Hi ,

 

The most important part of owning any sewing machine is knowing how to clean and oil it to keep it well maintained. I’ve been teaching online for over ten years and more than once I’ve received notes from quilters that read something like this:

 

 

To say it straight – that’s hogwash.

All machines, from sewing machines to radial arm saws, benefit from being taken care of properly. This means taking the time to brush out the lint that naturally accumulates in the bobbin case to placing a drop of oil in the spots indicated by the manufacturer.

If you take the time to do this, your sewing machine will run better. It will have a quieter sound and better stitch quality. Even better, you won’t have to stop at an unexpected time to pick out the nasty glob of lint and broken threads from the back of your quilt – something that will happen if you let your machine run dirty for long.

 

Learn how to clean and oil a sewing machine like the Janome 1600 shown in video below:

Click Here to find the Janome 1600. I love using this machine for quilt piecing, sewing, and for machine quilting on my Q-Zone Hoop Frame. The high speeds and simple design of this machine make it ideal for finishing projects fast.

 

Check Out the Microtip Oil Bottles – I transferred the MO-70 oil that came with my Janome 1600 to a microtip bottle which is easier to dispense one drop at a time.

 

Find HL x 5 Sewing Needles Here – These industrial chrome-plated needles are specially designed to work in the Janome 1600.

We currently have twelve Janome 1600s on back order which are slated to come in again in 3-4 weeks. If you're interested in this awesome, dynamic, and affordable home machine, click here and opt in to be emailed as soon as these are back in stock so you'll be first to know when we have them!

 

This tendency for dealers to mislead quilters into thinking you never need to oil their machine naturally leads you to think you never need to clean it either. So the #1 question I receive is – how often do you clean and oil your sewing machine?

I brush out my machine with every 2 bobbin changes. If two bobbins have been emptied in a row, I figure it’s time for a checkup.

I oil my Janome 1600 every morning before starting to sew or quilt. There is no such thing as oiling a machine too much. As long as you only use sewing machine oil, this will never hurt your machine.

In short – err on the side of keeping your machine MORE clean and MORE oiled. When I took off the needle plate on my Janome 1600 in the video above, the bobbin area didn’t look that dirty. But I ended up brushing out teaspoon of lint.

Keep in mind that I use very low lint thread – Isacord polyester thread. If you are using thread that sheds more lint, you should clean your machine more often.

 

Never, EVER use Can of Air or any sort of air blowing device to blow out the bobbin area. This will only pack the lint deeper into your machine and will eventually lock it up completely. Can of Air is Can of Death to sewing machines.

Only use sewing machine oil to oil your machine. It’s best to use the oil that came in the small bottle with your machine, even if you have to transfer it to a microtip bottle for easier dispensing. Store this bottle out of sunlight in a drawer or cabinet as it can degrade over time. If your sewing machine oil has become very thick or discolored, discard it and buy a new bottle of sewing machine oil from your dealer.

I hope you can see how easy it is to take great care of your home sewing machine. And just in case you’re wondering – yes, longarm machines need to be oiled and cleaned just as often.

Let’s go quilt,

Leah Day