<\/noscript><\/a><\/p>\nHow often should you clean your machine?<\/h2>\n Well, that depends on how often and how long you use it, and what sort of projects you sew. If you sew lots of woolly fabrics, towelling, fleece or minky, felt or flannel – or like I did one, a whole boat cover made of plastic canvas, then you'll need to do if more often than if you sew a quick cotton skirt once a month.<\/p>\n
Generally get into the habit of having a quick\u00a0check of the bobbin area every time you change your bobbin to see how it's going.<\/p>\n
Here I've left mine for longer than I usually would, so we can really get in there and sort it out. \u00a0I can tell from all the lint I pulled out, that the main culprit this time was the flannel rag quilt I sewed.<\/p>\n
Tools you'll need<\/h2>\n <\/noscript><\/p>\n\nBrush that came with your machine<\/li>\n Small screwdriver<\/li>\n Soft cloth<\/li>\n Scrap of cotton fabric pressed into a folded edge<\/li>\n Cotton swabs<\/li>\n Sewing machine oil<\/li>\n Your machine manual<\/li>\n A dish to hold any parts and screws<\/li>\n A light perhaps?<\/li>\n Your spectacles and a hairdryer!<\/li>\n<\/ul>\nWhere to start?<\/h2>\n Safety first!<\/strong> \u00a0Always turn off the machine, unplug it, and move it to a surface which is easy to work on. \u00a0Depending on what parts of your machine you can access, you may be removing covers, and there may be a risk of electric shock – so don't take that risk. \u00a0I know it might be tempting to leave it turned on so you can use the light, but better to use a separate light than get ‘lit up' yourself!<\/p>\nTake a look at my grubby machine!<\/h2>\n This looks pretty nasty! \u00a0Lots of lint everywhere, looking like cotton candy. \u00a0You can tell I like to sew with pink. \u00a0But it's not hard to remove it from the machine and keep everything clean, oiled and in good working order.<\/p>\n
<\/noscript><\/p>\nHow to clean a sewing machine – video<\/h2>\n