Cleaning Your Machine

 Nothing tells your sewing machine you love it like frequent cleaning.

Let me first start off by saying that I am not an expert. What I'm sharing with you today is just how I take care of my sewing machine. Check your manual for recommended service times, etc.

I know I say this every time I post some tips, but it's true. Every quilter will have their own opinion about what works best, because that's what they have found works best for them. I'm sharing what works best for me in hopes that if you are a new quilter, or haven't really thought about cleaning your machine, this will help you.

How often

I like to clean my machine after a big project or a few little ones. 

A big project to me is piecing a lap sized quilt or larger. That means piecing all of the units to putting the rows together to adding borders. If I'm going to quilt it on my domestic I will clean my machine first. If I'm going to quilt it on the mid-arm, then I'll wait to clean it until after I've put on the binding.

A few small projects would be two to three wall hangings, pieced, quilted and bound. Or when I'm done piecing all of the Monthly Color Challenge blocks for the How To Videos.

*This is also when I change needles. I don't really pay attention to stitch count, just project size. I know quilters have a hard time changing out their needle, but it does make a difference on how your machine runs and the accuracy of your stitching.*

Tools

There are many different tools you can use to clean your sewing machine, from small vacuums to brushes. I use a pipe cleaner from the art supplies in my child care. It's easy to use, flexible and does a great job of catching the fuzz and small threads that have gathered under the stitch plate. Many sewing machines come with a small brush for cleaning and those work great as well.

*What about using condensed air? This is something you will need to talk to your sewing machine dealer about. So many quilters say to go ahead and use it, other's swear off it. I myself just don't use it. I know what I do with my little pipe cleaner is good enough until I get it in to be serviced by a professional.

Servicing

I am pretty good about keeping up with cleaning out my sewing machine, but that doesn't mean I'm going to skip on the servicing of it. This will depend on how often you sew, what you sew (hello quilt batting fibers) and machine. I have my sewing machine serviced once a year, unless I move, then I miss a year. Whoops. However, I am using my machine a lot for Patterns By Jen. Maybe you don't use yours every day, and you can do it every 18 to 24 months. This is something you will want to discuss with your service repairman.

Cover your sewing machine

Take time to cover your sewing machine when not in use. There is a lot of dust that accumulates; from us, pets, fabric. Throwing a cover or pillowcase over it will help keep your machine clean longer.

Check out a quick video I did showing how I clean my machine.

Clean your machine and then. . .

Go make something extraordinary.

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