Have you?

[Lola2Ace]

Cleaned out your sewing machine lately?
I have been putting it off, just didn't want to stop stitching to do it and then when I quit for the day am usually just too tired to do it or I don't think of it. Well, today I decided to clean it before I even started stitching. Boy, am I glad I did.....got alot of fuzz and threads out of it. It wasn't giving me any trouble, but it should hum along even better now.
So, show a little love and clean out your machine!
Lola

[shell.scraps]

Re: Have you?

I try and remember to do it each time I sit at my machine...change the needle and clean out the fuzz bunnies!!

[Pinky]

Re: Have you?

Good idea! I shall do that before I start stitching this a.m. !

[ukquilter]

Re: Have you?



My Machine stopped working just before i came away!!!
Im hoping it is aomething really simple and i an fix it myself! Iv got blocks to stitch when i get home!!!!!!

[kahillusm]

Re: Have you?

I clean mine often but a really good reminder....[/COLOR].

[Blondie]

Re: Have you?

Hi !
I clean out the bobbin area pretty good at least once a week; amazing the amount of link fuzz that accumulates. I have watched videos on you tube about how to clean a machine but am still kind of skeery to take my machine down like the lady does.
However, I cannot afford a "tune up" these days. Last time I had it in the shop for a good DNC it was about 100 bucks. OUCH!

Biggest problem I have is with thread breaking, so I switch needles regularly. And the other problem is the bobbin thread gets tangled now and again. Frustrating but don't know how to stop that!

[bakermom]

Re: Have you?

Oh yeah, i have to. I make a lot of flannel baby quilts so I'm always"defuzzing" my machine.

[Shirley]

Re: Have you?

I keep a little tiny paint brush (like is in those kid paint tins) and use it to clean out my bobbin area. Lots of fuzz and little pieces of thread get stuck in there.

[hillbilly]

Re: Have you?

at least weekly...more if I am sewing flannel or fuzzy stuff!

[Dragonfly]

Re: Have you?

Because I sew a lot I defuzz the bobbin area EVERY time I change bobbins, I have a small stiff bristle brush that came with my machine that will get to most areas in the bobbin area. So bobbin case out, quick brush, new bobin in and off I go again, only takes a few seconds and is well worth it. The tiniest bit of lint in the wrong place can cause irregular stitches, skipped stitches, broken thread and more. This a good habit to get into and a great reminder Lola, thankyou.

[Dragonfly]

Re: Have you?

Hi !
Biggest problem I have is with thread breaking, so I switch needles regularly. And the other problem is the bobbin thread gets tangled now and again. Frustrating but don't know how to stop that!

I suspect these two problems are associated but may be from several different causes. Some to look for are: needle being fully inserted into the shank, if it is not all the way in the clearances with the bobbin race will be incorrect and can cause either or both of these issues. Thread not threaded properly, especially at the tension discs, I know this sounds silly since we have been threading our machines for ages but sometimes the thread can 'jump' especially if its pulled tight at some point and then released.

One that I had a while back when I was sewing perhaps a tad too fast was a broken thread that flicked back into the machine and wrapped itself around one of the internal rollers and jammed a piece of thread in there. I didn't realise, I rethreaded the machine and continued to sew but all sorts of things went wrong mostly broken threads but also bobbin problems, until I went looking for the problem which required me to dismantel some of the machine to get into where the offending thread was. Lesson learned...don't sew so fast on a domestic machine.

But I would start with giving your machine a good clean out Blondie, including removing the needle plates if you can because lint builds up under there are well.

Most of what can be done wrong I have done, I hope some of this may be helpful.

[janluna]

Re: Have you?

Good ideas guys thanks. I better check mine out and make sure it's clean.

[Lola2Ace]

Re: Have you?

Another thing to remember is to always thread your machine with the presser foot all the way up.
If it is down, your tension discs are 'closed' and the thread can't be in them properly. It makes a huge difference, and could be a cause of thread tangles,broken needles and irregular stitches.
Lola

[Dragonfly]

Re: Have you?

There is also a right and wrong direction for the bobbin thread to be going but this should be checked in your manual as it depends of the bobin setup as to which way is correct.

[Keepstitchin]

Re: Have you?

Hi !
I clean out the bobbin area pretty good at least once a week; amazing the amount of link fuzz that accumulates. I have watched videos on you tube about how to clean a machine but am still kind of skeery to take my machine down like the lady does.
However, I cannot afford a "tune up" these days. Last time I had it in the shop for a good DNC it was about 100 bucks. OUCH!

Biggest problem I have is with thread breaking, so I switch needles regularly. And the other problem is the bobbin thread gets tangled now and again. Frustrating but don't know how to stop that!

You know, I was having the same problem with both of my machines, and I found the solution for me to use top stitching needles. I have not had a problem since!