February 14, 2013

Sewing Machine Maintenance

The lovely Lauren from Lladybird has a great post on sewing machine maintenance. This is something I definitely needed to learn more about. For example, I was never sure if sewing over pins was actually something people did. I remember seeing a tutorial that lead me to believe it was done, but after I tried it I decided it was just a little too risky! 

Also, can I just say that my machine's instruction manual is SO tiny.  Okay, ,I was going to talk about how there was really no information in my manual about maintenance, because I knew I'd read the entire thing when I got my Janome SUV1122. But uh, seems like there IS a section there, at the very end. Now how did I miss that!


My sewing machine. Does anyone else still have their Nancy Drews?


A tool pouch I made using a Craftsy class.
A few months ago I joined the Craftsy community. Craftsy has amazing video tutorials available for sewing, knitting and other crafty things. In the videos the instructors go over every step of a project, walking you through it and providing helpful resources. The great thing is that once you buy a class, you can access it through your Craftsy account forever! So if you want to make that tote bag again in a year, you can just check out the bits of the video you need help remembering! Other useful features include the forums for asking questions and being able to take notes at any point of your choice in the videos.

What does this have to do with sewing machine maintenance? They have a handy and FREE video called "Sewing 911" that goes through the basics of machine use, troubleshooting and maintenance! The section on machine hygiene goes through detailed steps for changing your needle, deep-cleaning for lint and oiling your bobbin case - for both top loading and side loading bobbin styles (there are differences in maintenance required). 

If you currently do nothing or little to keep your machine clean and oiled, I would highly recommend this video.


*This post is my own opinion about the above-mentioned products and services. I did not receive compensation of any kind for writing this post.

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