrow and will continue to stitch by hand. Bottom line, don't waste your money. It's a piece of crap.