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Sewing tools and equipment should be maintained in an easy way.
Set aside a separate place to keep your sewing tools.
I use a sewing basket that holds my scissors and sewing notions to only use on sewing.
Do not place your sewing tools in the craft or junk drawer. This will have the sewing items not where you need them, when you need them.
Sewing scissors are very fragile and are only used on material.
When you use sewing scissors on paper it dulls the scissors. And although high dollar scissors may be sharpened…I do not personally have any of those.
And a reasonable price for multiple pairs of scissors to keep one specifically for material is a small price to pay.
Several of the sewing baskets you can buy come with the sewing tools as well.
I like to have my sewing basket and then I keep a small portable sewing kit that I can just slip in my purse if I am going to a wedding or children’s event.
It never hurts to be prepared!
Your sewing machine, if portable, will have it’s own case.
I would recommend you store it in the case because one of the biggest causes of problems with a sewing machine is dust.
Although you can buy a case for your portable sewing machine if it did not come with one.
If you have a table model sewing machine, you can purchase a sewing table to place it on and often a sewing chair as well that used to come with storage in the seat.
I would purchase a dust cover for the machine to keep it dust free.
The sewing machine should be kept where little children do not have access to pushing the pedal.
You have never seen such a mess as a thread that knots up in your bobbin and completely shuts down your machine.
The pedal is so tempting with pushing it and hearing a noise, so please keep it away from little ones especially crawlers!
Along with the table and dust cover the sewing machine requires maintenance to keep it in great shape for your projects.
How often should a sewing machine be serviced?
Every 12 to 18 months, if you are having any issues, you should take it to a reputable sewing machine repair shop.
There are two shops I would recommend in the Tulsa area: e.sewtown.com and bsewinn.com.
With the current circumstances, most shops have a 90 day waiting list for service and take two weeks for repairs. (They do not charge an hourly rate.)(And they will give you an estimate.)
As far as routine maintenance on your sewing machine, read your instruction manual and follow their guidelines for oiling the machine and keeping it dust free.
One problem I have dealt with several times over the years is:
if you wind your bobbin unevenly, you will not get an even stitch and it will just gum up in the machine!
I do not know if the bobbin winder gets out of balance or if I just don’t pay enough attention when winding it.
But I know this can cause a lot of grief!
So when you have an uneven stitch, you could rewinding your bobbin and make sure it is evenly distributed on the spool.
Should I oil my sewing machine?
I would only oil your sewing machine if your maintenance manual tells you how, when, where and what oil to oil it with.
Otherwise, I would leave that to the professionals when you have your machine serviced.
Is it worth repairing an old sewing machine?
Whether it is worth it or not to repair an old machine depends on how expensive it is to repair.
I would love to have the machine I learned to sew on…
My mother said that she and my dad had started sewing more upholstery projects using heavy material like naugahyde and she thought it may have caused problems with the motor and that is why they purchased a new sewing machine.
My mother received that sewing machine in 1955 and replaced it in approximately 1987. So it was a 32 year old machine with just your basic straight stitch and zig zag.
That’s a long time for a sewing machine to last, I think! (I know for a fact a family of 7 doing 6 loads of laundry a day for 6 years can wear out the cheapest Sears washing machine) so 32 years of daily use is a lot of years!
If it costs several $100 to repair… only sentimental value would get me to pay that much when a new machine would be not too much more than that.
The two sewing machine repair shops I named: e.sewtown.com and bsewinn.com would give you an estimate on the repairs and then you could better make the decision.
What should I keep in my sewing box?
We will conclude this page with what to keep in my sewing box…
- Sewing Scissors
- Pinking Shears
- Pin Cushion
- Pins (approx 100)
- Needles (various sizes with large eyes)
- Seam gauge
- Seam ripper
- Needle threader
- Tape Measure
- Thimble
- Marking pencil chalk
- Sewing wheel (to mark your darts)
- Bobbins with different colors of thread (that fit your machine)
- Various colors of thread (Black and white thread are the basic colors you will use. Other colors are to match your project.)
These 14 items will give you a nice basic set of sewing tools to have for sewing your projects.
