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Sewing Machine Repair – can you do it yourself?

The other day I was sewing along at a steady pace, trying to finish the raw edges of a slipcover when this machine started making funny noises. I dreaded the thought of this machine being out of commission. If I had to take it to the sewing machine repair shop it would take several weeks to fix.

I dug out the screw drivers and began to take it apart. Fabric fibers filled the inside! No wonder it wasn’t working well.

The most frequent reason for sewing machine repair is lack of cleaning and regular oiling.

There are a few essential tools for cleaning a sewing machine.

Compressed air that can be purchased in a can or at my house we have an industrial air compressor in the basement.All the fibers need to be blown out. Before using the compressed air use a vaccuum to clean up as many of the lose particles as possible.
Screwdrivers designed especially for sewing machines. There are little screws on the sewing machine that hold the covers on. As you take the machine apart be careful to remember exactly where each screw belongs. If the screw holds something other than the casing, like a moving part leave it alone unless you know what you are doing.
Sewing machine oil

Just like a car requires oil, a sewing machine needs to be oiled as well. The gears on my machine were so stiff because it had probably been a year since I oiled them.

Once the machine is cleaned and oiled then it is time to decide if it needs further repair.

When a sewing machine needs further repair

I have an industrial Juki DDL-550 which has broken down several times. Usually it was because I had been pushing it too hard. One time I worked on 10 large tents. The weight of them was constantly pulling on the needle and feeddogs which threw the timing of the machine off. I kept breaking needles. It took some time but my husband was able to fix it.

If your machine does need further repair there are a few things you can do

Call the local repair shop (ours isn’t that local – its about 45 mins away). Also depending on what type of machine you have the shop may not fix it. Our local shop does not work on industrial machines.
Search the internet for a manual for the machine if you don’t have one. My newer machines came with manuals but I purchased the Juki second hand so it didn’t come with a manual.
Remember it goes back together the same way it came apart.
Order replacement parts online at SewingPartsOnline

Also be sure to get your free troubleshooting checklist if your machine stitches aren’t catching. We all have sewing machine troubles at times but many times it is an easy fix to get it running again. For the checklist go to the post page and scroll down to the bottom where it will tell you to click for your download.