The bobbin thread doesn't rise above the needle plate because the bobbin thread has been cut too short for the thread to rise above the needle plate. should the cutter of the bobbin thread cutter be replaced?

1. Clean the hook area again. Put one drop of oil on the race that the bobbin case rides on.
2. Make sure the holder on the bobbin case area is held secure while it is turning. It will need to be adjusted if the bobbin case wants to fall off of the race or has a lot of room when you move the handwheel back and forth. Test this by turning the hand wheel back and forth.
3. Once this is finished thread the machine through a new needle. a. Place the tension on four.
b. Now, turn the hand wheel towards you and hold the thread in back of the needle.
4. While doing this watch to see if the bobbin thread is pulled by the hook around the needle thread without getting stuck. (Needle now in rising motion still under plate.)
**If the bobbin thread cannot be pulled above the plate try to increase the top tension a small amount.
**If it still can't be pulled above the plate then loosen the bobbin a bit.
This may take a little while to get it right. Always, try to adjust from the top tension first.

START WITH: SHARP NEEDLE (NEW), GOOD THREAD (NOT FUZZY-LONG STRANDS), ADJUST TENSION OF BOBBIN AND TOP.
1. Check the bobbin area and make sure the hook(pointed thing) and bobbin are all secure.
2. After you have adjusted the tension and reinstalled the bobbin: Extend three inches of thread from the bobbin.
3. After threading the top place the thread under the pressure foot and hold on to the thread. Turn the hand wheel towards you.
4. The needle has went under the throat plate (feed dogs plate) and begins to rise. You should feel the thread get caught and give a little resistance while you continue to turn the hand wheel.
5. The bobbin thread should come up with the needle thread.
6. If this hasn't taken place check to make sure the needle is inserted the right direction and totally pushed in. Retry again.
7. Look at your bobbin while turning the hand wheel. The needle thread should ride across the bobbin case and exit to the top of the machine again.
8. If these have not worked you will need to have your machine timed or the hook replaced.
ATTACHED IS A GUIDE FOR SETTING THE TENSION.

This is a normal problem for all sewing machines. It is called timing. While the needle is on it's way to the needle plate the thread is picked up by the hook(sharp, under bobbin). If the hook and needle aren't in the right position the thread won't be picked up. Open up your needle plate and use your hand wheel while you watch what happens with the upper thread as it rises. You should notice where the hook is while the needle is rising. There are are other times that the needle thread isn't picked up and that is when the hook isn't close enough to the tip of the hook. Now, you must go to you tube and learn how to time your machine. If this isn't something you wish to take on you can take to your local repairman.

Is the bobbin winder on? If so, turn it off.
Otherwise, is there power to the machine?
And this happened while you were sewing? Cut the thread above the needle eye. Rock the handwheel back and forth firmly to try to cut the thread jam below the needle plate with the sewing hook. If that doesn't work, open the bobbin case area of the machine and try to pull the bobbin case out, cutting any threads you can see with a seam ripper. Still won't come? Take the needle out of the needle clamp and throw it away (it's bent!), and take the screws out of the needle plate (=throat plate) and take the needle plate off after cutting any threads you can reach under the fabric. Keep cutting and pulling out any thread you find, and eventually, you'll be able to turn the handwheel. Clean all the thread bits, lint, and junk out of the area under the needle plate, the bobbin and bobbin case, and the shuttle area... there will be directions in your manual on how to clean the machine, including the shuttle area. Reassemble. Put in a brand new needle, right way around and fully up in the needle clamp. Rethread from scratch.
Always hold the thread ends behind the presser foot for the first couple of stitches of each seam.

See also: http://www.picturetrail.com/sfx/album/view/22521551

Cut the thread above the needle eye and rock the handwheel back and forth sharply to cut the thread with the sewing hook. If that doesn't work pretty promptly, undo the needle clamp and turn the handwheel, which should raise the needle bar. Then get into the bobbin case area and try to remove the bobbin case, cutting any threads you can. Keep rocking the handwheel and trying to pull out the needle (pliers help!), and eventually everything will loosen up.

Next, clean and lubricate the area under the needle plate and the shuttle, and reassemble. Put in a brand new needle, right way around and fully up in the machine. Load the bobbin case with a well-wound bobbin, and rethread the top of the machine and you should be good to go.

Take a look at page 6 of your user's manual. First, is important that your bobbin be unwinding in the correct direction (a picture is right on the machine as well).

On all machines, the thread needs to be "caught" in the area on the bobbin case at the bottom, so that it can exert tension on the bobbin thread. The slot on your needle plate is most helpful in lining the thread up, but personally, I don't then put it in the thread cutter--I find that the thread is too short when I do that. I simply put it through the slot and lay it above that, and then bring the needle down to draw the thread up above the needle plate.

A PDF version of your manual is in the \Manual directory where in installed it on your hard drive, and you can also download one free at the Singer Futura support site.

