Sewing Machine Review

If you want to avoid a few sewing machine problems there is much you can do to prevent problems from cropping up. First of all you want to take the best care of your machine whether it's a standard domestic home or an industrial type like a walking foot sewing machine.

Keep it as clean as possible, oil it often and follow the manufacturer's suggestion for oiling. This is basic care.

Always keep a supply of the right size needles on hand. If you run out don't even think about using the wrong size needle, you can do a lot of damage to the machine.

After you've oiled your machine, sew some stitches together on an ink blotter card to soak up any excess of lubricant that might still be on your machine. It could leak onto your fabric when you're sewing.

To clean your home or industrial or walking foot sewing machine keep a small new paintbrush on hand and whisk the dust away often. You can get rid of a lot of loose threads and lint buildup.

If you run out of needles and you have a blunted needle that you need to use, try rubbing it across an emery board at an angle to smooth it out to get by until you can get more needles.

Keep a few bobbins filled of colors that you use often so you don't have to stop and fill a bobbin in the middle of a sewing project.

Never use a bobbin in your machine that was not intended for it. Each machine has its own distinct bobbin just as it has its own needle.

Try not to use two different thread colors on one bobbin. When filling the bobbin do so at a moderate speed.

If the bobbin has been damaged, which can happen if it is hit by the needle, don't use it.
Use steel bobbins. Plastic bobbins are OK but steel bobbins don't wear out.

For machines with long bobbins - long bobbins must fit into the shuttle, as well as on the bobbin winder. If a long bobbin fills high at both ends it's not the right bobbin for the sewing machine.

These are just a few tips to think about when caring for your machine whether it is a domestic home machine or you have an industrial or walking foot sewing machine. They all need the best care and you can prevent a lot of problems through good maintenance.