In general, sewing machines require the basic cleaning, oiling and lubricating. Each machine has its own requirement so it is best to consult its manual first. Below are general cleaning tips for your sewing machine.
- When you are cleaning your machine, get your supplies ready, unplug the machine and remove it to a well lighted area. Don’t forget to protect the floor and table tops. Wrap the motor and wire with plastic to protect them from oil and cleaning solvent.
- Always remove only the parts that are involve and note where it is from, its position and which way is top. When unscrewing / screwing with a screw driver, don’t put pressure on the twist but on the push. Bolts should be unbolted using a wrench and not pliers.
- The first thing that you should do is to remove the needle, presser foot, slide plate, throat plate, bobbin case, and the face plate. Place them in a tray and soak them in cleaning fluids while cleaning other areas of the machine.
- Next, start working on the machine head. With your hand, run the machine by turning the hand wheel. At the same time, squirt cleaning fluid into all oil holes, bearings and places where they rub against or turn within another.
- If the machine seems to run hard, it may be caused by lint and dirt built up inside a bearing. Continue to run the machine and squirting cleaning fluid until the machines runs easily. Tip the head and flush the parts underneath the machine. Run the machine again until it functions smoothly.
- Remaining built up in easily reached areas can be rid off by dipping a cloth or brush into cleaning fluids to scrub it off. If the parts are hard to reach, pry the built up away with a pointed instrument like a needle or knife.
- Next, check the lower tension of the bobbin case and the upper thread discs. This can be done by pulling a thread soaked in cleaning fluid under and between the bobbin case and discs. Then, with a dry cloth, repeat the process to ensure there is no lint left.
- Dry everything up and assemble all the parts accordingly. Do not plug the machine until all the fluids are dry.
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Using the right kind of needle when sewing, quilting and embroidering, means that you make your job easier and the result better. I was a lazy bugger who couldn’t be bothered to change the needle as I changed projects, but soon I found that spending a minute to change the needle is easier than having to cope with ruined projects and a frustrating disappointment.
Here are the types of needles commonly used:
Universal Point Needle – The standard needle used for all kinds of light sewing.
Ballpoint Needle – Just like its name, this kind of needle has round instead of sharp point and goes through between the threads of the fabric. This is good for knits and mesh-like fabrics.
Denim Needle –This kind of needle is used for denim and heavy fabrics. This has a stronger shaft and sharper point for easier piercing.
Embroidery Needle – Use this for embroidery. The eye is large and there is a groove on the eye that will prevent slicing or breaking the rayon or acrylic threads.
Quilting Needle –Use this for quilting. This kind of needle can pierce several layers of fabric.
Top stitching Needle – Use this for quilting heavy material. The eye is extra large and the groove is deeper; great for thicker threads.
Metallic Needle – Use with heavy threads like metallic threads. The large eye will prevent the threads breaking.
Sharp Point or Microtex Needle – This kind of needle is long and thin, and it is sharper than most needles. Use this for delicate fabrics.
Self-threading Needle – This kind of needle is easy to thread because it has a slotted eye.
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There are three types of sewing machine – mechanical, electrical/electronic, and computerized.
Mechanical
Don’t get me wrong! Mechanical sewing machines are not the ancient type that requires more effort to manage than an alien spaceship. They run on electricity, only you have to control the settings – such as stitch length and needle position – manually.
These come cheap and are suitable for the occasional simple task such as repairing a hem or making a buttonhole, or for novices who want to learn the basic stuff before investing in an upgrade.
- I recommend this model: Brother XL2600I 25-Stitch Free-Arm Sewing Machine – Best Basic Sewing Machine
Electrical/Electronic
If you want a balance over features and flexibility, this type will give you value for your money. Electronic sewing machines do not necessarily come cheaper than computerized ones, but they offer a great variety of features. The more features it has, the more it costs.
If you’re looking for good value for price, I’d recommend you:
- Singer 7442 Electronic Sewing Machine – Best Value Electronic Sewing Machine
If you’re looking for ease of use, this one is highly recommended:
- Singer 7470 Confidence Electronic Sewing Machine – Best user friendly sewing machine
Computerized
Computerized sewing machines are really cool in the sense that it has a memory and remembers the configurations you want it to repeat. They can make many settings automatically and offer over a hundred stitch styles. You can even connect to a PC and download stitch patterns directly online!
