Taking Care of your Sewing Machine for Beginners

Taking Care of your Sewing Machine for Beginners 

If you have just bought your first sewing machine Congratulations! Sewing is a wonderful hobby with so many different applications and it will not be too long before you are as hooked as the rest of us.

One of the most important things you can do to make sure that you enjoy your sewing experience is to make sure that you take care of your sewing machine properly .if you do this right from the start you will find that you will get many years of happy use from it.

If you don’t keep your sewing machine clean and maintained then it will quickly fill up with lint, causing the thread to jam, or your tension to not adjust properly. Cleaning and maintaining your sewing machine will not only make for a longer life but it will also keep your machine sewing the  way it did the first day you bought it.

The first place you should start is to look at your sewing machine manual it will tell you what parts of your machine need to be cleaned and oiled. Make sure to follow the instructions properly to ensure that all parts of your machine are cleaned and that you do not over oil your machine. If you do not have a manual you can get one online through your manufacturer.

1)      1)Clean the lint from your machine - To do this you will need the lint brush that came with your machine; you can also use a mini vacuum or a vacuum with attachments that will fit into the tight spaces of your machine. Some people also use compressed air, but if you are not careful you can get moisture in your machine this way, so read the instructions on the can carefully before you use it. Compressed air does a good job of removing lint from those areas that you cannot reach otherwise.  Make sure to get all of the lint out from under the bobbin case this is one of the places that lint loves to collect. You should also clean under the feed dogs, if these are too full of lint they can affect your stitches.

2)      Check to see if your machine Needs Lubricating in your Manual - Do not ever lubricate a machine that does not need, your manual will tell you if your machine does or not, which oil to use and where and how often to apply it. It is important to the safety of your machine that you follow the directions your manual supplies you on this.

3)      Wipe your machine off with a clean dry cloth and replace the needle. - Many people do not know that you should replace your needle often; this is because a dull or bent needle can not only affect your sewing and it can ruin your fabric and your machine.

4)      Store your machine covered in a clean dry area - Do you keep your sewing machine in the laundry room? Did you know that is the worst place for it because of the amount of moisture that collects in a laundry room?

5)      Send your machine to an authorized dealer every year to two years to be maintenanced. Not only will they do a thorough cleaning and oiling with their special equipment but they will adjust the tension and test all the parts to ensure they are working properly.