Maintaining a sewing machine?

Dear users, dear authors,
how does it work with sewing machines? What do sewing machines need in order to run well?

Using force on a sewing machine because the needle plate has “eaten” the fabric yet again won’t help at all—it’s best to raise the needle, remove the needle plate, and then carefully remove the fabric.
It’s also important to use the needle that’s right for the fabric; that way, you’ll get a clean finish.
After each sewing session each day, you should clean the machine of dust and lint in the evening. If you have an older analog sewing machine, you should treat it to a drop of oil every now and then; with the new, modern ones, this isn’t strictly necessary anymore, but a small drop every 3–4 months won’t hurt at all—quite the opposite. My sewing machines also get a big dose of *love* from me :-) and they thank me for it. I’ve had my oldest sewing machine since July 1994, and it still runs like it did on day one—it’s a Pfaff 1467.
My new Pfaff is an Expression 3.2, which is already a good 5 years old; then I also have a Toyota 3335 overlock, a Pfaff 4.0 cover, and my star: the Brother Innovis V3 embroidery machine. I use all of these machines a lot, because they won’t get any better just sitting in the corner. I’ve modified the little Pfaff for heavy fabrics by loosening the spring in the bobbin case a bit, since I use it to sew jeans, leather, awnings, and so on. I know the motor can handle that, but I’m not so sure about the big new one.
THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IS TO TAKE GOOD CARE OF YOUR MACHINES; THEN YOU’LL ENJOY THEM FOR A LONG TIME

Another important point: these new computer-controlled sewing machines should be taken to a repair shop every now and then so they can be thoroughly checked.

I find this really interesting—I just started sewing on a sewing machine last week. I’m still a complete beginner; the last time I sewed was 20 years ago during a therapy stay, where I made teddy bears with lots of instructions and professional help, and of course in school. After that, nothing at all.
Now my mom and I have “dusted off” an old sewing machine—unfortunately, it went up in smoke after just a few tries—so now I get to sew on my mom’s machine. Last Sunday, I made my first attempt: I sewed a bag out of an old pair of pants.

The tips are great, and I’ll pass them on to my mom (who’s a very talented seamstress)!

I also find this thread very interesting, since I’ve only had my sewing machine for half a year. The manual didn’t include any care instructions regarding oil or maintenance. I also find the tip about dusting it off after sewing helpful. I’ve noticed that—despite the dust cover—there’s always dust on the machine.

I have another question for the sewing pros...

Is it normal for the sewing machine to pull the fabric to the left or right when I’m not guiding it by hand? I’d like to have perfectly straight seams. When sewing longer seams—like when hemming curtains, for example—I’d just like to “let the machine run” and have it sew straight ahead without veering. But it doesn’t. Mine always pulls to one side when it’s sewing “on its own.” Is that normal, or is there something wrong with the machine, or do I just have to guide the fabric the whole time?

Thank you very much for your answer.
Best regards, Ina

@Akela

I also wanted to mention—and marvel at the fact—that you have a whole fleet of machines. I counted 5 little treasures. And each one can do something especially well that the others can’t. It’s a shame there isn’t ONE machine that can do everything equally well. When you really know how to sew, of course you notice the differences, and that’s how the collection begins. Where do you keep your sewing machines? Knitting needles and crochet hooks can be stored in a much more space-saving way. But 5 sewing machines need space.
By the way, thank you very much for your tips!

Above all, the bobbin case needs to be thoroughly dusted. A lot of lint tends to accumulate there, which can cause the thread to get tangled. I always use a soft brush for this.

@Ina:
Some manufacturers of new machines claim that you don’t need to guide the fabric on their machines. But I wouldn’t dare try that. It also depends on how the fabric is loaded. I always guide it. The guide marks next to the presser foot are a big help there.

@ Schnuckelina, whatever you’re sewing, you MUST always guide it; it won’t feed through on its own, because 99.9% of the time it hangs a little lower on one side, and that automatically pulls it downward. If you don’t want *crooked seams* (crooked seam ;-) )—as we say here—in the things you sew, you must always guide the fabric through the machine.
My embroidery machine is the only one that has a permanent spot on the little cabinet where all the supplies—like embroidery thread, stabilizer, etc.—are stored. Because in the long run, you can’t keep setting up and taking down an embroidery machine all the time, especially not the embroidery unit.

My coverstitch and overlock machines, as well as my sewing machines, are set up at the dining table since I don’t have a separate sewing room. When they’re not in use, I put them in a closet—there’s no other way in a small two-room apartment.

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I realized yesterday that I didn’t even have a picture of my big Pfaff, but since I’m sewing today anyway, I went ahead and took one. The *scrap bag* at the front catches all the threads and small scraps that accumulate while sewing, so there isn’t too much lying around on the floor.
The top picture shows my little Pfaff—it’s already 25 years old and sews just like it did on the first day.

@ruth + @Akela
Thank you so much for your answers. Now I’m reassured. I know now that you always have to guide the fabric by hand. That was really important information for me.

@Akela
Thank you so much for showing us your amazing sewing machines, or rather your embroidery machine. They look fantastic even at first glance. It would be really interesting to see them up close and in action. The embroidery machine in particular can surely do some intricate work. But of course, you have to know how to use it. What do you embroider with the embroidery machine? Could you maybe show us something you’ve embroidered with it?

Best wishes - Ina

I digitized the Holy Family as a wall hanging and put it in an embroidery hoop.
The eggs for the Easter bouquet were freebies from the web.
I digitized the “Faith, Love, Hope” lace trio myself and embroidered it for my granddaughter’s First Communion.
 

I embroidered this geisha onto a blouse jacket; the motif takes a good 4 1/2 hours on my embroidery machine until it is finished.

Those are some really amazing, intricate designs you’re embroidering there! 

I’d love to have an embroidery machine, too. But the purchase price puts me off. Since I already enjoy doing so many things, I don’t think I’d have any time for an embroidery machine at all. It’s the same with a spinning wheel. I wanted to get one of those at one point and even took a class. But I already have so many passions.

So I just look at the beautiful work others create and enjoy it.

The geisha turned out beautifully. That’s really something special.

This topic is particularly interesting to me right now, since we just got a brand-new sewing machine.

Forty years ago, my mother taught me the basics on an old Singer with a foot pedal, but I never got beyond hemming pants, shortening curtains, and making shopping bags that were all crooked and lopsided.
A few years ago, I got one of those discount-store machines, but I only used it to hem curtains and sew a tablecloth—then I put it away for a few years. At some point, I shortened a pair of pants and put it away again—the next time I tried, it kept tying the thread around the bobbin. Then it went in for service, came back, and they said: “Everything was fine; nothing needed to be fixed....”

“OK,” I thought, “then it must be my fault, so I’ll just let the whole thing go.” I lent the machine away, hoping never to see it again. That worked out fine for two years...

Now my husband has discovered a few sewing patterns and secretly ordered a machine for us—a W6 that was apparently a return item...
It’s here now, and we (or rather, my husband...) have already “played around” with it a bit...
Since we don’t have any fabric here, he repaired the seams on an old fabric bag and then sewed a few gift bags out of old book pages.




It runs much more quietly than the discount store model and has quite a few stitches… that’s the only thing I can say about it so far.

So for now, I’m eagerly soaking up all your knowledge here.
I’ve got quite a bit to learn…

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