Monthly Machine Maintenance
Follow the instructions in your sewing machine manual for specific care your machine needs. This focus is on removing dust, fabric lint and thread pieces left over from sewing your projects.
Tools needed: Small brush, screw driver, pipe cleaner, Q-tips, soft cloth, firm cotton fabric with no lint. Optional: vacuum cleaner tools for small electronics.
Before cleaning unplug machine, remove the needle, presser foot, needle plate, bobbin, and bobbin case following your machine instructions.
Bobbin Area
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Remove all lint inside the bobbin case and hook area, use a brush to get lint out of feed dogs. When clean, check bobbin case for any needle holes, or rough edges. The bobbin case needs to be smooth, if it is not replace it or sand it to make it smooth.
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Check hook to make sure there are no burrs. A professional may be able to remove them so that the hook is smooth.
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Replace parts in reverse order.
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For non computer machines a drop oil is needed on a few places, and older mechanical machines need more oil…follow your manual.
Upper Thread Area
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Clean lint and thread from the upper tension and pretension area including the tension disks.
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Fold a piece of clean fabric long enough to “floss” your tension disks while you presser foot is in the up position.
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Always cut your needle thread at the spool and pull the thread out from the needle. If you do not you can have small bits of thread stuck between the tension disks. If you use any type of fusible put a little bit of alcohol on the fold and floss to remove any residue.
Needles
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If thread is breaking, skipping stitches, or if you machine is noisy change your needle! If you have hit a straight pin or pulled on the fabric and the needle hit your needle plate or foot, change your needle. A needle should be changed after 8 hours of actual sewing (don’t include the time you are at your machine but not stitching!)
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Follow your manual for correct needle insertion and threading.
Test sew your machine after you have cleaned it. Adjust your tension if needed.
Download this page as a pdf: Monthly Machine Maintenance.
By Andrea LaVergne,
American Sewing Guild
Contra Costa Chapter