Digging A Little Deeper

Do you ever wonder what's lurking out of sight; what's under the surface that might be worth digging for? It could be hidden treasure, or, it could be hidden trouble! Since we returned home earlier this week I've been catching up on some sewing, the stitches looked fine but I could hear a noise as the machine worked that wasn't the customary "hum". Let me say first that I keep the bobbin area of my machine clean, attending to removing any lint and threads on a very regular basis! This week, though, I cleaned a bit deeper. I took the bobbin case out and shone a bright flashlight into the opening. Using the brushes shown I was able to gently coax all of the lint and debris that you see here from some obscure (generally un-lit) areas in the vicinity of the bobbin case! I was shocked. This was all within reach, I didn't remove more than the bobbin case itself but the increased lighting was extremely helpful in bringing attention to what had gone undetected before.* Once this was accomplished I put in a, new needle, a drop of oil on the hook and ran the machine, unthreaded, for a minute or so, then I gently wiped out the bobbin area with a T-shirt scrap. The machine was humming again after that and I was back to the sewing at hand. Have a look for yourself; what's lurking down below in those nooks and crevices of your machine? It might be worthwhile to dig a little deeper!

* Please note: don't ever use canned air in an attempt to clean lint from your domestic sewing machine, the pressure could actually pack and drive lint deeper, possibly causing serious damage to your machine!

Life is Good!

Take Good Care

Think of this post as a public service announcement.  If you want optimum results from your sewing machine you need to take good care of it... we all know that, but how often do you actually clean and oil your favorite machine? I clean out the bobbin area (don't forget the bobbin case too, lint lurks in there and can wreak havoc with your thread tension) every week if I am not sewing all that much; more often if I am logging in marathon sewing sessions or sewing with flannel. The amount of extracted lint shown is normal for me on a weekly basis. If you can't remember the last time you changed your machine needle do that too; don't wait until you break one or stitches start skipping, your piecing will be more precise when you use a sharp needle. After a good brushing out and a few drops of oil and your weekly maintenance is done! Mark your calendar as a reminder.

Take good care of your machine and it will take good care of you.  Block #5  "Stars and Checkerboard" from The Quilt Block Bible by Rosemary Youngs.

Life is Good!