This article provides sewing machine troubleshooting solutions so that you can save yourself the trouble of carrying your sewing machine to a repair shop and spending money to get it working again.

Main sewing machine problems

Does your sewing machine skip stitches, snaps threads, break needles, tangles threads or even make weird noises while working? If the answer is yes then read on and you might save yourself some time and steep sewing machine repair costs going forward.

Snapping threads:in most thread breakages the issue is the type of thread. Make sure the thread you use for threading a sewing machine needle is not meant for a hand sewing needle because that will definitely break. If thread snapping is still an issue try lowering the tension settings for the thread on the top spool.

Bending or breaking needles:bent or broken needles can be very frustrating but also dangerous so caution and immediate action should be taken once this is noticed. Commonly the issue in this case is fabric needle incompatibility. For instance, heavy fabric such as leather, vinyl or denim require sharp sturdy needles while lighter fabric like knit, or cotton do well with ballpoint or jersey needles. Bent or broken needles can damage your fabric so it imperative that quick action is taken to immediately replace the needles as instructed by the sewing machine manual. If the issue is not fabric and it persists then a sewing machine repair is inevitable.

Tangling threads and jumbled up knots:this is one of the most annoying yet common sewing machine mechanical issues. Usually when your machine tangles, knots up threads or decides to miss stitches that you very well intended to stitch the issue is accumulated fluff. That is lint and dust collected by the machine over a significant of activity. The fluff builds up inside the bobbin case and moves around as the bobbin is active which may end up in the wrong end hence the mechanical defect. So regularly clean your machine using a brush or vacuum attachments to avoid this annoying eventuality. However, if this happens to your machine frequently then you may want to look into changing your threading and tension settings.

Strange sewing machine noises:your machine may start making weird clunky noises which is not a surprise for an older model machine. Most people tend to ignore the sound and continue using the machine anyway, which is a recipe for disaster. Usually when its starts complaining it is an indication that it needs a good clean and a little oiling. So you could save yourself a trip to the repair shop by simply doing a little maintenance to your sewing machine.