If you mean the Singer 5285C, the manual is available from Singer here: http://www.singerco.com/uploads/download/449_5_6_8_10_slide.pdf . The diagram for winding the bobbin is on page 14 and inserting the bobbin is on page 15.

I'll attempt to walk through the steps. Push in on the indent on the hand wheel to lock the needle in the current position (note rotate the needle up first). Then with a spool on the spool pin and the cap securely holding the spool on the pin, snap the thread through the thread guide post (near the center back of the top of the machine). Then wind the thread clockwise through the bobbin tension guide (towards the center front of the top of the machine). Next run the thread through the hole in the bobbin (inside to outside). Place the bobbin on the bobbin spindle on the front of the machine near the right hand side of the machine. Hold onto the thread end at the bobbin and start pushing down of the foot controller. Fill the bobbin to the amount of thread that you need, or until it stops. Cut the thread going from the spool to the bobbin.. Remove the bobbin from the spindle and trim the thread end that is sticking through the hole in the bobbin. Press the hand wheel disc on the side opposite from the indent.

Inserting the bobbin requires you to lift the presser foot and have the needle in the highest position. Slide open the face plate and remove the empty or wrong color bobbin. With the hole in the bobbin up, pull about 4" of thread off the bobbin. Place the bobbin in the bobbin case and hold it down lightly with a finger. Guide the thread through the notch near the front of the bobbin case. Then lead the thread down into the slot on the left and then around the second notch. The thread should be heading towards the center of the bobbin (left to right). Pull the thread diagonally back to the back of the machine and slide the bobbin cover closed. The thread should be coming up through the opening between the cover and the needle faceplate. To pull up the bobbin thread, thread the needle and then hold onto this top thread. Rotate the hand-wheel towards you until the needle rises above the needle plate. Gently tug on the top thread to bring up the loop of thread. Separate the needle thread from the bobbin thread with your fingers. Bring the top thread through the left side opening in the presser foot and then pull both threads to the back of the machine.

I hope this helps.

Cindy Wells

When the sewing machine is properly timed, all the parts work together in a seamless flow of coordination. The needle moves from it highest point down toward the needle plate. The feed dogs reach the farthest point toward the back of the sewing machine. The feed dogs drop under the needle plate. This is just before the needle point reaches the needle plate. The needle continues to move down dragging the upper thread under the needle plate. It proceeds toward its lowest point.
The needle begins its rise back up. A loop of thread forms along the back of the needle. A special cut out on the back of the needle to accommodate this loop is called the scarf. The sewing machine hook slides behind the needle. The point of the hook slides into the thread loop and pulls the thread around the bobbin. The bobbin thread and upper thread wrap together. The needle and hook proceed through their actions under the needle plate. The feed dogs move under the needle plate from back to front.

The needle proceeds to rise again up out of the bobbin area exiting the needle plate. At the same time the feed dogs rise up out from under the needle plate. They begin to move from front to back as the needle continues to rise.
The thread from the bobbin flows through a bobbin tensioner providing resistance to the thread as it is drawn up by the upper thread knot. The upper thread is also under tension. This comes from the upper tension, thread guides, tension spring, and sewing machine take up lever.
The thread from top and bobbin grow increasingly tighter until they form a locked stitch in the middle of the fabric. This process is repeated for every stitch.
How do you adjust sewing machine timing?

The needle, hook, and feed dogs must move in harmony. If they fail to do so, the machine will not perform as expected. When the hook is just slightly out of time with the needle, you will notice skipped stitches. This may begin on only one side of the zig zag stitch or intermittently. If the timing is just a bit more out of sync, stitch formation will become impossible.
If the feed dog timing is out of sync, the fabric will not move through the machine as expected. Threads may bunch up or the fabric may just not move.
As you can see, timing is everything.
click on this link directly
http://www.fixsewingmachines.com/How-to-Adjust-Sewing-Machine-Timing.html

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Thread the machine as if you were going to sew. When you thread the needle, pull the thread off to the left and wrap it around the thumb screw on the left and just above the needle. Wrap it only 2 or 3 times and hold the end of the thread. With bobbin in place and the face plate slid open, push the thumb lever on the left under the face plate to the left. Begin to 'sew'. As you do, the bobbin will wind and the thread you are holding will detach. Once the bobbin is full to the outside line, slide the face plate the closed position. As it closes, it will release the thumb lever. Put the needle in the slightly lowered position and slide something blunt under the pressure foot pulling thread from both the bobbin and the needle; cut the thread when you've pulled it out sufficiently.

Hold the tail of the needle thread loosely.  
Turn the hand wheel toward you (counter clockwise) and lowerthe needle into the hole in the plate. 
Turn the hand wheel until the needle rises back up to it's highest position.
Gen
You will see a loop of thread wrapped around the upper thread. 
Open the loop and find the free end of the bobbin thread.  
Voila!
Now you can sew.