As you probably know, you can spend a small amount or a huge amount (like the cost of a car) on a sewing machine. Don’t you want to do everything you can to prolong the life of your machine? I thought so. Let me help you do that.
Simple Things you Can Do to Prolong the Life of your Sewing Machine
Regular Cleaning
The first thing you can do is clean out the bobbin area of your machine regularly. Do this every one to two bobbins, or when your machine starts to sound off. Remove the needle plate, disassemble the bobbin case/hook and clean inside. Use a cotton swab, tissue or makeup brush to clean thoroughly.
Although this is a highly contentious subject, I will advise you not to use canned air in your machine. You can drive lint way up into your machine where it will accumulate. If you are taking your machine to your dealer for yearly maintenance, it won’t be as much of a problem as they will be able to clean it out when they take your machine apart. However, if you’re not taking your machine in every year, you can end up with quite the load of lint way up inside your machine which can prevent your machine from working properly.
Regular Oiling
Every time you do a cleaning, make sure to oil your machine. Please reference your manual for where to oil.
Don’t just use any oil in your machine. You should have received oil with your machine. Please use that oil.
If you did not receive oil with your machine, please reference your manual to find out what oil to use and where to put it in your machine.
Not all modern sewing machines take oil, so please don’t assume you should be oiling your machine. Your manual will tell you if you need to oil your machine and how.
No Excessive Temperature Changes
Sewing machines are precise machines that require care. This includes keeping them at a consistent temperature. Please do not put your machine in an unheated space like a garage. Please do not leave your machine outside in the heat.
In order for the oil to run in your machine, it needs to be kept at room temperature.
These simple steps you can take can prolong the life of your machine and make your sewing experience so much more enjoyable. Get in the habit of cleaning your machine out at least every other bobbin. Your machine will let you know when it isn’t happy, but try to be ahead of that.
A Free Guide for You
Before I end for today, I wanted to let you know that I have written a quick, one page, Guide called The Top 5 Tools Every Beginner Quilter Needs. I know that when you get started quilting it is easy to fall down a rabbit hole and before you know it, you have dozens of rulers, notions and other tools you may use once or even never.
Click here to get your Free Guide now.
I hope you have found this helpful. If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to email me here.
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Until Next Time,