Causes & Remedies to Your Sewing Machine Problems

If you’ve spent any time developing your sewing machine skills, you know how useful your machine can be for creating brand-new items, repairing things around the house, and even customizing your favorite clothing or household pieces to be totally one-of-a-kind.

Though sewing machines are extremely useful, they can be temperamental devices that seem to be prone to all manner of issues. However, many of these problems require only simple fixes. Here are some of the most common issues that sewing machine users face and a few remedies to try.

Irregular or Skipped Stitches

Irregular or skipped stitches can happen when the needle is inserted in the sewing machine incorrectly, the needle is blunt or bent, or you’re putting the wrong amount of pressure on the presser foot as you’re stitching.

Check to make sure your needle is not blunt or bent. You might also need to check your sewing machine’s manual to ensure that the needle is inserted correctly. If the needle is straight, sharp, and inserted correctly, try adding more pressure to your presser foot as you sew.

Broken Thread

Some threads are more fragile than others, and they can break when jerked suddenly during sewing or if the thread is of poor quality. Plus, if you use the wrong type of thread for your fabric, your thread is at a much higher risk of breaking, even if the thread itself is of high quality.

Do some research to ensure that you’re using the right type of thread for your fabric type and that the thread is of top quality. If so, your needle might be the problem, so it’s important that you use a high-quality needle and that you replace it regularly.

Broken Needle

Sewing machine needles can break when inserted incorrectly, when the incorrect presser foot is being used, or when your fabric is being pushed with excessive force through your stitching.

Again, check your sewing machine’s manual to make sure that you’ve inserted the needle correctly, be careful not to force your fabric as you’re stitching to avoid bunching, and use the proper presser foot for your project.

Fabric Stall

If your fabric is stalling during stitching, your sewing machine’s teeth may not be raised high enough, or you may not be putting enough pressure on the presser foot.

Start by raising your feed dogs and adding more pressure to the presser foot as you stitch. Additionally, a longer stitch length might help to avoid a fabric stall.

Quality Sewing Machine Parts and Materials

Need to replace some sewing machine parts? Find everything you need as well as more DIY craft ideas at Goldstar Tool.