Continuing with the beginner series are the things I wish I would’ve known. I wish I had known how to care for and maintain my sewing machine and quilt tools.
This would’ve stretched out the life of my quilting notions and kept my machine in good working order.
That is not how it went. My first sewing machine was a real trooper because it was abused.
In large part, because I had no idea I should’ve been changing the needle regularly. That I should clean my sewing machine regularly. Yes, now you can imagine.
In this post, I will dive into what your sewing machine and other quilting notions need to stay in tip-top shape.
1. Clean Sewing Machine
First, your sewing machine needs to be cleaned regularly. I have heard many people give out many different timeframes to clean your machine. For example, every quilt project, every 5 bobbins, and so on.
My recommendation and the recommendation of Corey Yoder of Coriander Quilts is to clean it with every 5 bobbins. So a huge thank you to Corey for helping keep my machine from the repair shop. You can find her blog by clicking the link below.
Cleaning based on the project is too vague for me. The quilt project could be short or long and that isn’t consistent enough for me.
2. Change Needle
The next most important thing to do is to change the needle on your sewing machine regularly. It is important to change the needle regularly because your sewing machine motor will have to work harder to push a dull needle through the fabric rather than a sharper one.
Just like cleaning your sewing machine, I’ve heard many timeframes on changing the needle. Along the same lines as cleaning my machine, I change the needle every time I clean the machine.
Seems excessive but I do this because I am also a super forgetful person and I need to tie these two actions together or else I would never remember to change the needle.
3. Change Rotary Blade
This one is a little harder to do because rotary blades are not cheap. However, this is so important to change on so many levels. You work harder to cut fabric with a dull rotary blade than a sharp one. You also, this is the worst part, push your fabric aside essentially smashing your fabric apart to cut it.
If you have a sharp blade on your rotary you are actually cutting instead of smashing. I have watched as my dull rotary moved the fabric under the ruler to “cut” the fabric. I was horrified when I realized what was going on and changed my blade immediately.
How to know if you need a new rotary blade change? Well, one thing is for sure don’t wait as long as I did. I haven’t landed on a good system for that yet. Although I think that is going to change very soon. As of the writing of this post, I am going to strive to change my rotary blade with every 5 projects. I will explain how I will keep track of that later.
4. Sewing Machine Maintenance
Your sewing machine does need maintenance about once a year. That seems like a long time but it sneaks up on you. With so many fun quilt projects the time is here before you know it.
It seems silly to bring in a sewing machine that is working perfectly but if you don’t so many things can happen. The timing on your sewing machine might become off. The grease and oil that are used to keep your sewing machine working nice and smooth are now running low which is causing your machine to make funny noises.
Bring in your machine and it will help keep the major repair cost and downtime on your machine low. As my husband tells me if you take care of your equipment then your equipment will take care of you.
5. Clean Self Healing Rotary Mat
This I will admit is not something that I have done all that often. Keeping your mat clean will help keep the mat good for many years. Mats don’t need to be replaced often but when they do it is usually because of very deep cutting grooves.
Keeping these grooves clean will help the “self-healing” feature of your mat to continue to work. I recommend cleaning your mat at least every 6 months. This is highly dependent on the projects you do. For example, when cutting cuddle or batting I clean my mat immediately afterward.
6. Replace Straight Pins
Pins are reusable but also a consumable quilting notion. If the pin becomes bent or doesn’t slide into the fabric easily then it needs to be replaced. Keeping tabs on how often you need to replace pins will be a helpful reminder to not run low and put yourself in a pinch during a quilt project.
I have found that I need to purchase pins once a year but again this depends on the project. If it is harder on my pins because it is a thicker project then I will need to make my purchase sooner.
Quilt Reminders Checklist
This all is a lot to remember for beginners. I have created a very useful free PFD you can download. I mentioned earlier that I am quite forgetful. A trick I have learned for myself is that if it is out of sight it is out of mind.
I created this PDF then laminated it and attached it to my wall with a clipboard. I found a dry erasable pen which means I am set. Now it is a matter of just looking up from my sewing machine and I know at a glance what needs to be done and what I don’t need to worry about.
If you would like this PDF all you have to do is sign up for my e-mail list and you are ready to go. Never forget to change a needle or clean your machine again.
In this PDF I also left a notes section so you can write down your own reminders you might need. Like the last time, the iron was cleaned. You could also use it as a small quilting shopping list reminding you to buy more thread, needles, or rotary blades.
I use the Change Needle and Rotary Blade section using tally marks to show how many bobbins and projects I have completed. For the rest of the page, I write down the actual date the activity was completed.
What do you think will be the most helpful section for you? Join the newsletter community and never forget when you last changes your needle again. Leave a comment and let me know I am not the only forgetful person.
