Book Categories:
Keep your sewing machine in top shape with expert maintenance tips and care routines. Perfect for beginners and pros alike.
Shuttle Hook: Horizontal vs Vertical, Maintenance, and Replacement A shuttle hook is a type of hook used in industrial and some vintage home machines. Unlike a rotary hook that rotates 360 degrees, a shuttle hook moves in a horizontal arc.…
Needle Plate: Types, Markings, and When to Replace The needle plate sits under the presser foot and has a hole for the needle and slots for the feed dogs. Most home machines use a standard needle plate with an oval…
Brush: Best Types, What NOT to Use, and Cleaning Guide A small brush is the most important cleaning tool for a sewing machine. A brush designed for sewing machines costs about $3. It has stiff bristles that reach into the…
Screwdriver Set: Types, Sizes, and What You Actually Need You need only two screwdrivers for most sewing machine repairs: a Phillips #0 and a flat 2mm. A precision screwdriver set costs $8 and covers both. The Phillips #0 removes the…
Hemostats: Why You Need Them, Sizes, and Where to Use Hemostats are the most useful tool in my repair kit. A pair of curved 8-inch hemostats costs about $6 and works better than tweezers for removing thread nests from the…
Tension Mechanism: Upper vs Lower, Adjustment, and Comparison The tension mechanism has two parts: upper and lower. The upper tension sits on the front of the machine. The lower tension is in the bobbin case. The upper tension has a…
Handwheel Won’t Turn? Here Is the Fix A handwheel that will not turn means something is physically blocking the mechanism. Do not force it. The most common cause is thread wrapped around the hook assembly under the needle plate. Remove…
When a bobbin is wound too tight, the thread gets stretched during winding. Stretched thread is weak thread. It might look fine on the bobbin — nice and even — but the moment it goes through the sewing machine under…
Sewing Machine Tension Spring in the Bobbin Case: Adjustable vs Fixed Guide After fifteen years fixing sewing machines, the number-one bobbin-case question I get is: “How do I adjust the tension on this spring?” The answer depends entirely on what…
Sewing Machine Shank Types: Low Shank vs High Shank vs Snap-On Guide Presser feet are not universal. I have had customers bring me bags of expensive feet they bought online that simply would not fit their sewing machine. The problem…
