After 2 years of having a Brother sewing machine that was erratic to the point of being unusable, I took the time to troubleshoot the problem online, and figured out that I needed to buy actual name-brand Brother bobbins.

Having grown up on recipes that specified "Pillsbury brand all-purpose flour" and the like, I had assumed the manual specifying "Our brand bobbins only" was a marketing gimmick. Let me tell you, it's NOT. I spent $3 on new bobbins and my machine works again.

( So! Sew! Here's what I made! )