Riccar 8500 sewing machine. The feed dial does not rotate all the way around and stitch length on #5 is too short. The reverse button will not depress.

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see if this link helps you out.
https://www.google.co.uk/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&rlz=1C1CHBD_en-GBGB719GB719&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=My+needle+is+only+sewing+in+place.+the+feed+dog+is+u

Perhaps the owner's manual will be helpful:

RICCAR 2600 Instruction Manual

FWIW, it appears that the round dial on the far right is the stitch length selector. The round dial at the top is the zig-zag stitch selector.

...

try these suggestions
Reduce the stitch length to zero. The machine will stitch in place and form a locked stitch
1) rotate the material and sew over the same stitching. Leave the needle down in the work and raise the presser foot, then turn the fabric around.
2) decrease the stitch length to very small for a few stitches

OR
3) hold the fabric and prevent it from feeding at the beginning and end of a seam, which makes very short stitches

4) stitch about 1/2", raise the needle and presser foot, return the fabric to the beginning position and stitch over the first half inch of seam again. Do the same at the end

Without know what sewing machine you are using this is a difficult question to provide a firm answer to. It can be an indication of an imbalance in the forward and reverse stitch lengths, which your sewing centre's mechanic should be able to improve for you. This can manifest in either of 2 ways, one where the machine sews one side of the button hole forward and then the other backwards, in this case the length of the second side is different to the first. Machines which sew both sides in the same direction generally lay a basting stitch on the return and then sew the second side of the button hole - in this case the sides will be the same length but offset. Again, depending on the machine, you may have a screw driver slot dial on the front of the free arm of the machine, which you can adjust to increase or decrease the reverse movement of the feed dogs.

Does it have a stitch length dial which ranges from 4 down to 0 and then into negative numbers? If so, the negative numbers will be reverse stitches. Some machines have this functionality and its very happy for doing mending or stitching in awkward places to sew backwards without having to hold the reverse button.

However, if yours is only sewing backwards when stitch length is set to 2, 3 or 4, then its probably a drive problem internally. Don't think your machine has a seperate motor for the feed dogs, probably a gear driven shaft in the free arm.

Difficult to do for long distances as the feed dogs are designed to feed the fabric front to back. But on some Elnas you can turn the stitch length over into the negative on the dial and the machine will sew backwards continuously without using the reversing button.

So check if your machine has this function on the stitch length dial (manual machine obviously, computerised machine is not going to have this option).

Why would you need to do it this way, are you quilting/stitching with a large mass on the left of the needle?

There is no reverse button, it is a lever.The stitch length lever also reverses the feed dogs - when down, it runs forward - at zero, it does not feed at all and when moved up, it reverses the machine. Set your stitch length by loosening the thumbscrew on the vertically moving lever and sliding the plate into position while moving the lever up to the desired mark. Tighten the screw and move the lever down to sew - to reverse just move the lever up until it hits the stop to sew the same stitch length in reverse.

There may not be an option. Try this - set the stitch length to zero. This should stop the movement of the feed dogs.

Tape an index card over the feed dogs with a hole punched out for the needle to enter and exit.

You can do all of these stitches by using different combinations of your stitch selector, stitch width and stitch feed knobs, for instance, on the panel I can see on your machine:

http://www.jo-ann.com/joann/product/images/52659.jsp?CATID=cat3122&PRODID=prd11333

Stitches 1, 2 & 3 are straight stitches, centered, left and right. Really basic stuff, not different stitches at all. 4,5,6,7 & 8 are zig-zag stitches of different widths. 9 is the widest zig-zag (no. 8) on a finer stitch length, etc...

I think you should try and get an instruction manual for your machine. After a lengthy search of my usual manual sources, I've determined that that this may not be so easy. I think you should contact White on their 800 number and let them try and help you... 1-800-331-3164.

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