Electric Sewing Machines: Some Basic Troubleshooting Tips To Relieve Stress And Frustration
)’More help with troubleshooting tips’ was a common cry, I discovered when doing some research for a review I was writing for the Brother SE400 embroidery machine.
This got me thinking and whilst this is a basic list of things to look out for if things do go wrong with your machine, it’s by no means exhaustive and possibly too basic for the more experienced of you. Get on the blower to your machine’s customer service department if you’ve lost your sewing machine instructions, as I’m sure they will be able to send you another set.
So for those of you who are relatively new to this, here are some of the more common issues (and solutions) that people experience.
Thread that keeps knotting and breaking.
Are you using too much thread?
This is thread that’s running through the needle but is far too much and keeps getting caught in the moving parts. So the moral is not to use such a long piece of thread and it won’t get caught in other moving parts.
The quality of thread can have a bearing on what happens.
Poor quality thread can break easily and sometimes be full of knots and so can affect how the stitches are created.
Do you know how to thread the machine correctly?
If you are using a machine like the Brother SE400, this isn’t a problem as it comes with an automatic needle threading system. Using a machine that doesn’t have this feature? - then try threading the machine again. Get hold of your manual and follow the steps exactly. Here’s a little tip: Like making bread, you have to use the exact ingedients in the correct way, for the end product to be any good.
Always thread your machine with the presser foot in the ‘up’ position.
Check the Bobbin
Make sure that it’s threaded accurately and look out for any wear in the bobbin. If you find cuts and abrasions on the edge of any plastic bobbins you use, this means their size has changed. This may seem like a very small thing, but it means that the bobbin can wobble and this can change the tension.
Stitches that skip
This is most likely to be caused by the machine’s needle. Try replacing the needle if the stitches start skipping out of the blue.
If you are doing this regularly and using up lots of needles, make sure that you aren’t forcing the fabric along as this can lead to bent needles. Allow the feed dog to take the strain for you by feeding the material through the machine.
Whilst the needle looks quite sturdy, if you hit a metal pin whilst sewing a hem, this may have bent it sufficiently that it causes the skipped stitches.
Preventative maintenance
Ah, if I had a dollar for every situation that I had practised this, then I would be perfect. Suffice to say that I’d not perfect, but I’m a human being! But if an electric sewing machine that works is crucial to what you do every day, then regular maintenance is a must. Note to self: Go to the manufacturer’s website and request a new manual. It really does pay to do regular maintenance to keep the machine all tickety-boo.