How To Relieve Frustration When Your Electric Sewing Machine Throws A Fit

)Following a recent review of the Brother SE400 embroidery machine, I discovered several comments saying that additional troubleshooting help would have been helpful in the machine’s manual.
This got me thinking and whilst this is a basic list of things to look out for if things do go wrong with your machine, it’s by no means exhaustive and possibly too basic for the more experienced of you. Do contact the machine manufacturer for another copy, if you’ve lost your original sewing machine instructions.

Lets see what are the most common issues that I’ve come across at their most basic level.
Continual Breaking and knotting of the thread.
Are you using too much thread?
This is thread that’s running through the needle but is far too much and keeps getting caught in the moving parts. This is easy to fix – don’t use such a long piece of thread so it can’t get in the way of other moving parts.
What quality is the thread you are using?
Poor quality thread can break easily and sometimes be full of knots and so can affect how the stitches are created.
Is the machine threaded properly?
If you are using a machine like the Brother SE400, this isn’t a problem as it comes with an automatic needle threading system. If you are not using this, then I suggest you un-thread the machine and start again. Get hold of your manual and follow the steps exactly. A quick tip: Like making bread, you can end up with a disappointing result if you don’t use the right ingredients in the exact amount.
Make sure the presser foot is in the ‘up’ position when you are threading the machine.
Check the Bobbin
Have you threaded it right and is there any wear and tear? If you use plastic bobbins and there are cuts and abrasions on the edge of it, then the size of it has changed. This may seem insignificant, but it will mean that the bobbin will wobble and this can change the tension.
Stitches that skip
The machine needle the probable cause here. If you were trundling along with everything going tickety-boo and then the stitches start to skip, try replacing the needle and see what happens.
Don’t force the fabric along as this can bend the needles and you could end up having to change them far too often. Let the feed dog do the hard work letting it feed the fabric through the machine.
Hitting a metal pin with the needle could cause it to bend and be the reulst of the skipped stitches.
Preventative maintenance
Ah, if I had a dollar for every situation that I had practised this, then I would be perfect. However, I’m a human being! However, if you rely on your electric sewing machine for putting bread on the table, then it pays to carry out regular maintenance as described in your manual. Again, if you have lost the manual, check out the manufacturer’s website and I’m sure you will find the necessary details there. It really does pay to do regular maintenance to keep the machine all tickety-boo.