The closet door opens. Your sewing machine is there neatly tucked away in its case. You pick it up and carry it to the kitchen table. You remove the case cover and take out your sewing machine. You are ready to sew.
Unfortunately, it does not work. Suddenly, the creative excitement and anticipation turn to outrageous frustration.
Like a roadside bomb or stepping on a nail; a surge of rage upsets the sewer. Messed up sewing machines can cause the most dedicated sewer to feel like quitting.
Sewing consistency includes regular sewing machine maintenance and care. Infrequent sewing, tends to increase basic sewing machine problems due in part to neglect. For both the occasional sewer and the more active sewers, it is important to identify sewing machine problems and resolve them.
When you are sewing, you may encounter many different types of problems, The challenge is to figure out what exactly is going on to cause those malfunctions.
When you sew, you come to expect certain things. Most of all you expect a properly formed stitch. When a good quality stitch fails to appear, it is a sewing crisis requiring immediate remedy.
Use a quick sewing test to find the problem. Set your sewing machine for a straight stitch with a medium length. Sew a four to five inch seam on standard woven fabric with a new universal point needle. Repeat the same using a medium width and medium length zig zag stitch.
Inspect your test seams. How do the stitches look? Ideally, the threads along the top of fabric snugly lay on top of the fabric separated by small puncture points. It should look the same when you inspect the bottom of the fabric.
What irregularities can be expected? You may see stitches with thread loops, wobbles, or balls. You may see missing stitches and other distortions. In extreme cases, stitches may fail to form altogether.
If you see skipped stitches or if your sewing machine fails to form stitches; there are three things to check. The thread line must be free of snags, drags, and errors. The needle can be critical. Hook-needle timing and hook-needle clearance must be properly adjusted.
The number one source of problems causing bad stitches is the needle. That small, inexpensive, and yet crucial part of your sewing machine can distort and disrupt proper stitch formation due to improper selection, dull point, or burrs.
Needles have different sizes and types of points. If the needle is too large or small for your fabric and/or thread; you will see distortions in your stitch quality. Sharp and universal points work well with woven fabrics, but will skip on knit or stretch fabrics. Ball point needles work well on stretchy fabrics, but will skip on woven fabrics. Bottom line: install a new needle that is right for the job, fabric, and thread.
Watch out for problems with the thread line. An easy and quick solution is to rethread the machine making sure you use good quality thread. Take special care to thread the machine checking for anything might snag the thread, to make sure the thread properly seats in the tension discs, and to double check that the thread flows through the tension spring and take up lever.
When the tensions are unbalanced; excess threads will collect under the fabric or on top of the fabric. While feed timing may, distort tensions causing threads to collect under the fabric due to faulty feeding. This, however, is much less common than the more frequent offset by either the upper or lower tension assemblies. The solution is to adjust the upper tension. If excess appears under the fabric, increase the tension. If excess threads appear on top of the fabric, decrease the upper tension.
If all else fails, trust your sewing machine to the pros. They can quickly repair hook-needle adjustments to restore quality stitches.
Instead of panic; take charge. Use this simple sewing test. Make a few minor adjustments and enjoy sewing for hours. You can do it.