These smart sewing machines are expensive and are usually used by those who sew crafts. Embroidery sewing machines are mostly computerized.
- Brother ES2000 77 Stitch Function Computerized Free Arm Sewing Machine – Best Budget Computerized Sewing Machine
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The Brother XL2610 Free-Arm Sewing Machine is definitely a woman’s machine, simply because it’s white and PINK!
Cuteness aside, it’s also quite a handy little machine that attends to all my sewing needs. Very clear and useful instructions that facilitated ease of use. The machine itself had diagrams for bobbin and needle threading that sped up the learning process.
The speed is great and allowed for better control of stitching; although more advanced users may prefer a faster machine. So far I’ve used Brother XL2610 Free-Arm Sewing Machine to mend jeans, heavy canvas and curtains without any issues.
The bobbin makes the job easier with its automatic winding system, and a transparent cover so you’ll know when to replace it. I also love the automatic threader.
All the different built-in stitches and functions made sewing so much fun. Even my husband is starting to get into it. We’re in middle of making a scrapbook for my parents’ anniversary and the various stitches add a more creative touch to the project. Just a turn of the dial changes the stitching with great ease.
What I DON’T quite like, though, is the plastic presser foot. It’s too low and blocks my view so most of the time, I need to use my finger to tap it up. I’m used to it now but it was quite annoying when I started using this machine.
Brother XL2610 Free-Arm Sewing Machine is also mostly made of plastic, which makes it portable but on the flip side, also makes it feel fragile. Great machine though, for its price, and will definitely please beginners looking for an easy machine that can handle more advanced sewing in the future.
Further information:
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The Singer 1507 8-Stitch Sewing Machine is a wonderful machine that’s a great deal for its price. I couldn’t be more pleased. My mother-in-law borrowed it to mend her curtains and just called to say she plans to get this machine for herself.
Pros:
Cons:
Overall: Singer 1507 8-Stitch Sewing Machine is a great sewing machine for beginners and basic sewing. It’s clearly made with convenience in mind, evident from the ‘little touches’ included like threading instructions on the machine, storage compartments for accessories, bobbin winder, and even a small bottle of oil.
Just don’t give up on the horizontal spool and you’ve got a handy machine at your disposal.
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Brother SE350 Computerized Embroidery and Sewing Machine is a good embroidery sewing machine. It has a range of 70 built-in embroidery designs, 5 styles of monogramming fonts as well as 120 frame pattern combinations.
If the 70 built-in embroidery designs are not enough for you, another over 1,000 additional designs are accessible from Brother’s optional embroidery design card. Better still, you can save up to 12 embroidery designs in the built-in memory of this machine.
It also offers a maximum embroidery field of 4 by 4 inches. It is a bit small for some designs, but this is a home user sewing machine after all.
This computerized sewing machine is equipped with a large LCD touch screen, which enables you to access to the built-in embroidery designs and do on-screen modifications to your designs. Furthermore, intuitive reference guide in 16 different languages can be read from this LCD touch screen.
Other than that, it has 67 types of built-in stitches with 98 kinds of incorporated stitch functions. This sewing machine provides a maximum sewing speed of 710 stitches per minute. With the free-arm structure, I can do those difficult parts of garments such as cuffs, sleeves, and trousers’ hems easily.
Brother SE350 Computerized Embroidery and Sewing Machine has many other great features such as automatic needle threader and push-button controlled thread cutter, 15 needle positions, snap-on presser foot attachment, automatic presser foot pressure as well as the drop feed function.
The one-step automatic buttonhole formation function comes with 10 various kinds of styles. It has an automatic quick-set bobbin system, which eases and simplifies the bobbin changing process.
Some users find completely removable bobbin cover easily misplaced as it is rather small, so you might want to be careful with it.
Brother SE350 Computerized Embroidery and Sewing Machine has
- seven types of presser feet
- a seam ripper
- four bobbins
- a needle set
- a twin needle
- a cleaning brush
- an eyelet punch
- a screwdriver
- a touch pen
- three spool caps
- a spool pin
- a spool net
- a foot controller
- a pair of scissors
- an embroidery hoop
- an accessory pouch
- a bilingual user manual with instructional CD in English and Spanish
- 25 years warranty
Brother SE350 Computerized Embroidery and Sewing Machine is the one for you if you’re looking for a good embroidery sewing machine that can do normal tasks just as well.
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