Needle hitting stitch plate QE4

[annieeg]

I noticed this morning that the stitch plate seems to have moved fractionally so that the needle is not aligned and is hitting the plate when stitching.  I replaced the needle yesterday and have been using the machine since then yesterday with no problem, this only happened this morning.
Any ideas what the cause could be?
TIA

[Celia]

Sorry to say it is much more likely that the needle has moved and not the plate a photo might help.

if it is the needle holder that has moved it’s not a big job but probably require a trip to your dealer.  I assume you have turned the machine off and back on again.

[HenriettaMaria]

Is the needle bent?  To try a new needle would be my first suggestion.

[Ploshkin]

Have you been pressing any buttons?  If you press the + or - for stitch width when you are using straight stitch it will move the needle position.  It will return when you switch off.

[Lowena]

Related question...is my Brother machine the only make where you can't manually adjust the needle position? You select a stitch and the machine positions the needle. To get a scant 1/4" I have to adjust the fabric position.
It's not just me....I showed @Stitches  @Iminei and the lady in the Sewing Studio where I bought the machine.
I'm not bothered by it but just curious....

[annieeg]

Thanks to everybody for  your suggestions.
I'll sit down at the machine tomorrow and see if it's any better , after changing the needle.

[HenriettaMaria]

@Lowena - I thought that about my Brother too, but when the needle is in the default straight stitch position (in my case, to the left) it's then possible to use the stitch width button to move it in increments rightwards.  I only found that out by accident when I hit the wrong button when trying to change stitch length!

[Ploshkin]

It was several years before I discovered that my Pfaff did that.

[Lowena]

I got out my manual. It confirmed ( and I tried anyway ) that when using a straight stitch, as when piecing, you cannot alter the stitch width of the needle position.It's locked
With foot J ( which they specify for piecing ) you select stitch 30 and position your fabric to the edge of the inner plastic bit ( technical, moi?? ) to get 1/4" seam  :thinking:

[BrendaP]

I got out my manual. It confirmed ( and I tried anyway ) that when using a straight stitch, as when piecing, you cannot alter the stitch width of the needle position.It's locked

You are not trying to alter the stitch width, only the position of where the straight stitch goes. 
Of course you have to use a foot and needle plate suitable for zig-zag, even though the stitch width is set to 0.  Either of those things might lock the needle position to the centre.

[Stitches]

Brenda I have tried all the stitch positions on @Lowena 's machine and the needle does'tmove when in straight stitch it only moves when you change the stitch select button

[BrendaP]

@Stitches   In that case @Lowena  is probably right in that her machine is the only one - or at least very unusual - to not have that function.  How would it cope with making piping where you need to be able to move the needle very close to the edge of the piping/zipper foot?

[Lowena]

@BrendaP it doesn't like piping 
I gave @Stitches  free rein as she is a professional. I only resorted to my manual as a last resort....in case we'd missed something. We hadn't!
I'm not too bothered as I can get round the difficulties...although a thin flange is a bit like piping . I just wondered if the Brother machines were the only ones like this....I have a Brother Innovis 1800q.

[Gernella]

Most of the Pfaffs have lots of needle positions, up to I think, 37.  I shunt around on a daily basis.

[HenriettaMaria]

I found an image of my machine's control panel.  The stitch labelled 00 is the one you have to use if you're using the quilting foot because it only has a single small round hole in it.  The stitch labelled 01 is the one the machine defaults to when you switch it on.  In that stitch, and only that stitch, the buttons in the red box are the ones that permit fine adjustment of the needle position (up to 14 in this model).  Does this help?